Author: Press Room
A business customer who was told it could take two months and $7500 to decommission gas is one of a number who complained to complaint resolution provider Utilities Disputes (UDL) about gas disconnection issues.UDL said most of the complaints it received related to disconnections were due to payment arrears, when a disconnection and reconnection fee could apply.But fees that were sometimes substantial were also charged when a gas supply was permanently stopped, it said.UDL received 35 complaints in the past six months about gas disconnection, compared to 11 in the previous six.The number of complaints about decommissioning had been increasing…
Published on 04/09/2025 – 11:15 GMT+2 ADVERTISEMENT Portugal and other parts of Europe have been at the centre of one of the continent’s worst wildfire seasons since records began in 2006, which has also turned into a breeding ground for misinformation. A post appeared on Instagram in August, alleging that immigrants receive €910 in benefits, compared to volunteer firefighters, who the user alleged receive no stipends. The account that published the picture is a self-professed supporter of the far-right Chega party and has more than 16,000 followers. The post has received 10,000 likes and has prompted other similar posts elsewhere…
History has been made in Aotearoa New Zealand. Amy Geue, a teacher with 15 years’ experience in Australian Deaf education, is the first Deaf person to become a principal in more than 100 years of Deaf education in New Zealand.The Deaf community has been crying out for Deaf representation at the leadership level, as revealed in a recent exposé of the problems faced by Deaf students, teachers and parents in a TVNZ+ report. It found that only two of the 12-strong leadership at Ko Taku Reo, the school that oversees Deaf Education, were either Deaf or had lived Deaf experience…
ADVERTISEMENT President Donald Trump said the United States will keep a robust military presence in Poland during a meeting on Wednesday with Karol Nawrocki, the new president of the American ally in Europe. Trump had taken the unusual step of endorsing Karol Nawrocki in the presidential election earlier this year and as the leaders sat in the White House, Trump said the US-Polish relationship has always been strong but “now it’s better than ever.” When asked by a reporter whether the US planned to continue placing troops in Poland, Trump said it would and that “we’ll put more there if they…
1News Europe Correspondent Kate Nicol-Williams travelled to Ukraine with the New Zealand Government delegation and filed this report on her return to Poland.Defence Minister Judith Collins has just completed a top-secret visit to Ukraine’s capital Kyiv to meet with the at-war Government.The visit included laying flowers to pay tribute to those who have been killed in the war, meeting with Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, her defence counterpart Denys Shmyhal, and taking part in a country-to-country meeting.Inside Defence Minister’s top-secret visit to war-torn Kyiv – watch on TVNZ+Collins said: “I think it’s very important for us to give that support…
ADVERTISEMENT 79% of respondents across Europe say that culture is important to them personally, an increase of 2% compared to the previous survey in 2007. That’s what the most recent Eurobarometer survey shows. The highest scores are found in Luxembourg with 92%, Cyprus with 89%, and Italy, also 89%. The lowest are Germany at 66%, Austria at 62%, and Romania, at 61%. But culture isn’t just personal. For more than 8 out of 10 Europeans, culture and the arts are important for the welfare and economic development of the place they live. Again, Luxembourg – 93%, Portugal – 92%, and…
A grenade was found by police among a substantial amount of ammunition, drugs and cash in a raid at Onerahi in Northland this morning.Detective Senior Sergeant Shane Pilmer, Whangārei CIB, says officers found a significant amount of methamphetamine, cash and ammunition, as well as the grenade. Police did not disclose whether the grenade was live.Two people were facing charges after officers executed the search at a Ross St property.A bundle of money police found at an Onerahi property. (Source: NZ Police)“These arrests continue on from good police work earlier in the week,” Pilmer said, in a statement. “We have zero…
Michelle Dockery has debuted her baby bump at the world premiere of Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale in London today.The 43-year-old British actress – who played Lady Mary Crawley in the period drama series over five seasons and three films – was glowing as she graced the red carpet in Leicester Square with her husband, Jasper Waller-Bridge.Her appearance was described as “an entrance worthy of Lady Mary” by one fashion critic.Jasper Waller-Bridge and Michelle Dockery. (Source: Getty)Dockery married the 37-year-old film producer, the brother of actress and screenwriter Phoebe Waller-Bridge, in 2023. The child will be the couple’s first. Downton…
A teenage dirt bike rider who taunted police on their social media pages while “causing havoc” in Whangārei has ended up in youth custody, police say.Prior to being caught, the 14-year-old allegedly posted “catch me if ya can” to police social media pages.Northland road policing manager John Fagan said the youth ended up in custody and had his bike taken off his hands.”This is one of several results as police crackdown on unsafe and illegal dirt bike riding activity across Northland’s communities.”Police share the frustrations expressed by many in the community with dangerous activity on public roads and public spaces,”…
ADVERTISEMENT More than €4 million of EU funds wrongly spent by the European Parliament’s far-right group Identity and Democracy (ID) during the previous term should be repaid by the Patriots for Europe (PfE) group, according to an opinion drafted by the Parliament’s Committee on Budgetary Control (CONT) and set to be voted on Thursday. The ID group, which included France’s Rassemblement National and Italy’s The League, wrongly spent at least € 4 333 635.78 of EU funds between 2019 and 2024, according to Parliament’s financial services (DG FINS). The suspected irregularities were first flagged in February and led the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO)…