Author: Press Room

Viral claims on social media allege that Portugal is banning all Islamic laws and practices, and that failing to comply will result in a €4,000 fine. One widely shared X post, which has been seen more than 800,000 times and has garnered thousands of likes, alleged that more and more EU countries are set to follow suit. A video relaying the same claims is attached to the post, stating that France, Italy, Sweden, Austria and Belgium are also going to implement the same measures. However, the claim that Portugal — along with other EU countries — is introducing an outright…

Doritos and Cheetos are getting a makeover.PepsiCo said Friday it’s launching toned-down versions of its bright orange snacks that won’t have any artificial colours or flavours. Doritos and Cheetos Simply NKD will hit store shelves on December 1.It’s part of a broader shift underway at PepsiCo, which announced in April that it would accelerate a planned transition to using natural colours in its foods and beverages. Around 40% of its US products now contain synthetic dyes, according to the company.Dye-free doesn’t mean Doritos and Cheetos Simply NKD will be colourless. Instead, they’re just a lighter colour, like a tortilla chip.Many…

New Zealand’s Retirement Commissioner is calling for big changes to KiwiSaver to ensure the scheme does not leave anyone behind.The commission has released its latest three-yearly report into the country’s retirement income systems.It makes 12 recommendations to the Government, eight of which it says could be introduced quickly and at little cost.More support for low-income earnersThe report recommends targeting government contributions more squarely at lower-income earners.They are the group most affected by the Government’s recent decision to halve its annual contribution to KiwiSaver accounts.Previously, people received 50c for every $1 they contributed up to $1042 a year, but that has…

A multimillion-dollar feat of engineering, custom-built in Dunedin, will soon be sitting atop a Sydney high-rise. The 60-tonne retractable access machine is being manufactured by Farra Engineering for a world-class hotel in Sydney. Managing director Gareth Evans said the “complex and bespoke piece of machinery”, fully designed and manufactured in Dunedin, was expected to be disassembled and shipped by mid-January. This type of access machine, a building maintenance unit (BMU), was used to clean windows and perform facade maintenance. It featured a suspended cage for operators and an integrated material hoist, Mr Evans said. “This BMU will be one of…

A male riding an e-scooter punched a woman in the stomach in an Auckland park earlier this month.Detective Senior Sergeant Anthony Darvill said a report was made on November 4 after the incident in Grey Lynn Park.The woman was hit in the stomach by a male who was part of a group of four riding e-scooters at the time.”At this stage we are making further inquiries into the report, including canvassing for any CCTV footage in the area at the time the assault occurred,” he said.”Police ask anyone in the area at the time who has information about the assault,…

A 27-year-old says his decision to move from Whangārei to Melbourne was “painfully easy” as it meant a decreased cost of living and massively increased wages.Far more Kiwis are leaving the country than coming back with the latest Stats NZ data showing nearly 73,000 New Zealanders left the country in the past year, while only 26,000 returned.Young Kiwis aged 18 to 30 made up 38% of those departures, mostly heading across the Tasman.One of them was Sean Collier, a 27-year-old lawyer and stand-up comedian from Whangārei who moved to Melbourne two years ago.”It was a no brainer. It was just…

The Ministry of Education says nearly 60 schools and early childhood centres have contacted them over possible asbestos contamination from recalled coloured play sands.Rainbow sand from Educational Colours and coloured sand from Creatistics were recalled because Tremolite — a naturally occurring asbestos — had been found in samples during lab testing.Head of operations and integration Sean Teddy said schools were told not to attempt to clean it up, but leave the area and close off access to affected spaces.”We’ve been contacted by around 30 schools and 30 early childhood services from around the country, and we are working with them…

Seven queen yellow-legged hornets have so far been found in Auckland as efforts ramp up to track others down.The predator hornets are a danger to local honey and wild bees.The first was found in Glenfield last month and was the first time a queen has been found here.The Ministry for Primary Industries says it’s stepping up the number of people on the ground.”This week we introduced additional teams to methodically check common nesting areas close to where hornets have been detected in Glenfield and Birkdale,” Biosecurity New Zealand north commissioner Mike Inglis said.”We are stepping up our numbers on the…

Tunumafono Fa’amoetauloa Avaula Colenso Fa’amoe MNZM is being remembered as a respected leader who fought to make lifejackets compulsory on boats around Auckland.The former local board member and disability advocate died last week.Lotu Fuli, Manukau ward councillor, says Tunumafono was “a giant in the disability world” whose influence extended across the region.Tunumafono was also instrumental in lobbying for the lifejacket bylaw, which made it compulsory to wear lifejackets on small boats across Auckland.”He took that upon himself when he was on the local board,” Fuli says. “He went to all 21 local boards across the city, advocating and lobbying for…

Police have selected the detection device officers will use for roadside drugs screening when the scheme kicks off next month. Starting in the Wellington District from mid-December, officers will begin screening for THC (cannabis), methamphetamine (meth), MDMA (ecstasy) and cocaine. The scheme would scale up from April 2026 to operate nationwide by mid-2026. Today, it was confirmed that the Securetec DrugWipe 3 S device, from Australian-based drug detection and life science provider Pathtech, would be used for the testing. Pathtech would also supply police with oral fluid collection kits for saliva samples to be sent for laboratory analysis. “Pathtech has…