Author: Press Room

Some hope a long-awaited new EU law will help the bloc attract innovative digital businesses — but it may have trouble competing with a new pro-crypto administration in the US. ADVERTISEMENTMuch-vaunted new EU crypto laws will take effect in just a few weeks, but Brussels lawmakers are already wondering if they’re going to lose out to the new administration of Donald Trump.The EU’s new crypto framework is designed to keep markets in check, applying finance-style rules to protect traders who otherwise might fall victim to fraudsters or market manipulation.Some argue this extra credibility could aid EU leadership in the innovative…

Gloriavale’s Overseeing Shepherd was the employer of three men who worked long hours from the age of six at the West Coast Christian community, the Employment Court has found.Hosea Courage, Daniel Pilgrim and Levi Courage were found to have been Gloriavale employees, rather than volunteers, in a landmark 2022 Employment Court case.Chief Judge Christina Inglis found the work they did between the ages of six and 14, including on farms and factories, could not be described as “chores” because of the commercial nature of the tasks, they were done over an extended period of time and they were “strenuous, difficult…

Germany’s national elections are influencing the negotiations of EU deforestation law, which entered interinstitutional negotiations on 21 November, according to campaigner. ADVERTISEMENTWhy has the EU deforestation law become so politicised and what role is Germany is playing? Julia Christian, forests and agriculture campaigner at the Brussels-based NGO Fern, tells Radio Schuman today the centre-right German CDU party – a European People’s Party (EPP) member – is seeking to disrupt the implementation of the EU deforestation law as national elections approach, aiming to gain votes.The EU Deforestation law aims to combat global deforestation by imposing due diligence obligations on traders importing…

Ellen DeGeneres has moved to the English countryside.The 66-year-old TV star was recently spotted house-hunting in southwest England and Ellen has reportedly already found a property that she loves.”Ellen was in England house hunting in the beginning of October. She ended up finding a house that she loved and purchased it shortly after,” a source told People.Earlier in November, DeGeneres and wife Portia de Rossi were seen at The Farmer’s Dog — a pub owned by former Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson — in the Cotswolds.And the celebrity couple — who have been married since 2008 — are seemingly loving…

State Highway 1 has reopened in both directions between Kaiwaka and the Brynderwyns in Northland this afternoon after a fallen tree threatened power lines.NZTA earlier said the closure was expected to be in place for around two hours and warned of “significant delays” to motorists.Motorists were advised to delay travel where possible or were forced to detour via Baldrock Rd and Kaiwaka-Mangawhai Rd.”The detour is not suitable for HPMV [high productivity motor vehicles] and other heavy vehicles,” a spokesperson said.

Whangārei Police are looking for Toa Pitman while warning the public of the gangmember’s predisposition for violence.Detective Senior Sergeant Aaron Crawford said: “Police consider him to be dangerous and he should not be approached.”Police last encountered the Black Power member in a vehicle in the Kamo suburb of Whangārei on Wednesday evening.”Pitman stopped his vehicle and evaded police on foot after the pursuit ended in Otangarei,” Crawford said.The 42-year-old has multiple warrants over other family harm offences, police said.”Pitman remains a serious threat to his victim, and it is a priority for our staff that he is taken into custody.”Crawford…

A former political figure who sexually abused two teenage boys nearly 30 years ago has been sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison.The man, who is not a sitting MP, sexually assaulted two young teenagers he mentored through a sports club in the mid- to late-1990s.He continues to deny any offending after being found guilty of eight charges of indecent assault after a week-long jury trial in the Auckland District Court in August.Judge David Sharp has now sentenced him to two-and-a-half years’ imprisonment, taking into account discounts for good character and reparations of $1500 for each victim.The judge acknowledged the man…

The head of High Performance Sport NZ was warned in 2018 of concerns “we would have an athlete kill themselves” if the environment in Cycling NZ was not fixed, an inquest into the death of elite cyclist Olivia Podmore has heard.Warning: This story discusses mental health and suicide. Helpline numbers are at the end of this article.The warning came from a senior doctor who had worked closely with athletes in the Cycling NZ high performance programme.The doctor told the Coroner’s Court in Hamilton on Friday that she met with former HPSNZ boss Michael Scott in June 2018 as the government…

Demonstrations against the government are ongoing in the Serbian city of Novi Sad, with protestors denouncing corruption and a lack of transparency. ADVERTISEMENTA former government minister was reportedly among 11 people arrested in Serbia on Thursday over the deadly collapse of a train station awning earlier this month that killed 15 people and severely injured two others. The suspects, who have not been officially identified, face charges of committing criminal acts against public security, causing public danger and irregular construction work, said prosecutors in the northern city of Novi Sad, where the tragedy occurred.Meanwhile, local media reported that Goran Vesić,…

Maketū Pies has gone into voluntary liquidation after five years of losses.Its owner, Te Arawa Management Ltd, bought the national pie supplier in 2019 during a receivership process but says it has operated at a loss since.It was at the time, the town’s largest employer and had operated for about 40 years. It had about 40 staff, mostly locals.Interim chief executive Tina Kilmister-Blue said the “difficult decision” was made after a “great deal of discussion and deliberation”.Maketū Foods Ltd, trading as Maketū Pies, went into a solvent liquidation process on Thursday, which meant it would remain operating for now.Kilmister-Blue said…