Author: Press Room

The visit by MEPs comes after a range of criticism from the Donald Trump administration about EU regulation. ADVERTISEMENTEU lawmakers will meet officials from the White House, the US Department of state, the US Department of commerce as well as Congress representatives from both sides of the aisle to discuss a broad range of technology topics and legislative files, during a visit to Washington DC next week, Euronews has learnt.The visit, scheduled from 24 to 28 February, comes after the newly installed US administration led by Republican President Donald Trump has expressed criticism of EU regulation, which they claim is…

By Susan Edmunds of RNZ  Some borrowers refixing their home loans have the opportunity to cut 10 years or more off their mortgages and save hundreds of thousands of dollars in interest. A year ago, the average one-year special home loan rate was about 7.3%, according to Reserve Bank data. If someone had a $500,000 loan over 30 years, that would be $791 a week. If they were coming up to refix their loan now and opted for 4.99%, which has been available for three years from Westpac and for a two-year term from ANZ, that would cut their repayments…

Queenstown burger joint Fergburger has dismissed a staff member after a tourist was given a receipt containing a racial slur. A photograph of a receipt, dated for Sunday, was posted to social media by a Taiwanese tourist.It had the words “ching chang” on it.In a statement posted to Facebook last night, Fergburger general manager Claire Burke said the employee involved in the incident was dismissed for what she described as “unjustified behaviour”. “While this cannot undo the incident or lessen the harm caused, we remain committed to addressing the situation thoroughly,” She said. “This incident has been caused by a…

The 88-year-old pontiff, despite battling pneumonia and a severe bronchial infection, was alert and responsive, Meloni stated on Wednesday. ADVERTISEMENTItalian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni visited Pope Francis in hospital on Wednesday, reporting that he was “alert and responsive” despite his ongoing battle with pneumonia and a severe bronchial infection that has kept him hospitalised for nearly a week.Meloni, who described the meeting as warm and lighthearted, said she brought well wishes on behalf of the Italian government and the nation.“We joked around as always. He has not lost his proverbial sense of humour,” her office stated.Her visit marked the first…

The mood inside Callaghan Innovation is grim, scientists say, as they scramble to secure themselves a future in New Zealand.The axe has so far fallen on 63 jobs at Callaghan, which is to be disestablished in the government’s overhaul of the science sector.While those roles will be gone in the next couple of weeks, more are expected to follow soon, with Science Minister Shane Reti confirming funding will cease to many functions within the organisation by 30 June.One Callaghan researcher, who RNZ agreed not to name, said it was only a matter of time before his name appeared on a…

This article was originally published in French The EU executive has unveiled a new vision for Europe’s agri-food system by 2040, scaling back its previous, more environmentally ambitious policy in response to mounting farmer protests. ADVERTISEMENTThe new approach to agri-food policy presented by the EU Commission on Wednesday focuses on simplifying regulations and making farming an attractive profession once again, rather than raising environmental standards.With this shift, the Commission moves away from its controversial Farm to Fork strategy, which was the agri-food component of the previous mandate’s flagship policy, the European Green Deal.Although ambitious, Farm to Fork set reduction targets that…

By Farah Hancock of RNZ Text messages and letters reveal a behind-the-scenes struggle to pass the coalition government’s contentious Fast-track Approvals Bill, despite concerns it broke Parliament’s rules about benefiting private companies. The government was warned that including private projects like mining and housing in the legislation would make it inadmissible as a government bill, as only private bills can benefit private entities. The conflict was only resolved after Speaker of the House, National’s Gerry Brownlee, ignored official advice to make the bill law anyway. One legal expert says Brownlee’s decision was “borderline”, and allowed companies to side-step an avenue for…

An Auckland landlord has been ordered to pay a family more than $30,000 after they were stuck living in an “unlawful” property with a sewage-soaked carpet, among several issues.   The family’s experience of living at the Albany Heights unit was detailed in a recently released Tenancy Tribunal decision — where adjudicator Michelle Pollak published its address “as a deterrent to the property owners continuing to rent out any of the three current unlawful dwellings”. The family, comprised of two adults and two children (whose names are suppressed), moved into 310 Dairy Flat Highway in December 2023.  The unit, one of three on the…

In joint statement, MEPs said that no peace in Ukraine can be negotiated without the full participation of Ukraine’s government and the backing of its people. ADVERTISEMENTFollowing the recent meeting held between US and Russian officials in Saudi Arabia, which excluded Ukraine, some members of the European Parliament published a joint statement declaring that any peace in Ukraine will have to be backed by the Ukrainian people.“No peace in Ukraine can be negotiated without the full participation of Ukraine’s democratically elected leadership and the backing of its people. Any settlement that excludes Ukraine or undermines its legitimate aspirations will be…

Waipareira Trust chief executive and president of Te Pāti Māori John Tamihere is defending the use of data at Manurewa Marae, saying there’s no evidence of any wrongdoing.The Craig inquiry suggested it was likely “on balance” that some photocopying of Census data had occurred.Tamihere said the trust had several providers and he couldn’t speak on behalf of them all.He agreed there was some photocopying of Census forms at the marae but the instruction was that they needed to be destroyed on the day.”… I go back to your first question [from Morning Report host Corin Dann] was any census data…