Author: Press Room

Tax-to-GDP ratio has seen a slight decline across the EU in 2023. However, trends varied significantly amongst different countries. ADVERTISEMENTTax-to-GDP ratio is the weight of taxes and net social contributions on a country’s gross domestic product.France saw the highest ratio (45.6%), followed by Belgium (44.8%) and Denmark (44.1%), according to the latest Eurostat data.On the other side of the spectrum, the lowest ratios were reported in Ireland (22.7%), Romania (27.0%) and Malta (27.1%).The EU average for 2023 was 40%, just 0.7% down from the previous year.Tax-to-GDP ratio went up in 11 EU countries between 2022 and 2023. The biggest increases…

Three people have been arrested after an aggravated robbery in Rotorua involving weapons and a stolen vehicle.Police said offenders, armed with a machete and other weapons, entered the Te Ngai Road Caltex Service Station in Owhata, Rotorua at about 6am this morning.”They threatened a staff member, stole cash, vape products and cigarettes.”The offenders then left in a stolen vehicle which they dumped nearby.”Police said the vehicle was stolen from Hamilton. It was recovered and would be returned to its owner.After police were alerted to the location of the vehicle, a dog and handler tracked the previous occupants of the vehicle…

Ex-US president Donald Trump is close to re-election, as projections indicate that key states are in the hand of the Republicans. ADVERTISEMENTEurope should strive to maintain a professional relationship with Donald Trump, ex-Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz told Euronews’ live election results show this morning.Today Radio Schuman draws exclusive reaction from the show including from Euronews’ Washington DC correspondent, Stefan Grobe.How will the EU deal with a potential second Donald Trump presidency? We also take a quick look at European Commissioner nominees hearings at the European Parliament: who will be grilled today by MEPs?On the last part of the show, Radio…

A pair of ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz is on the auction block nearly two decades after a thief stole the iconic shoes, convinced they were adorned with real jewels.Online bidding has started and will continue through December 7, Heritage Auctions in Dallas announced in a news release yesterday.The auction company received the sequin-and-bead-bedazzled slippers from Michael Shaw, the memorabilia collector who originally owned the footwear at the heart of the beloved 1939 musical. Shaw had loaned the shoes in 2005 to the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota.That summer, someone smashed through…

Figures from Stats NZ have shed light on the number of people working from home in New Zealand.About a third of employees worked from home at some point in the September 2024 quarter, according to data out today.The total number of people working from home was 898,700 in the September quarter.A quarter of those — or 240,000 — worked exclusively from home.A total of 651,800 are “hybrid” workers — at home and at another location.The top three industries with staff working from home are information and media telecommunications, financial and insurance services, and professional, scientific and technical services.More than 40%…

A Kāinga Ora development in central Blenheim has been given the green light — provided an “acoustic fence” is built to appease neighbours.Five older single-storey state homes along Arthur St will be removed or demolished, and 10 two-storey homes will be built in their place, some duplex and with shared driveways.The Government agency filed two resource consent applications for the properties, which an independent commissioner for the Marlborough District Council decided to consider at the same time.Commissioner Craig Welsh said, in a decision issued last week on one of the applications, that it did not comply with rules for site…

Can you catch the flu from exposure to cold temperatures? Is the flu the same as a cold? EuroVerify takes a look. ADVERTISEMENTFlu season is officially here, and along with it, a plethora of common misconceptions about the virus.From the efficacy of vaccines to the medication you can take, a number of myths persist, both through word of mouth and online.EuroVerify presented some of the most common myths to experts to see what they had to say.Myth 1: Getting the flu vaccine increases your risk of getting the virus”The answer to that one is a pretty easy ‘no’,” said Dr.…

Firefighters are at the scene of a house fire in Glen Eden, Auckland this afternoon.Fire and Emergency New Zealand told 1News it received multiple calls about the fire at 12.09pm.All people are accounted for. There were four trucks at the scene at the height of the blaze.

Three Chinese nationals have been arrested at Auckland Airport with a “large quantity of cash” as police allege they had been operating a “blessing scam”.Detectives detained a 50-year-old man and two women, aged 59 and 53, before they checked in for flights to China yesterday.The trio have been jointly charged with two counts of obtaining by deception.Photos released by police showed thousands in seized cash across several different currencies.Detective Senior Sergeant Craig Bolton alleged the trio had been operating a “blessing scam” while in New Zealand. The charges relate to two victims — one who lost $14,500 and jewellery, and…

A fire sparked by used fireworks in a cardboard recycling truck in Northland yesterday has prompted a warning to dispose of them properly following Guy Fawkes.Whangārei District Council’s parks and recreation department field officer Grant Alsop told 1News that staff first noticed smoke coming from the back of their cardboard recycling truck in Whangaumu Bay yesterday afternoon.”They quickly pulled over into a gravel lay-by and dumped the recycling out, then contacted volunteer firefighters.”He said there were still fireworks “going off” inside the truck when they tipped out the load onto the gravel.Alsop confirmed there were no injuries as a result…