Author: Press Room

Nintendo is set to provide a closer look at its highly anticipated Switch 2 gaming console tomorrow.The 60-minute Nintendo Direct presentation will be live-streamed at 9am EDT (2am NZ time). A release date and price have yet to be announced, but Nintendo said earlier this year the console will hit the market in 2025.The Switch 2 is Nintendo’s latest hybrid console that can be played in hand with all of the nostalgia of a Game Boy, or connected to a screen and controller for a traditional home console experience.A January tease of the Switch successor showcased a smooth, nearly all-black…

Whether it’s some subtle stubble — or a full-on goatee — facial hair is desired by many in Aotearoa and across the globe. However, just like a receding hairline or bald patches, genetics often stand in the way of people achieving the look they want. This is where transplants come into play; the transplantation of body hair onto one’s jawline.While there are only a handful of clinics offering the cosmetic surgery in New Zealand, just like hair transplants, the procedure is reportedly growing in popularity across the globe.While hard to pinpoint the exact number of people getting transplants, the global…

ADVERTISEMENT”Europe, as a whole, has not been this strong and united for a very long time.”This is how Keir Starmer, the prime minister of the United Kingdom, has described the diplomatic push to assemble a “Coalition of the Willing” to safeguard a potential deal to end Russia’s war on Ukraine, a task that took on sudden urgency after Donald Trump caught Europe off guard by unilaterally launching negotiations with Vladimir Putin.Since that 90-minute phone call on 12 February, the continent has been trying to reassert its standing in the fast-moving chains of events to ensure its voice is heard and…

Val Kilmer, the brooding, versatile actor who played fan favourite Iceman in Top Gun, donned a voluminous cape as Batman in Batman Forever and portrayed Jim Morrison in The Doors, has died. He was 65.Kilmer died today in Los Angeles, surrounded by family and friends, his daughter, Mercedes Kilmer, said in an email to The Associated Press.Val Kilmer died from pneumonia. He had recovered after a 2014 throat cancer diagnosis that required two tracheotomies.”I have behaved poorly. I have behaved bravely. I have behaved bizarrely to some. I deny none of this and have no regrets because I have lost…

The Body Shop NZ has closed its final stores after being placed into liquidation.The cosmetics and beauty retailer previously had 16 stores across the country alongside an online business.It was placed into voluntary administration in January, closing all but five of its stores.Creditors voted for the company to go into liquidation on March 27. Daniel Stoneman and Neale Jackson of the financial advisory firm Calibre Partners were appointed as liquidators.All stores were now closed with the loss of around 70 jobs.A note on The Body Shop NZ website, which has been closed down, reads: “All retail locations are now permanently…

ADVERTISEMENTThe bodies of three US soldiers found dead in Lithuania have been identified as Dante Taitano, 21, Edvin Franco, 25, and Jose Duenez, 25. The identity of the fourth and final body recovered is being withheld for the moment, according to US military officials, but the search is now over.The body of the last missing soldier was found dead on Tuesday, marking the end of the week-long search for the four service members whose armoured vehicle was recovered from a swampy training area. A solidarity rally outside the US Embassy yesterday drew hundreds of people, including politicians, soldiers, and civilians,…

Tony Bennett’s two daughters have filed a new lawsuit against their brother, alleging he illegally enriched himself at their expense against their father’s wishes both before and after the legendary singer’s death in 2023.Antonia and Johanna Bennett filed the lawsuit Monday in New York against D’Andrea “Danny” Bennett, who was their father’s manager and heads their family trust.“Since Tony’s death, Johanna and Antonia have discovered that Danny exercised complete and unchecked control over Tony and his financial affairs prior to and following his death through multiple fiduciary and other roles of authority that Danny has abused, and continues to abuse,…

Orange heavy rain warnings have been issued across the top and west of the South Island for the coming days.And parts of the North Island are under a heavy rain watch.MetService said a deep low over the Tasman Sea would direct “moist northerlies” over the country on Thursday and Friday, bringing heavy rain and strong winds.”This could be a significant rain event for the Tasman/Nelson districts, and there is a chance that warnings in the area could be upgraded to red,” the forecaster said.The heaviest rainfall was expected in the Tasman region, northwest of Motueka.Between 350-450mm of rain were forecast…

A fresh push to incentivise Europeans to invest in EU assets has been weaponised in an online disinformation campaign. Euroverify investigates. ADVERTISEMENTThe EU executive is not looking to “confiscate” up to €10 trillion in money stashed away in European citizens’ savings accounts to spend on defence, despite a claim circulating widely on social media.Euroverify has detected the false allegation on X, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube, fuelled by an article published on the Russian state news agency TASS.The disinformation campaign falsely accuses Brussels of wanting to dip into taxpayers’ savings to “fund its war machine” and “militarise the EU.”The unfounded claims…

By Gyles Beckford of RNZ Westpac’s chief economist has thrown a cat among the forecasting pigeons by saying the Reserve Bank (RBNZ) should not cut the benchmark official cash rate (OCR) at next week’s monetary review. Kelly Eckhold said he expected the RBNZ will go ahead with a smaller sized cut of 25 basis points to 3.5%, because it had already strongly hinted a further cut would happen when it reduced the OCR in February by a third consecutive 50 point cut. But he has questioned whether another cut is needed or should be delivered right now. “This OCR cut is likely…