The Daily Populous

Friday March 1st, 2024 evening edition

image for Self-pay gas station pumps break across NZ as software can’t handle Leap Day

Today is Leap Day, meaning that for the first time in four years, it's February 29.

But that unique calendar date broke gas station payment systems across New Zealand for much of the day.

As reported by numerous international outlets, self-serve pumps in New Zealand were unable to accept card payments due to a problem with the gas pumps' payment processing software.

This effectively shuttered some gas stations, while others had to rely on in-store payments.

The gas pump breakdown sent stakeholders into a frenzy as they tried to resolve the problem caused by software being unequipped to process the bonus day.

RNZ reported speaking to someone who was declined service by four gas stations due to the outage.

A representative for Petroleum, when prompted via Facebook to "maybe remember Leap Day in four years' time," responded:. »

Embracer is reportedly selling Saber Interactive for $500 million, including its Star Wars: KoTOR remake

Authored by videogameschronicle.com

Embracer Group is reportedly set to sell Saber Interactive in a deal worth up to $500 million.

The deal will result in Saber becoming a privately owned company with around 3,500 employees in total across its studios worldwide (including the US, Russia and Portugal).

Saber will also reportedly continue to work on its remake of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic following the deal. »

French Senate votes to enshrine abortion rights in constitution

Authored by edition.cnn.com

France is one step closer to enshrining abortion rights in its constitution after French senators overwhelmingly endorsed the change on Wednesday.

Backers of the bill say constitutionalization would safeguard abortion rights even if an anti-abortion majority were to be voted into office.

France’s decision to constitutionalize abortion comes amid roll-backs on reproductive rights around the world, which have seen right-wing governments in Europe crack down on abortion access. »

IRS launches crackdown on 125,000 wealthy ‘non-filers’

Authored by apnews.com

The IRS in recent months has announced a slew of new campaigns aimed at targeting high-wealth individuals who misuse the tax system or fail to pay their obligations.

Werfel said the agency’s non-filer programs have only run sporadically since 2016 due to lack of funding and staffing.

But since the federal tax collector received resources from the IRA, “the IRS now has the capacity to do this core tax administration work,” he said. »

Zelensky Makes Appeal For Aid, Reveals 31,000 Ukrainian Soldiers Have Been Lost In War

Authored by thesocialtalks.com

Zelensky Makes Appeal For Aid, Reveals 31,000 Ukrainian Soldiers Have Been Lost In War.

This comes after Mr Zelensky claimed on Sunday that 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion two years ago.

Western governments, however, have different estimates for the number of Ukrainian losses, with US officials believing that 70,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed. »