Saturday, July 25

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US interest rate falls for second time in four years | Money News
Business

US interest rate falls for second time in four years | Money News

The US central bank has cut interest rates for the second time in a row as the independent agency's future becomes uncertain under a second Donald Trump presidency.The Federal Reserve, known as the Fed, has brought rates down to 4.5% to 4.75%. Unlike the UK, the US interest rate is a range to guide lenders rather than a single percentage. But as is the case with the UK, it's only the second time in more than four years the US regulator has cut rates.Rates have been dropped as inflation fell to 2.4%, not far off the Fed's 2% target, and the weakest jobs report of the Biden administration was posted in September. The regulator is tasked with both maintaining price stability and maximum US employment.The cut also comes after US recession fears in August sparked a global stock market sell-off....
How Trump win could affect your bank balance
World News

How Trump win could affect your bank balance

Donald Trump. Photo: JIM WATSON As the world digests the impacts of Donald Trump's second election victory, some people have started to ask what it might mean for New Zealand. Commentators say there are a few clear ways our economy - and household finances - could be affected. Cheaper goods (sometimes) Trump has talked about tariffs across the board on imports, but particularly on Chinese imports. While that may be a concern for our exporters - the US is the second-largest export market for New Zealand after China - New Zealand consumers could see some impacts, too. Kelly Eckhold, chief economist at Westpac, said there was still uncertainty about the extent to which Trump would follow through on some of the more "hyperbolic" things he had said. "To the extent to which he gets involved ...
Biden vows to ‘make every day count’ before leaving White House to Trump – National
Politics

Biden vows to ‘make every day count’ before leaving White House to Trump – National

U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday urged Americans to “bring down the temperature” and vowed to “make every day count” for the remainder of his term before handing control of the White House, and the country, to president-elect Donald Trump next year. Speaking for the first time since his fellow Democrats suffered a crushing defeat to Trump in Tuesday’s U.S. election, Biden sought to both console Americans disappointed in Vice-President Kamala Harris’s loss and defend his legacy, despite voters delivering a strong rebuke to his presidency.“We’re leaving behind the strongest economy in the world,” Biden said in his brief remarks from the Rose Garden outside the White House, addressing his cabinet and staff. “I know people are still hurting, but things are changing rapidly.“Together, we’ve...
Conor McGregor: Woman allegedly raped by MMA star denies CCTV ‘contradicts’ account | UK News
Business

Conor McGregor: Woman allegedly raped by MMA star denies CCTV ‘contradicts’ account | UK News

A woman who alleges she was raped by MMA star Conor McGregor has denied that CCTV footage from the day in question "flatly contradicts" her account.In an emotional morning of cross-examination, the woman's version of events were questioned by McGregor's counsel, Remy Farrell SC. In CCTV footage played to the court, dated after the time of the alleged rape, McGregor is seen getting into a lift with the woman, his co-defendant James Lawrence, and the woman's friend.It appears to show the woman getting close to McGregor, in an act his lawyers say was a hug, and also appearing to kiss him on the arm.The woman told the court that it was "very disturbing" for her to watch the footage. She said: "I'm very drunk, I'm stumbling. It's not my character. I'm very vulnerable and I don't want to have to...
Why bitcoin has hit a record, and what Trump’s win means now
World News

Why bitcoin has hit a record, and what Trump’s win means now

Bitcoin was up 11 percent in a day on Thursday morning. Photo: Jakub Porzycki / NurPhoto / NurPhoto via AFP The price of bitcoin has surged and one New Zealand fund manager says many factors point to it continuing to rise. US president-elect Donald Trump has spoken as part of his re-election campaign about wanting to make the country the "crypto capital" of the planet. Bitcoin was up 11 percent in a day to NZ$128,110 or US$76,132 on Thursday morning. Dogecoin, which is a favourite of Trump supporter Elon Musk was also up almost 20 percent. Rupert Carlyon, founder of KiwiSaver provider Koura, which offers a crypto fund, said he expected prices to continue to rise. "Trump has been pretty clear he will support the industry, the US government will stop selling, he's going to undo a whole lo...
U.S. election: Students at Kamala Harris’s Canadian high school want her to run again
Politics

U.S. election: Students at Kamala Harris’s Canadian high school want her to run again

With a resounding Donald Trump victory, the outcome of the U.S. presidential election has been the talk of the town at Kamala Harris’s alma mater in Montreal. Westmount High School student Kadiatou Barrie, 14, was disappointed when she woke up Wednesday morning to learn that Harris will not take the top job at the White House. But the teen says she respects the results.“I thought Kamala Harris was what America needed, like really badly,” Barrie said. “But if they wanted Trump, I guess that’s what they want.”Long before she became an American vice-president and presidential candidate, Harris spent several years in the Canadian city as a teenager. She attended Westmount High for three years and graduated in 1981.Harris moved to Montreal so her mother Shyamala Gopalan, a breast cancer researc...
Four bodies found in Channel as more than 50 migrants rescued | UK News
Business

Four bodies found in Channel as more than 50 migrants rescued | UK News

Four bodies have been found in the English Channel and more than 50 migrants rescued.Fifty-one people were rescued after a boat got into difficulty off the coast of Audresselles in northern France overnight on Monday, French authorities said.On Tuesday, a ferry reported seeing a body floating in the water off the coast of Calais, prompting a search which led to the discovery of another body.The French coastguard said two more people were found dead in the water off the Calais coast on Wednesday.All four bodies were brought ashore and an investigation has been launched but it has yet to be confirmed whether the people who died were migrants.It comes as figures published by the government on Thursday show more than 3,000 migrants arrived on Channel crossings in the last fortnight.A total of ...
Trump has long threatened the media. Press freedom groups fear he might make good on it
World News

Trump has long threatened the media. Press freedom groups fear he might make good on it

By Liam Reilly, CNN Donald Trump speaks to Fox News in the lead-up to the election. Photo: Elijah Nouvelage/AFP/Getty Images via CNN Newsource Press freedom groups have sounded the alarm on the potential dangers facing journalists under a second Trump administration, denouncing threats from the president-elect and his associates to undermine the news media. In the hours after Donald Trump's decisive victory, the Committee to Protect Journalists, Reporters Without Borders, Freedom of the Press Foundation and American Sunlight Project called on the president-elect to end his attacks on the news media or altogether curb Trump's power to prevent a destabilizing onslaught against the press. "On the campaign trail and during his previous administration, President-elect Donald Trump has fre...
Delhi air pollution: Doctors report a rise in digestive disorders
Health

Delhi air pollution: Doctors report a rise in digestive disorders

Amid continuing poor air quality in the national capital, doctors on Wednesday reported a rise in digestive issues like Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD).   Delhi-NCR`s air quality remained dangerously poor on Wednesday, nearing the `severe` category in several locations across the region. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Delhi`s average air quality index (AQI) stood at 358 as of 7:30 a.m. The AQI surpassed 400, marking `severe` levels in areas like Bawana (412), Mundka (419), NSIT Dwarka (447), and Wazirpur (421). Air pollution is a known health risk that can lead to problems ranging from respiratory to cardiovascular to metabolic and even mental health. It is also a considerable threat to digestive health. “Long-term air poll...
Prince William heckled as he finishes Cape Town tour – but protesters dwarfed by crowds | World News
Business

Prince William heckled as he finishes Cape Town tour – but protesters dwarfed by crowds | World News

Prince William has been met by a handful of protesters, outweighed by excited crowds, as he finished his tour of Cape Town.William was visiting Kalk Bay Harbour to highlight the contributions of 2023 Earthshot finalist Abalobi, a social enterprise which aims to protect small-scale fishing communities while also promoting sustainable fishing methods. But as the prince walked along the harbour front shouts could be heard from local fishermen and women in the crowd.Speaking to Sky News Mymoena Poggenpoel, who has carried on her family's fishing business and owns two boats, said they weren't protesting against the prince but felt excluded from the event."It wasn't inclusive, that's our concern. If you look at these boats, they're all independently owned, from our forefathers, our fathers to th...