Saturday, August 29

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World’s first wooden satellite heads to space in Mars exploration test | World News
Business

World’s first wooden satellite heads to space in Mars exploration test | World News

The world's first wooden satellite has been launched into space.The satellite, designed by Japanese researchers, was launched on Tuesday. Experts hope to test how timber can be used in the exploration of the moon and Mars.LignoSat will be flown to the International Space Station (ISS) on a SpaceX mission before it's released into Earth's orbit.Takao Doi, an astronaut who studies human space activities at Kyoto University, said using renewable materials would allow humans to "build houses, live and work in space forever". Aiming to plant trees and build houses from timber on the moon and Mars in 50 years, Mr Doi's team set about designing the NASA-certified satellite. Image: Engineering model of LignoSat. Pic: REUTERS/Irene Wang ...
5 key U.S. election turning points Canadians should watch for – National
Politics

5 key U.S. election turning points Canadians should watch for – National

Americans are facing a decision about the future of their country and no matter which president they choose, Canada cannot escape the pull of political polarization from its closest neighbour. Vice-President Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump present starkly different paths forward for the United States and the race for the White House appears to be extremely close.The U.S. is Canada’s largest trading partner and its next president will be in charge during the review of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico agreement in 2026.Harris has campaigned on the fact that she voted against the trilateral agreement, saying it didn’t do enough to protect American workers or the environment. The vice-president is largely expected to maintain President Joe Biden’s Buy American procurement rules.The centr...
Americans head to polls with stark choice between Trump and Harris – National
Politics

Americans head to polls with stark choice between Trump and Harris – National

A presidential campaign marked by upheaval and rancor approached its finale on Election Day as Americans decided whether to send Donald Trump back to the White House or elevate Kamala Harris to the Oval Office. Polls opened across the nation Tuesday morning as voters faced a stark choice between two candidates who have offered drastically different temperaments and visions for the world’s largest economy and dominant military power.Harris, the Democratic vice president, stands to be the first female president if elected. She has promised to work across the aisle to tackle economic worries and other issues without radically departing from the course set by President Joe Biden. Trump, the Republican former president, has vowed to replace thousands of federal workers with loyalists, impose sw...
Kelan Logan-Derench: Boy, five, drowned in swimming pool on Egypt holiday | UK News
Business

Kelan Logan-Derench: Boy, five, drowned in swimming pool on Egypt holiday | UK News

A five-year-old boy drowned in a swimming pool on a family holiday in Egypt, an inquest has heard.Kelan Logan-Derench from Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, was found at the bottom of a hotel swimming pool in Cairo without his armbands on 25 November last year. Birmingham and Solihull Coroner's Court heard Kelan was pulled from the water and later died at the El Nile Hospital.In a written inquest verdict, senior coroner Louise Hunt found that Kelan died as a result of an accident.He was described by a family friend as a "cheeky, mischievous, happy little boy".Kelan was staying with his family at the Mirette Hotel in Hurghada, according to the record of inquest.He was found at around 12.05pm and attempts were made to resuscitate him.Drowning was recorded as his medical cause of death.A GoFundMe...
Anthony Field the ‘Blue Wiggle’ on his ride with mental health
World News

Anthony Field the ‘Blue Wiggle’ on his ride with mental health

Anthony Field Photo: MARK DAVIS Before Anthony Field was the famous 'Blue Wiggle', he was in a band fresh out of school with his brothers, called The Cockroaches. Those bandmates gave him the nickname 'Happy'. "When I left school I would experiment with alcohol - some people get happy, some people get violent, but I was getting sad which wasn't much fun for people around me," Field recalls on RNZ's Nine to Noon where he talks to Kathryn Ryan about his new memoir Out of The Blue. Out of the Blue, by Anthony Field. Photo: supplied Field, 61, is a founding member of the Australian children's musical supergroup The Wiggles. He's the blue one - and the last remaining of the original foursome. The band has had phenomenal success: selling more than 30 million albums and DVDs, and more t...
AIIMS BHU: `Hidden’ form of leprosy can silently affect brain, spinal cord
Health

AIIMS BHU: `Hidden’ form of leprosy can silently affect brain, spinal cord

A new study by researchers at AIIMS Bhubaneswar on Monday showed a ‘hidden’ form of leprosy can silently affect the brain and spinal cord.  While leprosy is an ancient disease that often leads to disfiguring skin sores, a lesser-known form of leprosy -- pure neuritic leprosy (PNL) -- can inflict significant damage without any visible skin changes. This "hidden" form of leprosy primarily affects peripheral nerves, and is often undiagnosed. Not being diagnosed on time can lead to delayed treatment and potential disabilities. The study, published in the medical journal Acta Neurologica Belgica, challenges the conventional understanding of PNL as solely a peripheral nerve disease. It highlights the importance of assessing central nervous system involvement for early detection and treatmen...
Kamala Harris vs Donald Trump race reaches climax in US election campaign marked by fear, vitriol
World News

Kamala Harris vs Donald Trump race reaches climax in US election campaign marked by fear, vitriol

By ABC's North America correspondent Barbara Miller, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania US Vice President Kamala Harris and former US president and 2024 Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Photo: Brendan SMIALOWSKI and Patrick T. Fallon / AFP Analysis: With election day upon us, it's worth remembering what that means for Americans. A friend told me she couldn't understand why people were scheduling meetings in her diary on election day. Didn't they understand how anxious she'd be? If the election is as close as predicted, half of this country's population will be left deeply disappointed after an ugly campaign filled with drama and violence during which they were told the stakes couldn't be higher. And as the polls open, it's a race as close as it's ever been. Americans will d...
Harris closes campaign in Philadelphia, Trump in Michigan on eve of deadlocked US election
World News

Harris closes campaign in Philadelphia, Trump in Michigan on eve of deadlocked US election

US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris speaks on The Ellipse, Washington, DC, last month. Photo: AFP Both campaigns project optimism and focus on voter mobilisation. Trump gets an endorsement from podcaster Joe Rogan as Harris basks in celebrity support. Both sides will prepare for a challenge if Trump loses. Donald Trump and Kamala Harris both predicted victory as they campaigned across Pennsylvania and other battleground states today in the final, frantic day of an exceptionally close US presidential election. The campaign has seen head-spinning twists: two assassination attempts and a felony conviction for Republican former President Trump, and Democratic Vice President Harris' surprise elevation to the top of the ticket after President Joe Biden, 81,...
Trump or Harris? Millions of Americans set to decide next president | US News
Business

Trump or Harris? Millions of Americans set to decide next president | US News

Voters across 50 states are preparing to cast their ballots after a bitterly contested US election campaign, which will see Donald Trump or Kamala Harris become president.In the last few hours, both candidates have been giving their final pitches. "The momentum is on our side," Ms Harris told a crowd in Philadelphia that chanted back, "We will win". "Tonight, then, we finish as we started: with optimism, with energy, with joy," she said, while enjoying the support of celebrity endorsements on the day from Katy Perry, Lady Gaga and Jon Bon Jovi.US election latest updatesIn contrast, Mr Trump ended his campaign in Michigan, repeating key messages about the economy and immigration. A handful of states will play a crucial role in determining the outcome of the election. Arizona, Georgia, Michi...
US election: Trump and Harris campaigns race to get the vote out on election eve
World News

US election: Trump and Harris campaigns race to get the vote out on election eve

By Steve Holland and Nandita Bose, Reuters Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris arrives for a campaign rally at Michigan State University's Jenison Field House in East Lansing, Michigan. Photo: JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP A presidential election unlike any other in US history enters its last full day with Donald Trump, Kamala Harris and their campaigns scrambling to get supporters to the polls in a contest each portrays as an existential moment for America. Even after the astonishing blur of events the last few months, the electorate is divided down the middle, both nationally and in the seven battleground states expected to decide the winner on Wednesday NZ time, although the closeness of the contest means it could take days for a winner to emerge. Trump, a 78-year-old Republican, su...