Sunday, January 18

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Doctor pleads guilty in death of Friends star Matthew Perry
2Oct By No Comments
World News

Doctor pleads guilty in death of Friends star Matthew Perry

By Lisa Richwine, Reuters Friends star Matthew Perry died in October 2023. Photo: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/NurPhoto/AFP One of two California doctors who were among the five people charged in the overdose death of Friends star Matthew Perry pleaded guilty on Wednesday to a charge of illegally distributing the drug ketamine. Dr Mark Chavez entered the plea during an appearance in US District Court in Los Angeles. At sentencing, he could face up to 10 years in prison. Another physician charged in the case, Dr Salvador Plasencia, has pleaded not guilty, as has co-defendant Jasveen Sangha, who authorities said was an illicit supplier of the drug and was known as the "ketamine queen." The pair are scheduled to go on trial in March. Perry's live-in personal assistant, Kenneth Iwama...
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‘End of an era’ – Winstone Pulp International closes after 45 years
2Oct By No Comments
Business

‘End of an era’ – Winstone Pulp International closes after 45 years

Winstone Pulp International will close after 45 years today. Photo: RNZ / REECE BAKER It is the last day for Winstone Pulp International after operating for 45 years in the Ruapehu District, providing hundreds of jobs and millions of dollars for the local economy. For many of the mill's workers, the place was more than just a job, they have spent years there - building lifelong friendships and communities, and growing their skills in the industry. As worker Zach Ryan headed into his final shift at the mill, he told RNZ that he first walked in the doors 14 years ago, fresh out of high school. "I've done my apprenticeship here and learned a lot of good things, it's definitely somewhere that I hold a lot of fond memories of," he said. Like many others, he was still processing the loss of...
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US prosecutors say Donald Trump told family it didn’t matter if he won or lost 2020 election
2Oct By No Comments
World News

US prosecutors say Donald Trump told family it didn’t matter if he won or lost 2020 election

Photo: Andrew Harnik / Getty Images via AFP A US judge has made public a court filing in which federal prosecutors laid out their evidence accusing former President Donald Trump of illegally trying to overturn his 2020 election defeat. The 165-page filing is likely the last opportunity for prosecutors to detail their case against Trump before the 5 November election given there will not be a trial before Trump faces Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris. Prosecutors laid out details including an allegation that a White House staffer heard Trump tell family members that it did not matter if he won or lost the election "You still have to fight like hell." Trump has pleaded not guilty to four criminal charges accusing him of a conspiracy to obstruct the congressional certification of the ...
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Businesses’ late payment pain: ‘My family has to go without groceries’
2Oct By No Comments
Business

Businesses’ late payment pain: ‘My family has to go without groceries’

Photo: Unsplash/ Simon Kadula Renee Joblin runs a small engineering company that has been built up through hard work over the years. Right now, she's waiting for $10,000 in payments that should have come in on the 20th of the month and she has suppliers "breathing down her neck" for $6000. "My family has to go without groceries because I have to pay my rent and staff wages." It's often bigger companies that try to set their own payment terms, she said. "Even though we ask those big companies for deposits on bigger jobs they don't pay them, just wait until the whole invoice is due - which creates a knock-on effect... we have no debt older than 30 days but there is stuff owed to us that is older than 50 days and that's why sometimes we don't pay on time." Accounting platform Xero has relea...
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Dust mite exposure can trigger severe allergic reactions, asthma in children
2Oct By No Comments
Health

Dust mite exposure can trigger severe allergic reactions, asthma in children

Exposure to dust mites in children can trigger severe allergic reactions, leading to conditions such as asthma and allergic rhinitis, warned an expert on Saturday.  Dust mites -- microscopic creatures found in household dust -- are a leading cause of allergies worldwide. These are so tiny, slightly bigger than human hair diameter, to be visible to the unassisted eye.  In India, high humidity levels increase their growth and also a rapid surge in clinical manifestations, Dr Neeraj Gupta, senior allergy specialist from Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Delhi, said. Asthma affects around 35 million people in India, with an estimated 2.4 per cent of adults and 4-20 per cent of children affected. Nearly 22 per cent of adolescents currently suffer from allergic rhinitis in India. Gupta explained that ...
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Israel bars UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres from entering country
2Oct By No Comments
World News

Israel bars UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres from entering country

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a statement after the missile attack condemning "the broadening of the Middle East conflict, with escalation after escalation." Photo: AFP Israel's foreign minister said on Wednesday that he was barring UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres from entering the country because he had not "unequivocally" condemned Iran's missile attack on Israel. Iran fired more than 180 ballistic missiles at Israel amid an escalation in fighting between Israel and its proxy in Lebanon, Hezbollah. Many were intercepted in flight but some penetrated missile defences. Guterres on Tuesday issued a brief statement after the missile attack condemning "the broadening of the Middle East conflict, with escalation after escalation." Earlier on Tuesday, Israel had sent tro...
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What’s happening at Celine? Hedi Slimane exits, Phoebe Philo-era designer Michael Rider to take reins as artistic director
2Oct By No Comments
Life Style

What’s happening at Celine? Hedi Slimane exits, Phoebe Philo-era designer Michael Rider to take reins as artistic director

“The holistic vision of Hedi Slimane, his exigence and rigour have made it possible to redefine the codes of Celine whilst reaffirming its feminine and Parisian roots,” Celine said in a statement. “He has also remarkably enriched new territories for the Maison such as the men’s silhouette, couture and haute parfumerie.” His time at Celine will be best recalled for introducing his style of rock-star grunge, super slim-fit tailoring, striking campaign videos (the most recent saw him take over Norfolk’s Holkham Hall), a blow-out fashion show in Los Angeles’ Wiltern Theatre, and a string of successful handbags; the most famous bag was his first, the briefcase-esque “16 handbag”, which he launched with the help of Lady Gaga. Source link
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‘Seems like a joke’ – ACC bills for New Zealanders working overseas
2Oct By No Comments
Business

‘Seems like a joke’ – ACC bills for New Zealanders working overseas

Thousands of levy invoices were sent to to New Zealand tax residents who had declared foreign employment or service income in their tax return. File photo. Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver ACC is chasing thousands of New Zealanders for levies on income they earned while working overseas. The department said it had sent 4300 levy invoices for the 2023 tax year to New Zealand tax residents who had declared foreign employment or service income in their tax return. These invoices can run into thousands of dollars. It said ACC was generally charged on employment income taxable in New Zealand, which meant people who went overseas to work but retained tax residency might remain liable for ACC levies. To give up tax residency, people generally need to be away from New Zealand for more than 325 days i...
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Buy now pay later loans ‘snowballing’ into multiple loans – financial mentors
2Oct By No Comments
Business

Buy now pay later loans ‘snowballing’ into multiple loans – financial mentors

Some people are reportedly putting BNPL payments ahead of everything else. File photo. Photo: 123RF Financial mentors are concerned that buy now pay later loans are snowballing into major debt problems for some borrowers. While Centrix data shows buy now pay later (BNPL) arrears have dropped, mentors say people who are in a cycle of BNPL debt are prioritising its payments over their other obligations. "Financial mentors are getting really stretched by unaffordable buy now pay later loans," said Fincap senior policy adviser Jake Lilley. "They've told me that some whānau are presenting for food support after one initially affordable purchase through a buy now pay later loan snowballed into multiple loans. The apps seem to encourage people to spend more and more through buy now pay later l...
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CIA takes to social media to recruit informants
2Oct By No Comments
World News

CIA takes to social media to recruit informants

Photo: CIA/X By Jonathan Landay, Reuters The US CIA launched a new drive to recruit informants in China, Iran and North Korea, adding to what it says has been a successful effort to enlist Russians. The premier US spy agency posted instructions in Mandarin, Farsi and Korean on its accounts on X, Facebook, Instagram, Telegram, LinkedIn and the Dark Web on how to contact it securely, a CIA spokesperson said in a statement. "Our efforts on this front have been successful in Russia, and we want to make sure individuals in other authoritarian regimes know that we're open for business," the spokesperson said, adding that the CIA was adapting to increased state repression and global surveillance. A Mandarin-language video posted to Youtube featuring only written instructions advised individuals...
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