Saturday, February 7

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Israel steps up Gaza bombing on war’s first anniversary
World News

Israel steps up Gaza bombing on war’s first anniversary

By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Hussam al-Masri, Reuters Displaced people arrive in Khan Yunis after being given notice by Israeli forces to evacuate from the eastern parts of the city in the southern Gaza Strip on 7 October, 2024, on the first anniversary of the ongoing war. Photo: BASHAR TALEB/AFP Israel stepped up air and ground attacks on Hamas in Gaza, killing at least 52 people according to Palestinian medics, on the first anniversary of a war that has left most of the territory in ruins and shattered the lives of its people. For its part, Hamas said it struck Israel's commercial capital Tel Aviv with a missile salvo, setting off sirens in central Israel. Two people were lightly injured, according to the Israeli ambulance service. The rocket volley signalled Hamas' enduring ability to...
Angela Rayner, Rachel Reeves, Morgan McSweeney: the Labour power list as Sue Gray resigns
Life Style

Angela Rayner, Rachel Reeves, Morgan McSweeney: the Labour power list as Sue Gray resigns

Torsten Bell, Miatta Fahnbulleh, Yuan Yang, Josh Simons, et al … The parliamentary Labour party hasn’t been awash with talent in recent years, but it is about to get hundreds of new MPs. Many are young talents who have been parachuted into safe seats by party HQ. They include Torsten Bell, former chair of the deeply influential centre-left think tank Resolution who has just penned a blueprint for “rebuilding Britain” after 14 years of Conservative government. Then there is Miatta Fahnbulleh, a big economic brain who has succeeded Harriet Harman as MP in Peckham. Yuan Yang, a Financial Times journalist and China expert, has just published her first history book as she enters the Commons. And Josh Simons, 30, spent the last few years running the Labour Together think tank, which addressed th...
Fusion of fun and fitness: How people are turning to Garba to stay fit
Health

Fusion of fun and fitness: How people are turning to Garba to stay fit

As Navratri celebrations grip Indian streets, people are preparing to don their favourite Kediyas and Chaniya Cholis, and dance to the high-intensity beats of Gujarati music. Garba, a significant part of the festivities, boasts of a fanbase beyond geographical or cultural boundaries. Over the past few years, its scope has also extended from a festive symbol to a fitness activity. Garba fitness classes and workout tutorials including elements of the dance form are gaining prominence. This folk dance, which entails high-power steps, has several health benefits, Alpesh Rawal, a Mumbai-based Garba instructor says, “It offers a holistic combination of physical and mental wellness. It makes for a good cardio workout for weight loss. The high-energy movements such as fast-paced footwork, twirls,...
Charlie Vickers wore ankle weights while filming The Rings of Power S2
Entertainment, Movies

Charlie Vickers wore ankle weights while filming The Rings of Power S2

The countdown for the much-awaited finale of Prime Video’s The Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 has begun, and the anticipation among viewers is palpable. With each episode, the shadow of evil deepens, leaving fans on the edge of their seats, waiting to see the fate of Middle Earth unfold. With just two episodes left before this season concludes, it has masterfully captured the fear and rising prominence of Sauron, brought to life by Charlie Vickers, who is gearing up to rule the world through lies, manipulation and deceit. Vickers’ exemplary portrayal of the Dark Lord has garnered heaps of praise from audiences, sending chills down their spine.  Charlie Vickers` inspiration for Sauron Sharing insights about his prep to play one of the most iconic villains, Sauron, he said,...
Tasmania’s largest farm Rushy Lagoon is for sale and expecting to fetch more than $100 million
World News

Tasmania’s largest farm Rushy Lagoon is for sale and expecting to fetch more than $100 million

Photo: RMS Advisory / Supplied Tasmania's largest farm is back on the market and it's expected to fetch offers of more than A$100 million ($NZ110m). Rushy Lagoon is a sprawling 22,000-hectare property on the state's north-eastern tip. The late Allan Pye purchased the farm in 1996, snapping it up for $8 million at auction. Pye was one of New Zealand's richest farmers, making his fortune in potatoes. He passed away earlier this year and the sale is part of his estate. Peter Ryan from RMS Advisory is one of the agents handling the listing and said inquiries for the farm had been rolling in. "Rushy Lagoon is an iconic property, not just in Tasmanian terms, but in Australian terms," he said. "Just about everybody who is anybody in agriculture has heard about the fabled Rushy Lagoon. "We had a...
Scientist snares Ig Noble gong for work debunking ‘Blue Zones’
World News

Scientist snares Ig Noble gong for work debunking ‘Blue Zones’

File picture. Photo: AFP Australian Dr Saul Newman from Oxford Institute of Population Ageing has been awarded an Ig Nobel Prize for his work debunking the idea that people in Okinawa, Japan, Sardinia in Italy and Greece live longer lives than average. These long-lived people we've been taking "lifestyle tips from" are "mostly corpses," Newman told RNZ's Afternoons. "I found out that at least 72 percent of the people in Greece over the age of 100, thousands of people, they're all dead. "These numbers come from the people handing out the pensions, and they've been handing out the pensions for 100-year-olds despite the fact that these people are dead. "It's extraordinary to have a ton of science based off this, because, like, what are you going to conclude? Essentially it's nonsense." Ok...
AA Insurance fined over misleading no-claims bonus offer
Business

AA Insurance fined over misleading no-claims bonus offer

Photo: 123RF AA Insurance (AAI) has been ordered to pay a multimillion-dollar penalty for misleading customers and overcharging them to the tune of $11 million. The High Court imposed a near $6.2m penalty on the insurer for failing to apply multi-policy and membership discounts, as well as guaranteed no-claims bonuses. The Financial Markets Authority (FMA), which took action against the insurer, said the breaches primarily arose out of poor systems and processes. The High Court ruled that between 2015 and 2020, AA misled customers about its multi-policy discount offer and misrepresented that certain eligible customers would receive its guaranteed no-claims bonus for life. "While [AAI's] marketing material represented existing policyholders who added another policy would receive the disco...
‘God save the Tsar!’: Putin receives first wishes for 72nd birthday
World News

‘God save the Tsar!’: Putin receives first wishes for 72nd birthday

Russian President Vladimir Putin won a record post-Soviet landslide in a March election. (File photo) Photo: ALEXANDER KAZAKOV / AFP "God save the Tsar!" has been one of the first public birthday wishes for President Vladimir Putin. Putin, who turned 72 on Monday, has been Russia's paramount leader for nearly quarter of a century. The greeting came from ultra-nationalist Russian ideologue Alexander Dugin on his Telegram messaging channel minutes after midnight. Dugin, 62, has long advocated the unification of Russian-speaking and other territories in a vast new Russian empire, which he wants to include Ukraine, where Russia has been waging a war. Dugin's daughter was killed in a suspected car bomb in 2022. Putin, who ordered his troops to invade Ukraine in 2022, won a record post-Soviet...
‘Economy is cratering’: Call for 1.5 percent official cash rate cut by Christmas
Business

‘Economy is cratering’: Call for 1.5 percent official cash rate cut by Christmas

Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr. Photo: RNZ / Dom Thomas Forget arguing about whether the Reserve Bank will cut the official cash rate (OCR) by 25 or 50 basis points (bps) this week. It should go for a full 75bps and reduce the rate to 3.75 percent - from 5.25 percent at the moment - by Christmas, one fund manager says. Greg Smith, head of retail at Devon Funds, said it was not what he thought the Reserve Bank would do, but what it should do, given the state of the economy. Inflation was already back at the Reserve Bank's target midpoint and was likely to be below 2 percent by the end of the year. "There is therefore a strong case for official rates to already be at neutral, which the Reserve Bank estimates to be 3.8 percent in their short-run horizon. "With the official cash rate at 5...
Kamala Harris, on popular podcast, rejects Republican digs at childless women
World News

Kamala Harris, on popular podcast, rejects Republican digs at childless women

By Nandita Bose Kamala Harris says the Arkansas governor's views on family are outdated. Photo: AFP / SAUL LOEB US Vice President Kamala Harris has rejected Republican Sarah Huckabee Sanders' suggestion that the Democratic presidential candidate is not humble because she does not have biological children. Harris said the Arkansas governor's views on family were outdated and discussed her own "modern family," which includes her husband, Doug Emhoff, and his two children from his first marriage, Cole and Ella. During a town hall meeting Sanders moderated for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in Michigan in September, she said her kids keep her "humble," while Harris "doesn't have anything keeping her humble." Harris responded to Sanders' comments on the popular Call Her D...