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Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are turning their attention to the key "blue wall" states, and are likely to remain there in the final days of the election, says RNZ's Corin Dann. Dann has been providing updates for RNZ's listeners and visitors to rnz.co.nz and spoke from Philadelphia International Airport shortly after landing at 6pm, local time (11am NZT). The candidates had finished their swing through the "sun belt" states of Nevada and Arizona and headed back to the blue wall states of Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania -the latter being "really critical" in this election for its 19 votes in the US Electoral College, he said. RNZ presenter Corrin Dann at the US-Mexico border near Nogales, Arizona for his coverage of the US presidential election. Photo: Nick Monro Dann was among...

Keeper Toody Scott feeds Cassius in this photo from 2011. Photo: Supplied / Marineland Melanesia A 5.48-metre Australian crocodile that held the world record as the largest crocodile in captivity has died, a wildlife sanctuary said on Saturday. He was thought to be more than 110 years old. Cassius, weighing in at more than one tonne, had been in declining health since 15 October, Marineland Melanesia Crocodile Habitat said on Facebook. "He was very old and believed to be living beyond the years of a wild Croc," according to a post by the organisation, based on Green Island near the Queensland tourist town of Cairns. "Cassius will be deeply missed, but our love and memories of him will remain in our hearts forever." The group's website said he had lived at the sanctuary since 1987 aft...

By Andrew Chung for Reuters People wait in line to vote on the last day of early voting at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Georgia. Photo: ELIJAH NOUVELAGE / AFP Following the 2020 election that he lost to Joe Biden, Donald Trump and his allies brought a storm of legal cases challenging the outcome. After losses in lower courts, some of these cases made their way to the US Supreme Court, whose conservative justices Trump was hoping would ultimately come through for him. They did not, as the court opted not to hear his appeals. The last three of these were rejected four months post election. For this year's election - with Trump now seeking to regain the presidency as the Republican candidate facing Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris - there may be a sense of déjà vu for the t...

New Zealand and Ireland have proposed a scientific panel be set up to examine the effects of a nuclear war. Photo: 123RF New Zealand and Ireland have proposed a scientific panel be set up to examine the effects of a nuclear war. In a statement delivered to the United Nations, Ireland's permanent representative Fergal Mythen said the last UN-mandated study was done in 1989. He said since then, scientific progress has advanced markedly - including climate and data modelling. Mythen said the 21 experts on the panel would focus on the physical effects and consequences to society of a nuclear war. He believed the study would also aid nuclear disarmament and arms control. The comments were posted on the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade website. In a statement, the UN said the...

By Jarrett Renshaw and Gram Slattery for Reuters Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump gestures as he speaks at a campaign rally at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Photo: KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI / AFP Democrats are readying a rapid-fire response to flood social media and the airwaves with calls for calm and patience with vote-counting should Donald Trump try to prematurely claim election victory, as he did in 2020, Harris campaign and party officials told Reuters. The Republican candidate told reporters this week that he hoped to be able to declare victory on Election Day, although election experts have cautioned that it could take several days for the final result to be known, especially if there are demands for vote recounts in some key areas. T...

LA rapper and artist Chali 2na Photo: Jorge Sevilla Rapper Chali 2na sits in his backyard in Los Angeles, smoking a joint and finishing a painting he has been working on for some time. He uses spray cans on the 2.4-metre wide, 1.2-metre tall canvas - a medium he has used to bring his vibrant creations to life since he was a kid. Born in 1971, just before the birth of hip hop, Chali 2na has witnessed its evolution firsthand. This year marks the 30th anniversary of Jurassic 5, the alternative hip hop collective that saw his bass-baritone voice rise to fame. The group's first single, 'Unified Rebelution', released in 1994, launched Chali 2na, Akil, Soup, Marc 7, DJ Nu-Mark, and turntablist Cut Chemist. This audio is not downloadable due to copyright restrictions. The group's 2000 al...