Wednesday, May 20

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Musk promises to award $1 million each day to a signer of his petition
Business

Musk promises to award $1 million each day to a signer of his petition

SpaceX and Tesla founder Elon Musk participates in a town hall-style meeting to promote early and absentee voting at Ridley High School on October 17, 2024 in Folsom, Pennsylvania. Anna Moneymaker | Getty ImagesBillionaire Elon Musk promised on Saturday to give away $1 million each day until November's election to someone who signs his online petition supporting the U.S. Constitution.And he wasted no time, awarding a $1 million check to an attendee of his event in Pennsylvania aimed at rallying supporters behind Republican Donald Trump. The winner was a man named John Dreher, according to event staff."By the way, John had no idea. So anyway, you're welcome," the Tesla founder said as he handed Dreher the check.The money is the latest example of Musk using his extraordinary wealth to influe...
Fast Favourites: The Aussie Office’s Edith Poor
World News

Fast Favourites: The Aussie Office’s Edith Poor

It's one of the most popular shows of the 21st century and now, another iteration is taking place downunder. The Office is set in Australia with the first female boss - Hannah Howard, at a Sydney-based packaging company, played by actor and comedian Felicity Ward.  The British version which first aired in 2001 was created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. Four years later, Steve Carrell took on the US version which ran for nine seasons.  The Australian version has a cast of both Aussies and Kiwis, including Josh Thomson, Edith Poor and Jonny Brugh, and it's also co-directed by our own Jackie Van Beek.  Edith Poor plays the straight-laced, 'front desk executive' and productivity manager Lizzie Moyle. An original fan of the first series, she describes it as "an honour" to be part of thi...
Israel pounds Beirut and Gaza after rockets hit Israel’s north
Business

Israel pounds Beirut and Gaza after rockets hit Israel’s north

A view of damaged buildings following Israeli attacks on Laylaki and Haret Hireyk neighborhood of Dahieh region in Beirut, Lebanon on October 1, 2024. Houssam Shbaro | Anadolu | Getty ImagesIsrael struck what it said were Hezbollah arms facilities in southern Beirut on Saturday after the Lebanese armed group fired rockets into northern Israel and a spokesman said a drone was launched at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's holiday home.Netanyahu was not there at the time, and it was not immediately clear if the building was hit. But he described it as an assassination attempt by "Iran's proxy Hezbollah" and called it a "grave mistake", as Israel prepares to retaliate for an Iranian missile barrage earlier this month.The strikes came as medics and Hamas media in Gaza, where Israel has been f...
Former special forces commander Prabowo takes up Indonesian presidency
World News

Former special forces commander Prabowo takes up Indonesian presidency

By Ananda Teresia and Stefanno Sulaiman for Reuters Prabowo Subianto greets a crowd during his 2019 run for the Indonesian presidency. Photo: AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana Indonesia's Prabowo Subianto on Sunday took over as president of the world's third-largest democracy after sweeping the country's election with policies like free meals for school children and with the outgoing leader's son as his running mate. The 73-year-old former special forces commander won the 14 February contest with nearly 60 percent of the vote and has spent the past nine months building a formidable parliamentary coalition. Prabowo, wearing a traditional black hat and navy suit with a woven maroon and golden sarong, officially become Indonesia's eighth president on Sunday morning after he was sworn in during a ...
HYDE London City review: a winning combination of history and boho flair
Life Style

HYDE London City review: a winning combination of history and boho flair

Disclaimer: the 111 rooms are all pretty compact, starting at 16.2 sq/m. It’s London, after all, and space is at a premium. That said, opt for one of the rooms higher up if at all possible. The views of the surrounding streets, in particular the church next door, are rather lovely. And of course, there’s always the massive penthouse at the very top of the building, which boasts high ceilings, massive windows and plush velvet curtains. Source link
Eutelsat uses SpaceX rocket to launch first satellites after merger
Business

Eutelsat uses SpaceX rocket to launch first satellites after merger

SpaceX logo is screened on a mobile phone for illustration photo. Beata Zawrzel | Nurphoto | Getty ImagesEutelsat, the world's third-biggest satellite operator by revenue, launched 20 satellites for its communications network on Sunday, using Elon Musk's SpaceX in its first move since the merger of two European companies last year.A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket took off, with Eutelsat satellites from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base at 0513 GMT."This is the first OneWeb launch of the satellites since the merger," CEO Eva Berneke told Reuters in an interview. "We will be launching more satellites over the coming years."The Paris-based group formed by the merger in September last year of France's Eutelsat and Britain's OneWeb has a constellation of over 600 low earth orbit satellites that ...
Dracula author Bram Stoker’s long-lost story Gibbet Hill rediscovered more than 130 years after it was written
World News

Dracula author Bram Stoker’s long-lost story Gibbet Hill rediscovered more than 130 years after it was written

Dracula author Bram Stoker, pictured in 1906. Photo: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons An amateur Irish historian says he is still coming to terms with finding a long-lost story by Dracula author Bram Stoker. Gibbet Hill was published in the Dublin edition of the Daily Express in 1890 but it was forgotten over time. The story will be presented at this month's Bram Stoker Festival and published as a limited-release book. A long-lost short story by Bram Stoker, the author of Dracula, has been re-discovered after remaining undocumented for more than 130 years. Amateur historian Brian Cleary was doing research on Stoker in the Irish National Library last year when he came across the 1890 Christmas edition of the Dublin Daily Express, where he found a Gothic horror tale that had been lost...
Man arrested after firebombs thrown at Japan’s ruling party HQ and car driven into security fence around PM’s office | World News
Business

Man arrested after firebombs thrown at Japan’s ruling party HQ and car driven into security fence around PM’s office | World News

A man has been arrested in Tokyo after firebombs were thrown at the headquarters of Japan's ruling party and a car crashed into the security fence around the prime minister's office.Police arrested Atsunobu Usuda after the incident on Saturday morning - which took place less than 10 days before a parliamentary election in Japan. The 49-year-old was charged with obstructing the performance of official duties - but additional charges can be added later. Image: The scene in the aftermath of the incident. Pic: AP Image: The vehicle which crashed into the perimeter of the prime minister's office. Pic: AP No injuries were reported after the alleged attack, which...
Standards for safe listening must to save youngsters from hearing loss: Experts
Health

Standards for safe listening must to save youngsters from hearing loss: Experts

Over 1 billion young people are at the risk of hearing loss globally due to unsafe listening habits, and it is important for policymakers and regulators to develop global standards not only for device manufacturers but also for users and services, experts have stressed. At a workshop organised during the ‘ITU-WTSA 2024’ in the national capital, Nidhi Khare, Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs, said there should be training for tracking sound exposure, on the lines of tracking other health parameters like calorie intake and footsteps. "In our culture, there`s a festival called ‘Mauni Amavasya’, in which one is supposed to keep quiet and fast. Perhaps, relishing the sound of silence. I think that is extremely therapeutic and we must realise that together, we can create a difference f...
Elon Musk promises to award $1.65m each day to a signer of his petition
World News

Elon Musk promises to award $1.65m each day to a signer of his petition

By Jarrett Renshaw, Reuters Elon Musk is backing Republican candidate Donald Trump in the presidential election. Photo: JIM WATSON / AFP Musk awards first US$1 million (NZ$1.65m) to event attendee He has given $75 million to America PAC to support Trump America PAC is helping to mobilise, register voters Billionaire Elon Musk has promised to give away US$1 million (NZ$1.65m) each day until November's election to someone who signs his online petition supporting the US Constitution. And he wasted no time on Saturday (local time), awarding a $1 million check to an attendee of his event in Pennsylvania aimed at rallying supporters behind Republican Donald Trump. The winner was a man named John Dreher, according to event staff. "By the way, John had no idea. So anyway, you're welcome...