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US singer and songwriter Kris Kristofferson performs on stage during a concert at the Jazz Fest Vienna, on 15 June 2018 in Vienna, Austria. Photo: HANS PUNZ / APA-PictureDesk via AFP By Bill Trott, Reuters Kris Kristofferson, who became one of the most influential American singer-songwriters of his time with works such as 'Me and Bobby McGee', as well as a successful actor, died Saturday at the age of 88, Rolling Stone reported, citing his spokesperson. Kristofferson had been suffering from memory loss since his 70s. Kristofferson was a Renaissance man - an athlete with a poet's sensibilities, a former Army officer and helicopter pilot, a Rhodes scholar who took a job as a janitor in what turned out to be a brilliant career move. Kristofferson first established himself in the music worl...

Freedom Party of Austria leader Herbert Kickl waves to supporters after election exit polls were announced. Photo: APF / APA / Roland Schlager Freedom Party (FPO) seen beating conservatives Far-right figure could become chancellor if FPO win is confirmed Other parties have ruled out working with FPO leader Kickl Austrian voters handed a first ever general election victory to the far-right Freedom Party on Sunday, vote projections showed, illustrating rising support for hard-right parties in Europe fueled by concern over immigration levels. The Eurosceptic, Russia-friendly FPO held a slim lead in opinion polls for months over Chancellor Karl Nehammer's ruling conservative Austrian People's Party (OVP) in a campaign dominated by immigration and worries about the economy. Led by the 5...

Photo: AFP / RAIMON KATAOTAO The date for the Kiribati presidential - or beretitenti - vote has been set for 25 October. Notices were published by electoral districts across the country on Friday. There will now just be three candidates - all from the same party, the ruling Tobwaan Kiribati Party (TKP) - after one TKP candidate, Riteta Iorome, was dropped. There had been no public indication as to why he was not on the ballot. The three still in the race were the man who has been beretitenti for the past eight years, Taneti Maamau, along with Bauntaake Beia and Kaotitaake Kokoria. The TKP used its numbers to block any opposition candidate from standing, prompting Tessie Lambourne - the opposition leader in the last parliament - to say the people were being denied a right to have a bereti...

Guam Legislature generic Photo: RNZ Pacific / Eleisha Foon Why America's muscling up of might in Guam will have a ripple effect in the Pacific, including on NZ's peace-making efforts The tiny island of Guam is known as the tip of the US military spear. It is closer to Beijing than to Hawaii, and is a hugely valuable strategic asset for that reason - especially now there are rising tensions around China's presence in the Pacific, and surrounding North Korean missile testing. Right now there is a massive build-up going on there of the already significant American military presence as it gets ready for a decade of twice-yearly missile weapons testing. By 2028, the US will spend $9 billion to relocate 5000 marines from Japan, build an integrated missile defence system, and add command func...

By Emily Rose and Maya Gebeily Yemenis lift placards and flags of Lebanon's Hezbollah movement during a rally held in the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa on 27 September, 2024 in protest against Israel's attacks on Lebanon and Gaza. Photo: AFP Israel says it bombed Houthi targets in Yemen on Sunday, expanding its confrontation with Iran's allies in the region after killing the Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Friday in an escalating conflict in Lebanon. The airstrikes on Yemen's port of Hodeidah were in response to Houthi missile attacks on Israel in recent days, Israel said, amid fears that Middle East fighting could spin out of control and draw in Iran and Israel's main ally the United States. The Houthi-run Health Ministry said four people had been killed and 29 were w...

Guam Legislature generic Photo: RNZ Pacific / Eleisha Foon Why America's muscling up of might in Guam will have a ripple effect in the Pacific, including on NZ's peace-making efforts The tiny island of Guam is known as the tip of the US military spear. It is closer to Beijing than to Hawaii, and is a hugely valuable strategic asset for that reason - especially now there are rising tensions around China's presence in the Pacific, and surrounding North Korean missile testing. Right now there is a massive build-up going on there of the already significant American military presence as it gets ready for a decade of twice-yearly missile weapons testing. By 2028, the US will spend $9 billion to relocate 5000 marines from Japan, build an integrated missile defence system, and add command func...