Saturday, January 17

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Trump staff had physical altercation with Arlington cemetery official – US media report
World News

Trump staff had physical altercation with Arlington cemetery official – US media report

Donald Trump lays a wreath alongside Marine Corporal Kelsee Lainhart (Ret.) and and US Marine Corps' Sergeant Tyler Vargas-Andrews (Ret.) at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery on August 26, 2024 in Arlington, Virginia. Photo: AFP Two members of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's campaign staff had a "verbal and physical altercation" with an Arlington National Cemetery official during a visit by Trump this week, NPR reported on Tuesday. Trump on Monday participated in a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery honouring the 13 service members killed during the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. Later in Detroit, Trump blamed Vice President Kamala Harris, his Democratic rival for the White House, and President Joe Biden for what ...
Challenge to Meridian’s claim power bills taking less of household spending
Business

Challenge to Meridian’s claim power bills taking less of household spending

Photo: 123RF Meridian's boss denies the energy company is profiteering and insists they've invested in the sector despite making millions in profits and dividend payouts. Meridian released its annual report on Wednesday, showing a net profit more than 4.5 times greater than last year. But while big manufacturing companies like Panpac and Winstones have shut down production to cut costs, the companies that generate and sell electricity say most households are yet to see big bumps in their power bills. Meridian's chief executive Neal Barclay told RNZ the percentage of household spending being directed at power bills had actually gone down over the past decade. Consumer NZ said that was because many people were restricting electricity usage to cut costs. Barclay told Morning Report that w...
Nvidia fails to impress growth-hungry investors, shares fall
World News

Nvidia fails to impress growth-hungry investors, shares fall

By Arsheeya Jajwa for Reuters Nvidia headquarters on May 21, 2024 in Santa Clara, California. Photo: AFP Nvidia's quarterly forecast on Wednesday failed to meet the lofty expectations of investors who have driven a dizzying rally in its stock as they bet billions on the future of generative artificial intelligence. Shares of the chipmaker fell 6 percent in after-hours trading, weighing on shares of chipmakers including Advanced Micro Devices and Broadcom, as well as other tech behemoths. The report has been seen as a day of reckoning for the tech sector and the results were treated as mixed, despite heady growth and profit. "Here's the issue," said Ryan Detrick, chief market strategist at the Carson Group. "The size of the beat this time was much smaller than we've been seeing." He a...
Tourism Industry Aotearoa warns hiking international visitor levy could lead to fewer arrivals
Business

Tourism Industry Aotearoa warns hiking international visitor levy could lead to fewer arrivals

The government is being urged to factor in the significant economic benefits that international visitors bring when considering the international visitor levy. Photo: Supplied/ Air NZ A tourism industry body is concerned millions of dollars could be jeopardised That's if the international visitor levy is hiked to $100 and travellers are deterred The $35 levy, which was introduced in 2019 to help visitors contribute more, is under review Tourism Industry Aotearoa is warning the government could put millions of dollars at risk if the international visitor levy is hiked to $100. Earlier this year, the government consulted on whether the levy should remain at $35 for most visitors or be increased to $50, $70 or $100. The money raised goes towards tourism infrastructure and conservation...
French authorities charge Telegram’s Durov in probe into organized crime on app
World News

French authorities charge Telegram’s Durov in probe into organized crime on app

A Paris prosecutor said Pavel Durov had been placed under formal investigation after four days of custody. Photo: Public Domain By Gabriel Stargardter and Tassilo Hummel, Reuters A French judge put Telegram boss Pavel Durov under formal investigation in a probe into organized crime on the messaging app, but granted the entrepreneur bail on condition he pays 5 million euros, reports twice a week to police and does not leave French territory. Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said in a statement the judge found there were grounds to formally investigate Durov on all the charges for which he was initially arrested four days ago. They include suspected complicity in running an online platform that allows illicit transactions, images of child sex abuse, drug trafficking and fraud, as well as th...
Drop in demand from China a factor in Comvita $77m loss
Business

Drop in demand from China a factor in Comvita $77m loss

Photo: 123RF An abrupt drop in demand from China and the loss of a major customer in North America has led honey company Comvita to report a full year loss of $77.4 million. It's a big turnaround from last years $11.1 million profit. Revenue fell from $234m to $204.3m. Sales in China fell by over $19m or 17.6 percent to $89.8m in the 2024 financial year due to economic challenges. The company said the cancellation of major shopping festivals in the country as well as weak sales in another event severely impacted demand for Comvita's products. Sales in North America fell 26.6 percent to $26.1m. Comvita said the loss of some distribution with one major customer had a significant impact. Chief executive David Banfield said the results were extremely disappointing, particularly after three c...
Kiwi sky diver dies after landing goes wrong in Queensland
World News

Kiwi sky diver dies after landing goes wrong in Queensland

Liam Newman, 25, died in a skydiving event in Queensland. Photo: Supplied / iFLY / Facebook A New Zealand sky diver has died in Australia after taking part in a sky diving event in Western Queensland. Australian media are reporting 25-year-old Liam Newman died after he over corrected his landing and hit the ground at speed. His workplace iFly Brisbane Indoor Skydiving took to social media confirming his death. The post said he was a much loved staff member of their team and their thoughts were with his family at this difficult time. Tributes have been pouring in on social media remembering Newman. Emergency crews were called to a rural area at Tarawera near Goondiwindi about 8am on Tuesday, the ABC has reported. The Australian Parachute Federation (APF), which is investigating the death...
Menopausal women face adverse changes in heart health: Study
Health

Menopausal women face adverse changes in heart health: Study

Women going through the menopause transition period are likely to experience changes that can be detrimental to their cardiovascular health, according to research on Tuesday.   Despite the myth that cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a "man`s disease," it accounts for 40 per cent of all deaths in women, making it the leading cause of mortality for women. Although women typically get CVD 10 years later than males, they are more at risk for developing heart disease following menopause. “There is an increase in ‘bad’ low-density type lipoprotein (LDL) particles and a decrease in ‘good’ high-density lipoprotein particles (HDL) that takes place during and after the menopause transition,” said study author Dr Stephanie Moreno, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, US. “Taken together...
Air NZ profit drops by two thirds to $146m
Business

Air NZ profit drops by two thirds to $146m

Underlying profit of $222m was line with the guidance the airline provided in May. Photo: AFP Air New Zealand's full year profit dropped by two thirds but met expectations, with the second half more challenging than the first. The company's net profit for the financial year ended June is down 65 percent to $146 million compared to $412m the year earlier. The underlying profit of $222m is in line with the guidance the airline provided in May, while revenue grew 7 percent to nearly $7 billion. Chair Dame Therese Walsh said was a difficult year from a macroeconomic and operational point of view, and estimated $100m would have been added to the underlying profit if the airline had been able to operate its aircraft and schedule as intended. Chief executive Greg Foran said the scheduling chan...
LNG imports: Is coal ‘twice as bad’ as liquefied natural gas for emissions?
World News

LNG imports: Is coal ‘twice as bad’ as liquefied natural gas for emissions?

File photo. A gas rig off Taranaki. Photo: Supplied Spending hundreds of millions on building an liquefied natural gas import terminal will not reduce New Zealand's emissions compared with burning coal, says an energy expert. Falling production from offshore gas fields, along with low hydro lake levels, have been blamed for burning more coal at the Huntly power station and increasing New Zealand's emissions. But Sustainable Energy Professor Ralph Sims of Massey University says by the time gas is extracted, cooled, stored and shipped in the form of liquefied natural gas (LNG), any climate benefits over burning coal will disappear. The government on Monday announced steps to address an energy crisis which has seen gas and electricity prices spike for many large commercial users and some c...