Wednesday, March 11

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Harvey Weinstein rushed to hospital for emergency heart surgery
World News

Harvey Weinstein rushed to hospital for emergency heart surgery

By Eric Beech and Lisa Richwine, Reuters Photo: ETIENNE LAURENT / AFP Former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein was rushed to a hospital from a New York City prison on Sunday and underwent heart surgery on Monday, his representatives said. Weinstein, 72, is due in court this week where prosecutors have presented evidence to a New York grand jury to try and secure a new indictment against him on sex crimes charges. Spokespeople for the Oscar winner said in a statement he had been taken to Bellevue Hospital on Sunday night because of several medical issues. "We can confirm that Mr Weinstein had a procedure and surgery on his heart today," Craig Rothfeld and Juda Engelmayer said. They did not provide any information on his condition. ABC News first reported that Weinstein had undergon...
Where is it cheaper to own than rent?
Business

Where is it cheaper to own than rent?

Wairoa's typical first-home repayment is only 79 percent of the cost of a median rental. File photo. Photo: Pool / NZME Buying a house is about twice as expensive as renting in New Zealand as a whole, but there are still places where it is cheaper to own your home than rent it, new data shows. Infometrics chief forecaster Gareth Kiernan has run the numbers on how the average rent around the country compares to the cost of buying a first home, based on a median-priced house with a 20 percent deposit over a 30-year term, and a one-year fixed home loan rate. That data shows that in areas such as Wairoa, Kawerau, Ruapehu, Buller and Tararua, it is cheaper to service a mortgage than to pay typical rent. Wairoa's typical first-home repayment is only 79 percent of the cost of a median rental, ...
James Earl Jones, voice of Darth Vader, dies at 93
World News

James Earl Jones, voice of Darth Vader, dies at 93

By Bill Trott and Lisa Richwine, Reuters American actor James Earl Jones overcame a stutter to have a voice recognised the world over as intergalactic villain Darth Vader. Photo: Getty Images / Jemal Countess American actor James Earl Jones, an imposing stage and screen presence who overcame a childhood stutter to develop a stentorian voice recognised the world over as intergalactic villain Darth Vader, died Tuesday at the age of 93, his agent said. Jones, a longtime sufferer of diabetes, died at his home surrounded by family members, agent Barry McPherson said. No cause of death was provided. Jones had a great physical presence on stage and television, as well as in movies, but he would have been a star even if his face was never seen because his voice had a career of its own. The r...
Turners to buy digital vehicle repair platform My Auto Shop
Business

Turners to buy digital vehicle repair platform My Auto Shop

The value of Turner's investment in My Auto Shop was not disclosed. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon Car dealer Turners has filled a gap in its after-sales product line-up with a deal to buy half of digital vehicle repair platform My Auto Shop. The value of the investment was not disclosed, but involved TradeMe and the My Auto Shop founders selling down part of their stakes, as well as a capital injection by Turners. "Vehicle servicing and repairs is a $3-billion business in NZ and has been a gap in the Turners offering," Turners chief executive Todd Hunter said. "The investment was a great opportunity for Turners to broaden its relationship with customers." My Auto Shop was a vehicle repair platform with more than 300 Motor Trade Association-approved repairers as well as a mobile repair offe...
No link between sports concussions and cognitive problems: Study
Health

No link between sports concussions and cognitive problems: Study

Sports-related concussions (SRC) may not be linked to long-term cognitive problems for non-professional players, according to a study on Wednesday.   The research, published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry (JNNP), showed that people who reported having any SRC in their lives performed marginally better cognitively than those with no concussion history. In fact, participants who had sustained SRC actually performed better cognitively in some domains than those who had never had a concussion, suggesting that sports activity may have preventive effects. Led by researchers from the University of New South Wales, Australia, an international team from the US, and the UK analysed data from over 15,000 participants aged 50 to 90. The research aimed to comprehend cogniti...
Germany tightens controls at all borders in immigration crackdown
World News

Germany tightens controls at all borders in immigration crackdown

By Alexander Ratz and Sarah Marsh, Reuters Police officers stand by a frequently used route by migrants across the German-Polish border near Forst, eastern Germany on 11 October 2023, during a patrol near the border with Poland. Germany will extend temporary controls to all of its borders to crack down on irregular migration into the country, a government source told AFP on 9 September 2024. Photo: JENS SCHLUETER / AFP Germany's government announced plans to impose tighter controls at all of the country's land borders in what it called an attempt to tackle irregular migration and protect the public from threats such as Islamist extremism. The controls within what is normally a wide area of free movement - the European Schengen zone - will start on 16 September and initially last for ...
Unfinished Auckland apartment block ‘a blight on the Epsom landscape’
Business

Unfinished Auckland apartment block ‘a blight on the Epsom landscape’

The half-finished apartment building in Auckland's Epsom has been left derelict for the past five years. Photo: RNZ / Melanie Earley A year after a troubled, half-finished Auckland apartment block found a new owner, neighbouring businesses are still waiting for the building to be finished - or knocked down. The Epsom Central Apartments Project halted five years ago, after Auckland Council found it had not complied with building consent. The original partnership, Epsom Central Apartments LP, was put into receivership in 2022, and purchased by Xiao Liu, the director of a company named Reeheng Limited, in September 2023. Since then, community members and business owners have said there has been an air of mystery around what will happen to the building, which at one point was filled with ra...
Harvey Weinstein rushed to hospital for emergency heart surgery – report
World News

Harvey Weinstein rushed to hospital for emergency heart surgery – report

By Eric Beech and Lisa Richwine, Reuters Photo: ETIENNE LAURENT / AFP Former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein had emergency heart surgery on Monday after experiencing chest pains the previous evening at a New York City jail, ABC News reported, citing unnamed sources. Weinstein, 72, is due in court this week where prosecutors had been presenting evidence to a New York grand jury as they work to secure a new indictment against him on sex crimes charges, ABC reported. Weinstein, who has denied having any non-consensual sexual encounters with anyone, was found guilty on rape charges in February 2020. The New York Court of Appeals threw out the conviction in April, finding Weinstein did not get a fair trial because a judge improperly allowed testimony by accusers he was not formally c...
Nervous wait for Winstone Pulp mill workers unsure if they still have jobs
Business

Nervous wait for Winstone Pulp mill workers unsure if they still have jobs

About 230 workers await news about whether they still have jobs at Winstone Pulp. Photo: Alexa Cook/RNZ It is an anxious time for 230 North Island mill workers who are waiting for a meeting where they will learn if their company is closing down or not. Winstone Pulp International has proposed closing two of its mills near Ohakune because of high wholesale power prices. For the past few weeks Winstone has been meeting with energy company Mercury and ministers to try and find a way to stay open. A petition was launched last week to save the mill - as there are fears the nearby communities will turn into ghost towns because Winstone is the main employer in the area. The final decision was expected on Monday, but it was extended until Tuesday afternoon, and the company planned to meet with ...
Apple announces iPhone 16, new watch and Airpods
Business

Apple announces iPhone 16, new watch and Airpods

By Max A. Cherney and Kenrick Cai, Reuters Apple held an event Tuesday morning to showcase the new iPhone 16, Airpods and Apple Watch models. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP Apple unveiled updated Watches and AirPods at an event focused on its AI-enhanced iPhone 16, although Apple's product showcase risks being overshadowed by Chinese rival Huawei's tri-fold phone, unofficially announced earlier in the day. The Chinese company's website showed on Tuesday that it had garnered more than 3 million pre-orders for its Z-shaped tri-fold phone. This underscores Huawei's ability to navigate US sanctions and solidifies its position against Apple in China, where consumers are hankering for more AI features and are willing to pay for them. Apple shares were barely changed in early after...