Blog - Viral News

Canadian PM Justin Trudeau weakened after main ally unexpectedly pulls support

4Sep

By No Comments

World News

Canadian PM Justin Trudeau weakened after main ally unexpectedly pulls support

By David Ljunggren, Reuters Justin Trudeau. Photo: Dominika Zarzycka / NurPhoto / NurPhoto via AFP Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suffered an unexpected blow on Wednesday when the small party helping keep his minority Liberal government in power withdrew its automatic support, forcing him to attempt new alliances to govern. Promising to continue governing and pushing through social programs, Trudeau dismissed talk of early elections after the left-leaning New Democratic Party's leader Jagmeet Singh said he was "ripping up" a deal struck between the two men in 2022. But the move leaves Trudeau reliant on support from other opposition lawmakers to survive confidence votes in the lower chamber of Parliament at a time when polls show he will lose badly if an election were held no...

Five things households should know about the first annual grocery report

4Sep

By No Comments

Business

Five things households should know about the first annual grocery report

The Commerce Commission is planning to ramp up regulation and enforcement of NZ's grocery industry. File photo. Photo: 123RF We're paying higher prices, specials are confusing and loyalty schemes aren't delivering overly significant rewards. Those aren't just the musings of a frustrated supermarket shopper - but are some of the findings in the Commerce Commission's first annual grocery report, issued on Wednesday. It might have been depressing reading for anyone hoping for major change in the sector. But what does it all mean for consumers? Here are five things households should know. High prices aren't in your head The report notes that food is a major expense for New Zealand households - and that what we pay is high by international standards. In the year to June last year, the averag...

Nawazuddin Siddiqui reveals why `Sacred Games` season 2 didn`t work

4Sep

By No Comments

Entertainment, Movies

Nawazuddin Siddiqui reveals why `Sacred Games` season 2 didn`t work

Bollywood’s seasoned actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui needs no introduction. He can transform himself into any character and has earned a special place in the audience`s hearts with his work. His character Ganesh Gaitonde from `Sacred Games` became extremely popular after India opened its doors to OTT. Nawazuddin, who hasn’t delivered a hit project since the series shut down after its second season, dissects what went wrong. Nawazuddin Siddiqui on why `Sacred Games` season 2 didn’t work In a conversation with ANI, he admitted liking the first season over the second and revealed that the latter was not as successful as its predecessor because it did not connect with the audience. He explained, "There were new characters, so it didn`t work. There were 3-4 new characters so it didn`t work at a...

Grenfell Tower report lashes UK governments, construction industry for ‘decades of failure’

4Sep

By No Comments

World News

Grenfell Tower report lashes UK governments, construction industry for ‘decades of failure’

An inquiry laid most of the responsibility for the disaster on companies involved in the maintenance and refit of the apartment tower. Photo: DANIEL LEAL/AFP A public inquiry into the devastating 2017 London Grenfell Tower blaze on Wednesday blamed the disaster on failings by government, the construction industry and most of all the firms involved in fitting the exterior with flammable cladding. Seventy-two people died when the fire ripped through the 23-storey social housing block in one of the richest areas of west London during the early hours of 14 June, 2017. It was Britain's deadliest blaze in a residential building since World War II. In its long-awaited final report, the inquiry laid most of the responsibility for the disaster on companies involved in the maintenance and refit o...

Mumbai: 31-year-old man overcomes Psoriasis, achieves dream of getting married

4Sep

By No Comments

Health

Mumbai: 31-year-old man overcomes Psoriasis, achieves dream of getting married

After undergoing successful treatment, a 31-year-old man has conquered generalised plaque psoriasis and fulfilled his aspiration of marriage. In 2016, Rahul Kumar (name changed) from Mumbai, proprietor of an events company, exhibited symptoms such as scaly or flaky skin, rashes on the scalp, trunk, upper and lower extremities sparing his palms, soles, face, and genitals, and nails. He tried ayurvedic and homeopathic treatment but couldn’t find any relief. Then, the patient came to Dr Rinky Kapoor for treatment. He was given regular medications for a few years. However, due to irregular usage of medicines, and side effects developing over time, his quality of life deteriorated, he was looking at marriage proposals, and all this took a toll on his mental state. He wanted to go off all app...

Optimism on Ponsonby Road: ‘We’re doing what we can to survive’

4Sep

By No Comments

Business

Optimism on Ponsonby Road: ‘We’re doing what we can to survive’

'We're doing what we can to survive': Hope of Ponsonby Road bounce-back The owners of Beau Restaurant on Ponsonby Rd say it's a vibrant and beautiful area, despite the retail downturn. Photo: Google Maps Ponsonby is one of Auckland's oldest neighbourhoods, and while Ponsonby Road's boutique fashion outlets, cafes and restaurants have been struggling recently, there is still plenty of optimism that the area will bounce back. With high interest rates and the country dipping in and out of recession, many retailers say business is the quietest it's been in years. But there is also optimism that even with changing consumer trends, the street will see a revival. Ponsonby retailers say having a shop front on the vibrant street is as much about community as it is about customers. Diva opened...

Four dead in Georgia high school shooting, one person in custody, authorities say

4Sep

By No Comments

World News

Four dead in Georgia high school shooting, one person in custody, authorities say

By Rich Mckay and Andrew Hay, Reuters Parents and students leave the scene after being reunited following a shooting took place at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, on 4 September 2024. Photo: AFP Four people were killed in a shooting at a Georgia high school on Wednesday just weeks after classes began, and a suspect was taken into custody, law enforcement officials said. The shooting was the first of the new school year in the United States, and served as a stark reminder to students, teachers and parents of the threat of gun violence in schools and colleges across the nation. The shooting left four dead at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, and nine people were taken to hospitals with injuries, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation posted on X. One suspect was in custo...

‘Grenfell, Dagenham… how many more?’: Inside London’s shameful cladding crisis

4Sep

By No Comments

Life Style

‘Grenfell, Dagenham… how many more?’: Inside London’s shameful cladding crisis

Indeed for thousands across the capital, the cladding crisis is not only a safety issue but a financial one. “The recent fire in Dagenham is a stark reminder that not only could our flat bankrupt us, but that we’re also putting our children to bed in an incredibly unsafe building,” says photographer Catherine Losing, 39, a flat owner in Hackney. The building her flat is part of is under 11 metres tall, so she has no guarantee from the government or the housing association that looks after it that she won’t be liable in full for all the remediation costs. “We are trapped as leaseholders of flats that cannot be sold,” says retirees John and Anne Palmiero, who are the leaseholders of several affected flats in Holloway. The management company for the Spectrum Building where the fire took place...

Median house value falls $30k from February

4Sep

By No Comments

Business

Median house value falls $30k from February

Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon Forget a "soft patch" - New Zealand's property market has been going through a second downturn, Corelogic says, and the median property value has dropped $30,000 since the most recent price peak. The property research firm has released its data for August, which shows values slipped nationally by 0.5 percent in the month. That is the sixth monthly fall in prices in a row. Prices are now down 3.7 percent from their most recent peak, in February this year, and 16.8 percent from the peak recorded after the pandemic in January 2022. Auckland prices are down 6 percent from the most recent peak alone. "It's a bit wrong to label this some kind of soft patch now," chief economist Kelvin Davidson said. "We're into a second downturn really. In dollar terms the median val...

Woman struggles with bank to return money accidentally given to her child

4Sep

By No Comments

Business

Woman struggles with bank to return money accidentally given to her child

The money was a $5000 donation to a charity, but was put in the wrong account. Photo: 123RF A woman who received thousands of dollars in an accidental transfer to her bank account says it was more difficult to return the money than expected. The money was a $5000 donation to a charity, but one wrong digit meant it had turned up in a Kiwibank account she managed. When she noticed the money last month, she got on the phone to her bank to have the funds returned, but said the process was far from clear. "Our first move was to actually phone Kiwibank and go, 'How do we give some money back'?" the woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said. "I was quite surprised. I thought they might have been, 'Hey, thanks for bringing this to our attention well, here's the process,' but the focus was mor...