Wednesday, April 22

Blog

White House condemns Trump ties to conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer
13Sep By No Comments
World News

White House condemns Trump ties to conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer

By Kanishka Singh and Gabriella Borter, Reuters Far-right activist Laura Loomer speaks to the media prior to the beginning of former President Donald Trump's Trial at Manhattan Criminal Court on 15 April 2024 in New York City. Photo: DAVID DEE DELGADO / AFP The White House rebuked former President Donald Trump for his association with far-right conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer, who has been travelling this week with the Republican presidential candidate. Loomer says she does not work for Trump. However, she has mentioned speaking to him about political matters and frequents his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida. Her incendiary posts on X, where she has 1.2 million followers, at times seem to provide grist for Trump's next lines of attack. Ahead of Trump's debate with Democratic Vice Preside...
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A new ‘underground fashion week’ has risen from the ashes
13Sep By No Comments
Business

A new ‘underground fashion week’ has risen from the ashes

Sophia Kwon, Nina Bailey and Billy Blamires are the co-founders of Te Wiki Āhua o Aotearoa. Photo: Ryan McKenna/Ryan Patrick Photography A new fashion week has risen from the ashes after New Zealand Fashion Week's cancelled plans early this year and an all-around bleak climate for retail continues. Te Wiki Āhua o Aotearoa, an event billed as "Tāmaki Makaurau's underground fashion week" is about to wrap its first multi day event on Friday. Dozens of designers, dancers, musicians and other artists showcased their work across the five day event in Auckland. The three organisers, all women under the age of 25, were frustrated by the lack of places to showcase New Zealand's creative scenes so they started their own event. It focuses on up-and-coming New Zealand designers and, unlike typical ...
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NZ AI-based management tool to be backed by the US global startup network
13Sep By No Comments
Business

NZ AI-based management tool to be backed by the US global startup network

Photo: 123RF An AI-based management tool for the creative sector has been singled out for investment by global pre-seed venture capital firm Techstars. Shutterspeed was the third New Zealand company to be backed by the US global startup network with a portfolio valued at US$116 billion. The software tracks time across different stages of production without manual input from users, automating the tracking administrative tasks. Co-founders Freddie Mckenzie and Henry Collinson said they designed Shutterspeed to help content creators and creative professionals focus on what they do best. "Production companies need to a better way to understand how time is spent, who is spending it on what, what resources are in use, and what client needs to be billed for it all, so we decided to build Shutte...
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Elon Musk calls Australian government ‘fascists’ over misinformation law
13Sep By No Comments
World News

Elon Musk calls Australian government ‘fascists’ over misinformation law

By Renju Jose, Reuters Elon Musk. Photo: Frederic J. Brown/ AFP Elon Musk, owner of social media platform X, on Friday called Australia's centre-left government "fascists" over proposed legislation to slap fines on social media firms for failing to prevent the spread of misinformation online. Australia's Labor government on Thursday unveiled legislation which could fine internet platforms up to 5 percent of their global revenue for enabling misinformation, joining a worldwide push to rein in borderless tech giants. The proposed law would require tech platforms to set codes of conduct to stop dangerous falsehoods spreading and be approved by a regulator. The regulator would set its own standard if a platform failed to do so and fine firms for non-compliance. Musk, who views himself as...
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House prices stable, with signs of potential growth later this year
13Sep By No Comments
Business

House prices stable, with signs of potential growth later this year

REINZ chief executive Jen Baird said the numbers suggested some market stability, with increased enquiries from buyers and sellers. Photo: REINZ The housing market remains subdued, with little change in prices and sales volumes. The seasonally adjusted REINZ House Price Index fell 0.4 percent in August over July, with national prices still marginally lower than a year ago and a median price of $765,000. REINZ chief executive Jen Baird said the numbers suggested some market stability, with increased enquiries from buyers and sellers. "This month, we saw further signs of a change in market sentiment, with local agents reporting increased confidence in vendors and purchasers, the return of investors, and increased activity, particularly at open homes over the last two weeks of August," she...
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Kiwis’ property ‘dream-scrolling’ habits revealed
13Sep By No Comments
Business

Kiwis’ property ‘dream-scrolling’ habits revealed

Trade Me Property said more than a third of New Zealanders would rather browse unaffordable property listings than watch rugby. Photo: 123RF About one in eight Kiwi adults would rather go online and look at houses they cannot afford than have sex, a new survey has found. Trade Me Property said more than a third would rather browse unaffordable property listings than watch rugby and more than half preferred it to looking for a partner on a dating site. With New Zealand having some of the least affordable housing in the developed world and [https://www.1news.co.nz/2024/07/22/home-ownership-rates-fall-below-60-report/ fewer people living in their own houses in almost a century, Trade Me's survey found more than half - 59 percent - of adults admitted scrolling through listings of homes they...
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Experiencing chronic body pain? Research suggests belly fat might be the reason
13Sep By No Comments
Health

Experiencing chronic body pain? Research suggests belly fat might be the reason

If you are suffering from chronic pain in your body, it may be time to actively work towards losing that belly or abdominal fat, suggests research on Wednesday. Reducing belly fat may help reduce chronic musculoskeletal pain particularly if it’s at multiple body sites, especially in women, revealed the study, published in the open-access journal Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine. Musculoskeletal pain, which affects about 1.71 billion people globally, affects bones, joints, ligaments, tendons or muscles. Previously published research has shown that obesity is associated with musculoskeletal pain, but it’s unknown if excess fat tissue is linked to chronic musculoskeletal pain at multiple body sites, said researchers from the universities of Tasmania and Monash in Australia. “Abdomina...
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Donald Trump says no to another debate with Kamala Harris
13Sep By No Comments
World News

Donald Trump says no to another debate with Kamala Harris

Most polls seem to agree Kamala Harris won the debate earlier this week. Photo: AFP / SAUL LOEB Republican nominee Donald Trump said he would not participate in another presidential debate against Kamala Harris ahead of the 5 November election, after several polls showed his Democratic rival won their debate earlier this week. "THERE WILL BE NO THIRD DEBATE!" the former president wrote on social media site Truth Social. Trump had participated in a debate against President Joe Biden in June before his debate against Harris on Wednesday NZT. Although Trump touted his performance on Wednesday against Harris, six Republican donors and three Trump advisers who spoke to Reuters earlier this week said they thought Harris had won the debate largely because Trump was unable to stay on message. T...
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Manufacturing sector marks a year-and-a-half in contraction – survey
13Sep By No Comments
Business

Manufacturing sector marks a year-and-a-half in contraction – survey

The BNZ-Business New Zealand Performance of Manufacturing Index (PMI) rose 1.4 points in August to 45.8 points. Photo: 123RF Manufacturing sector activity has improved slightly, but remains deeply in contraction. The BNZ-Business New Zealand Performance of Manufacturing Index (PMI) rose 1.4 points in August to 45.8 points, its 18th consecutive month in contraction. BNZ senior economist Doug Steel said the sector had been struggling but the PMI indicated what was happening in the real economy, despite recent improvements in confidence surveys, and conditions in the sector remained challenging. "Our economic forecasts remain for the manufacturing sector to turn when the broader economy turns." The PMI's five sub-indices were all in contraction, but showed signs of improvement notably in p...
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Prince Harry turns 40 on Sunday with eyes focused on his future
13Sep By No Comments
World News

Prince Harry turns 40 on Sunday with eyes focused on his future

By Michael Holden, Reuters Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, attend a meeting with NATO representatives on the sidelines of the 6th Invictus Games at Merkur Spiel Arena on 14 September, 2023. Photo: Rolf Vennenbernd / DPA / dpa Picture-Alliance via AFP Prince Harry will turn 40 in California on Sunday, thousands of miles away from his royal roots, with no sign that distance is dimming interest in King Charles' younger son. With his Netflix documentaries, his charity work, his legal battles with the British tabloid press and his rift with the rest of the royals, Harry is rarely out of the spotlight. The prince will mark his 40th birthday with a private celebration at his Montecito home in southern California, where he lives with his American wife Me...
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