Thursday, July 2

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Experiencing chronic body pain? Research suggests belly fat might be the reason
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...
Donald Trump says no to another debate with Kamala Harris
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...
Manufacturing sector marks a year-and-a-half in contraction – survey
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...
Prince Harry turns 40 on Sunday with eyes focused on his future
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...
Miss Universe Fiji voting drama continues, as authorities investigate its Australian organisers
World News

Miss Universe Fiji voting drama continues, as authorities investigate its Australian organisers

Manshika Prasad (right) was declared Miss Universe Fiji, but two days later Nadine Roberts was declared the "real" winner. Photo: Miss Universe Fiji By Fiji reporter Lice Movono and the Pacific Local Journalism Network's Nick Sas for ABC It has all the hallmarks of a bad reality TV script. A Miss Universe beauty pageant contestant is crowned the winner, then days later in a press release, the runner-up is declared "the real winner". But in this case, it actually happened. The drama over the winner of the Miss Universe Fiji contest has played out with multiple twists and turns over the past two weeks. There has been accusations of racism, vote-rigging, conflicts of interest and "conspiracy theories" - and that's just from the "official" Miss Universe Fiji organisation. The Miss Unive...
Oura ring review: is the health, period and sleep tracker worth the hype?
Life Style

Oura ring review: is the health, period and sleep tracker worth the hype?

If you’re not familiar or indeed already one of the 2.5 million people who wears one, the Oura is a smart ring that was designed in Finland in 2013. It works by hiding sensors inside a plain enough-looking ring (I have the gold finish, but you can also choose silver, black, or rose gold) that track temperature, heart rate, movement, blood oxygen levels, and your respiratory rate. It’s largely considered a ring to track sleep and activity, the readings of which are found in the app on your smartphone, but the really intriguing thing in my experience is the way in which it integrates all those results, giving you a really clear idea of where you’re at overall, meaning that rather than becoming fixated on any particular metric, I just think about whether I’m getting approximately the right am...
Bomb threat in city at heart of Trump immigrant rumours sparks evacuation
World News

Bomb threat in city at heart of Trump immigrant rumours sparks evacuation

By Julio-Cesar Chavez, Reuters Donald Trump during the recent debate. Photo: Win McNamee / Getty Images via AFP The government of Springfield, Ohio, evacuated its city hall on Thursday due to a bomb threat, two days after Donald Trump repeated a false claim that put the city at the centre of a national debate over immigration. "Due to a bomb threat that was issued to multiple facilities throughout Springfield today, City Hall is closed today," the city government said on social media. Springfield Mayor Rob Rue told local media the threat came from someone who claimed to be a local resident and mentioned frustration with immigration. Several police cars were stationed outside the city hall, which otherwise showed no signs of disruption. The small city of 62,000 has been in the nationa...
Two-year home loan fixed rates drop into 5 percents – but should you take them?
Business

Two-year home loan fixed rates drop into 5 percents – but should you take them?

ANZ and Westpac are offering a special rate of 5.79 percent for two years. Photo: RNZ / 123rf Home loan rates are now comfortably below 6 percent on two-year terms, which have historically been a favourite of New Zealand borrowers. But opinions are mixed on whether they will prove a good option over the longer term. ANZ and Westpac are offering a special rate of 5.79 percent for two years. ASB and BNZ are offering 5.89 percent, and Kiwibank 5.99 percent. According to Reserve Bank data, the last time two-year rates were below 6 percent was in September 2022. ANZ senior economist Chris Tennent-Brown said the home loan rates were attractive. "Short term rates will need to drop significantly to make it worth paying the higher floating rates or six-month rate now. Splitting rates over differ...
Britain’s crime minister has bag stolen at police conference
World News

Britain’s crime minister has bag stolen at police conference

Dame Diana Johnson, Britain's crime minister, had her handbag stolen while attending a police association conference. Photo: UK Parliament By Andrew MacAskill, Reuters Britain's police and crime minister had her bag stolen at a conference for senior and midranking police officers where she spoke about the growing problem of theft and shoplifting, a government official said on Thursday. The incident occurred when Diana Johnson attended the Police Superintendents' Association conference in central England where one senior officer told her in a speech that the criminal justice system was broken. The official said Johnson had her bag stolen at the conference, but no security risk had been identified. In her speech, Johnson said Britain had been "gripped by an epidemic of anti-social behavio...
Black Ferns wing and King Charles: ‘I felt like he needed the hug more than me’
World News

Black Ferns wing and King Charles: ‘I felt like he needed the hug more than me’

Britain's King Charles III poses for a photograph with members of New Zealand's Black Ferns rugby team at Buckingham Palace, 2024. Photo: AFP Asking the King for a hug might be not be everyone's first move when meeting royalty, but for Black Ferns wing Ayesha Leti-I'iga, it's completely normal. The World Cup winner is back in the Black Ferns side for the first time since a standout performance in the World Cup final at Eden Park in November 2022. She has recovered from a serious knee injury that kept her sidelined last year and has been named to start against England in Sunday morning's one-off test at Twickenham. Britain's King Charles III reacts as he is hugged by members of New Zealand's Black Ferns rugby team at Buckingham Palace, 2024. Photo: AFP On Wednesday she found herse...