Saturday, April 25

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Govindas have a high risk of injuries during Dahi Handi, warn Mumbai doctors
23Aug By Raayan ThompsonNo Comments
Health

Govindas have a high risk of injuries during Dahi Handi, warn Mumbai doctors

As the festival of Janmashtami approaches, the streets of Mumbai are about to witness vibrant celebrations of Dahi Handi. However, with this tradition comes the risk of injuries. There is an increased likelihood of orthopedic and traumatic brain injuries being experienced by Govindas while forming human pyramids, health experts in Mumbai have warned.  They emphasise the necessity of wearing protective equipment like helmets, knee and elbow pads, wrist supports and safety harnesses and incorporating stretching and strength training exercises to reduce the risk of these significant injuries that can make one bedridden, cause life-long disabilities or even lead to loss of life. Each year, numerous Govindas and participants face possibilities of fractures and traumatic brain injuries, indica...
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Two NZ war cemeteries confirmed affected by Gallipoli fire
23Aug By Raayan ThompsonNo Comments
World News

Two NZ war cemeteries confirmed affected by Gallipoli fire

Commonwealth War Graves Commission workers clean a cemetery on the Gallipoli peninsula following a large wildfire. Photo: Supplied / Commonwealth War Graves Commission At least two war cemeteries containing the remains of New Zealand soldiers were affected by a fire in Gallipoli, it has been confirmed. The wildfire was one of a number of large blazes that damaged large swathes of Turkey last week. At the time, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission said it would take some time to carry out a full-scale inspection of all the cemeteries across the peninsula, which number more than 30. "Whilst there is extensive fire damage to the gardens, trees and horticulture in and around the cemeteries, it appears there has been no damage (other than superficial) to the headstones, graves and memorial...
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Want NZ banking to be more competitive? Then make it easier to switch banks
23Aug By Raayan ThompsonNo Comments
Business

Want NZ banking to be more competitive? Then make it easier to switch banks

Four Australian banks in New Zealand made about $7 billion in profits in 2023. Photo: RNZ Analysis - The Commerce Commission's banking market study has concluded more competition is required to reduce the profits of the big four banks. But the report suggests increasing competition may be ineffective unless customers are easily able and willing to switch between banks. In 2023, the four Australian banks operating in New Zealand made approximately NZ$7.1 billion in profit, representing $1400 per person. Despite many customers struggling due to increasing mortgage costs, the banks' profits rose. The previous government commissioned the market study to look into whether competition for personal banking services in New Zealand was working. The report highlights a lack of true competition, w...
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Body of last missing person found after Sicily superyacht sinking
23Aug By Raayan ThompsonNo Comments
World News

Body of last missing person found after Sicily superyacht sinking

By Giselda Vagnoni and Guglielmo Mangiapane, Reuters Divers from Italy's fire service have been working to retrieve bodies from the wreck. Photo: AFP Italian rescue divers have found the body of the last person missing after British tech magnate Mike Lynch's family yacht sank off Sicily, believed to be his daughter Hannah, a source close to the matter told Reuters on Friday. The British-flagged Bayesian, a 56-metre-long luxury sail boat carrying 22 passengers and crew, was anchored off the port of Porticello, near Palermo, when it capsized and rapidly sank after being struck by a pre-dawn storm on Monday. The source did not identify the body as belonging to 18-year-old Hannah Lynch, but she was the only person still unaccounted for. Italian news agency Adnkronos said she was found in...
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The best hotels to discover in the Balearic Islands
23Aug By Raayan ThompsonNo Comments
Life Style

The best hotels to discover in the Balearic Islands

It’s the light that has drawn so many poets, artists and writers to the Balearics over the centuries – the unfiltered sort that slices through pergolas and douses the landscape in gold. Everything is dialled up – blue coves rendered luminous and surreal. The Spanish islands’ cicada chorus and wild agricultural hearts are shoulder-lowering stuff – even party isle Ibiza has it in droves away from the clubs. Having redeemed themselves from an all-inclusive, budget-holiday chapter, the islands (Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera) are gently luring their fincas, noble town houses and rustic buildings into the 21st century – many as a home-spun agriturismo project, others with radically reverential design houses who showcase the talent of local artisans. Some whisper tales of Spain’s golden...
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New Zealand’s shrinking café scene
23Aug By Raayan ThompsonNo Comments
Business

New Zealand’s shrinking café scene

Photo: 123RF Tougher economic times and staff shortages appear to be shrinking the number of cafés and restaurants operating in New Zealand. Stats NZ data shows that last year was the first time in more than 20 years that the number of cafés and restaurants shrank compared to the year before. Last year, Stats NZ's enterprise data shows, there were 8958 café and restaurant businesses recorded, compared to 8964 the year before. Every other year in the data the number of enterprises recorded held stable or increased year-on-year. There are still twice as many as in 2000. Data from economist Shamubeel Eaqub showed that the number of food and beverage and hospitality businesses in New Zealand had grown more than 30 percent since 2000, on a per capita basis. "It has also grown as a share of th...
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Emmanuel Macron meets French party leaders to try to name a prime minister
23Aug By Raayan ThompsonNo Comments
World News

Emmanuel Macron meets French party leaders to try to name a prime minister

By Elizabeth Pineau and Ingrid Melander, Reuters Emmanuel Macron called a snap election earlier this year, which delivered a hung parliament. Photo: Nicolas Economou / NurPhoto via AFP French President Emmanuel Macron began meeting party leaders from across France's political spectrum on Friday with the aim, nearly seven weeks after inconclusive parliamentary elections, to finally give the country a new prime minister. Whoever Macron names will face a tough job, with parliamentary approval of the 2025 budget one of many challenges at a time when France is under pressure from the European Commission and bond markets to reduce its deficit. Who will become prime minister - and whether they can get a hung parliament to back any reforms - is still very much an open question, with no sign ...
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Channel Infrastructure sees near 50 percent jump in interim profit
23Aug By Raayan ThompsonNo Comments
Business

Channel Infrastructure sees near 50 percent jump in interim profit

Photo: LDR / Northern Advocate / Michael Cunningham The country's biggest fuel import terminal has seen a near 50 percent jump in interim profit on increased revenue, with the company also announcing a deal to increase jet fuel storage. Key numbers for the six months ended June compared with a year ago: Net profit $16.6m vs $11.4m Revenue $69.8m vs $64.4m Operating earnings $48.1m vs $43.5m Interim dividend 4.4 cents per share vs 4.2 cps Channel Infrastructure, the former Marsden Point refinery, said revenue rose 8 percent, with private storage fees rising by 59 percent. It said private and additional storage contributed $8.1 million and operating costs increased 4 percent with Channel benefiting from a new fixed price electricity contract. Jet fuel demand rose 22 percent and was track...
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Study reveals new facts about Ozempic, the viral weight-loss drug
23Aug By Raayan ThompsonNo Comments
Health

Study reveals new facts about Ozempic, the viral weight-loss drug

Ozempic, the diet pill that took the world by storm has been under the public scanner for long, is found to be more devastating than what was originally speculated.  A study conducted at St. Vincent`s University Hospital (SVUH) in Dublin has challenged the prevailing belief that weight loss medications like Ozempic, Wegovy, or Monjaro primarily work by promoting satiety and reducing food intake. The randomised controlled trial, led by Professor Donal O`Shea of SVUH and the UCD School of Medicine, involved 30 patients and focused on medications based on the hormone Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1). The findings, published today in the Journal of the Obesity Society, reveal a strong relationship between increased metabolic activity caused by daily GLP-1 treatment and the amount of weight l...
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Port of Tauranga net profit down more than $25m on previous year
23Aug By Raayan ThompsonNo Comments
Business

Port of Tauranga net profit down more than $25m on previous year

Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly The country's biggest port, Tauranga, has reported a weaker profit as cargo volumes fell but said it's had an improvement in the second half of the year. Key numbers for the 12 months ended June compared with a year ago: Net profit $90.8m vs $117.1m Underlying profit $102.7m vs $117.8m (excludes $11.9m one off tax charge) Revenue $417.4m vs $420.9m Cargo (tonnes): 23.6m vs 24.7m Final dividend 8.7 cents per share vs 8.8 cps The port's result was likened to the previous year's "game of two halves" performance. Chief executive Leonard Sampson said there had been a lot of volatility with the first half of the year with reduced cargo volumes and continued disruption to shipping services. "There was a lot of impact of vessel schedule changes and overstocki...
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