Tuesday, June 30

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Without astronauts, Boeing’s Starliner undocks from space station
World News

Without astronauts, Boeing’s Starliner undocks from space station

By Joey Roulette, Reuters In this screen grab from a NASA livestream, the Boeing Starliner spacecraft can be seen pulling away from the International Space Station for its unmanned return to the surface of Earth. Photo: NASA / AFP Without astronauts, Boeing's Starliner undocks from space station Starliner undocks from ISS for six-hour return trip to Earth Boeing's Starliner faces technical issues, costing $125 million Boeing's future in space questioned amid Starliner struggles Boeing's Starliner spacecraft undocked from the International Space Station on Saturday (NZ time), leaving behind its first crew of US astronauts to return to Earth empty and finish a drawn-out test mission fraught with technical issues. NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who became the first t...
Man charged over alleged plot to attack New York City Jewish centre around anniversary of Hamas attack
World News

Man charged over alleged plot to attack New York City Jewish centre around anniversary of Hamas attack

The attack was to be in support of Islamic State, prosecutors alleged. Photo: 123RF By Jasper Ward and Anna Mehler Paperny, Reuters A Pakistani citizen living in Canada was arrested on Wednesday and charged with planning an attack in New York City in support of the Islamic State, the Department of Justice said on Friday. Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, 20, is accused of plotting a mass shooting at a Jewish centre in Brooklyn around 7 October, 2024, nearly one year after Hamas' attack in Israel. US Attorney General Merrick Garland said Khan, who is also known as Shahzeb Jadoon, aimed to kill "as many Jewish people as possible". The Department of Justice was not able to confirm if Khan had obtained legal counsel. Khan attempted to travel from Canada to the United States where he intended to use au...
Retiree calls for pension ‘top-up’ for those unable to save
Business

Retiree calls for pension ‘top-up’ for those unable to save

Photo: 123rf Helen, whom RNZ has agreed not to identify, is facing retirement with just $1000 in savings. She and her former partner have separated and he is living in their family home. She has to rely on the New Zealand Superannuation to get by. "Much of my life was spent caring for others without pay," she said. Over the years, she looked after their autistic daughter and her elderly parents, as well as her in-laws. Her partner worked full-time, in what she describes as a "very traditional" household economic arrangement. "All of this support and care was without any financial compensation. I think that women in my situation should be compensated for loss of income through caring for babies, children, and elderly parents. Women who have disabled children need an additional top-up beca...
Fiji government sticks with new anti-corruption chief who is under investigation
World News

Fiji government sticks with new anti-corruption chief who is under investigation

The Fijians government is backing the appointment of the country's new anti-corruption chief who was under investigation by the office she now heads, which has left the Fijian people asking questions. Photo: RNZ Pacific The Fijian government is backing the appointment of the country's new anti-corruption chief, who is under investigation by the office she now heads. Barbara Malimali - who was also the Electoral Commission chair - was revealed as the new Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption commissioner on Wednesday. Malimali's appointment, confirmed by the nation's president on the advice of the Judicial Services Commission, has been slammed as "unbelievable" by one opposition MP, while the opposition leader in parliament has said it raises "numerous questions ... that need an...
Highway median barriers hit farmers in the pocket
Business

Highway median barriers hit farmers in the pocket

State Highway 2 median barrier protesters in July. Photo: Blake Judson Median barriers on State Highway 2 near Katikati are "severely limiting" access and hurting horticultural and agricultural businesses, farmers say. The flexible wire rope barrier was installed on SH2, south of Katikati, in July as part of NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) safety improvements. Sections of the new median barrier can be found between Katikati and Ōmokoroa. The barrier has drawn criticism and protests because it limits cars and trucks from turning into side streets. Rick Burke, who has farmed on Lund Rd for 40 years, said the barriers would have an economic impact. "With vehicles having to unnecessarily travel a considerable distance further to get back to their roads, the vehicle running cost an...
Paris to name sports venue after dead Ugandan Olympian Cheptegei
World News

Paris to name sports venue after dead Ugandan Olympian Cheptegei

Uganda's Rebecca Cheptegei, left, competes in the women's marathon final during the World Athletics Championships in Budapest on 26 August, 2023. Photo: FERENC ISZA / AFP The French capital will pay tribute to Ugandan Olympian Rebecca Cheptegei, who was set on fire by her boyfriend, by naming a sports facility in her honour, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo has announced. The marathon runner, who competed in the Paris Games last month died on Thursday, four days after she was doused in petrol and ignited by her boyfriend in Kenya, in the latest attack on a female athlete in the country. The 33-year-old, who finished 44th in her Olympic Games debut, suffered burns to more than 75 percent of her body in Sunday's attack, Kenyan and Ugandan media reported. "She dazzled us here in Paris. We saw her....
Telecommunications companies to come up with coverage maps
Business

Telecommunications companies to come up with coverage maps

Photo: 123rf The Commerce Commission has given telecommunications companies 12 months to come up with standardised coverage maps for all providers so customers can compare the signal reach each one is offering. It also wants universal definitions of coverage quality, like excellent, good and non-existent, as well as hang up clauses; so if consumers find their calling experience in real world is not what is promised they cancel their contract at no charge. Judy, who lives on a farm near Lake Waikaremoana in the Wairoa District, told Checkpoint she only had about 30 percent phone coverage. "It's a health and safety issue. We've got employees and contractors on the farm on a regular basis," she said. She had supplied her employees with locator beacons, which were only suitable for emergency...
Donald Trump hush money sentencing delayed until after election
World News

Donald Trump hush money sentencing delayed until after election

Photo: ALON SKUY / AFP A New York judge has delayed former US President Donald Trump's sentencing in his hush money criminal case until after the 5 November election, writing that he wants to avoid the unwarranted perception of a political motive. Trump, the Republican nominee for president, had previously been scheduled to be sentenced on 18 September. His lawyers in August asked Justice Juan Merchan to push back his sentencing date until after the vote, citing "naked election-interference objectives." Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who brought the charges against Trump, is a Democrat. Merchan said on Friday (Saturday NZT) he now planned to sentence Trump on 26 November, unless the case is dismissed before then. "The imposition of sentence will be adjourned to avoid any appear...
Here`s how the human brain acts on spontaneous decisions
Health

Here`s how the human brain acts on spontaneous decisions

Have you ever been faced with a choice at a crossroads? A recent study may have finally figured out what our brains are doing when we indulge in spontaneous behaviour.  The Brain Institute at Chapman University in California, US, conducted a study on how the brain triggers impulsive behaviour like leaping off a high-dive platform or coming up with novel ideas. They concentrated on a phenomenon where the human brain becomes more active one or two seconds before it takes action. Since the 1960s, neuroscientists have believed that this ramping is an indication that our brain is getting ready to act following the completion of an unconscious, premeditated decision. However, the new research offers another answer. The team found that many rapidly fluctuating neurons -- brain cells, interact...
What your facial hair says about you, from William’s beard to the Hackney moustache
Life Style

What your facial hair says about you, from William’s beard to the Hackney moustache

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