Blog - Viral News

30Jul

By Raayan ThompsonNo Comments

Life Style

Your ultimate at-home wellness kit

My apologies, but I am going to open this article with the C word; it is impossible to frame the abundance of wellness products that have flooded the market without talking about what happened during Covid. I will whizz you through the timeline because I know it’s tedious. Coronavirus happened, we had to barricade ourselves indoors, many of us realised that feeling good was valuable, and then a great many of us decided to up our wellness efforts from our homes because, well, we were stuck in them. The wellbeing industry of course responded robustly, issuing products designed to encourage sleep, improve circulation and relaxation, mimic sunlight, and all sorts of other things. As a beauty and wellness journalist, I was sent new products daily, many of which made me roll my eyes, but some of...

Combat high blood sugar levels with expert-approved superfoods

30Jul

By Raayan ThompsonNo Comments

Health

Combat high blood sugar levels with expert-approved superfoods

Insulin resistance is a disorder that causes the body`s cells to become less sensitive to the insulin hormone, which raises blood sugar levels and increases the chance of developing type 2 diabetes. The management and potential reversal of insulin resistance are greatly influenced by diet. Especially when it comes to this illness, superfoods can be great allies. Dr Shuchi Sharma, chief dietician at Sahyadri Hospital, Pune shares a list of superfoods that can help fight insulin resistance: Antioxidants, especially anthocyanins, which are abundant in berries like raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries, have been demonstrated to enhance insulin sensitivity. These berries are also a great source of fiber, flavonoids, and vitamin C. Eating berries helps lower inflammation and oxidative str...

How former white supremacist Arno Michaelis turned his back on hate

30Jul

By Raayan ThompsonNo Comments

World News

How former white supremacist Arno Michaelis turned his back on hate

Arno Michaelis Photo: Supplied By the age of 16 Arno Michaelis was a full-blown alcoholic and a violent racist covered in swastika tattoos. Michaelis spent seven years active in the US's mid-west white suprermacy movement and was the lead singer in a hate-metal band. It was when he became a single parent, at 24, that he began to distance himself from his racist beliefs. He stopped drinking, and in 2007 he wrote a memoir Life After Hate. Today, he is a speaker, author, and works with Serve2Unite, an organisation that engages young people of all backgrounds as peacemakers. There was something in his personality that drew him to white nationalism as a child, he told Nine to Noon. "I've always been very rebellious and questioning authority and a bit antisocial and combining that with trauma...

Everyone wants to play with the cool boys

30Jul

By Raayan ThompsonNo Comments

Entertainment, Movies

Everyone wants to play with the cool boys

If you ask industry insiders to recommend a studio for AI-related services in filmmaking, chances are they will name Gobo Studios. Run by filmmaker Hridaye A Nagpal, who co-directed Amazon Prime Video’s Rainbow Rishta, along with Nishant Tahilramani and Vishal Balsara, Gobo Studios is a creative studio for all practical purposes. Nagpal corrects us, “We are the future-proof creative studio.” In March 2022, Tahilramani told Nagpal about the Dall-E2 opening up to the common people. Dall-E is the art vertical of Open AI that also has patented Chat GPT. Little did they know that this development would, one day, help them set up their studio. Nagpal recalls, “I couldn’t bring myself to believe that text prompts can generate images. But I started playing with it. We had some written concepts an...

Government to auction off licences for online casinos

30Jul

By Raayan ThompsonNo Comments

Business

Government to auction off licences for online casinos

Only casino games would be allowed for the online casinos. Photo: 123rf The government plans to auction off licences for online casinos, but is proposing a range of regulations to minimise harm and boost tax revenue. Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden has outlined the system to be applied to online casinos, with a limited number of licences to be available for three-year terms with operators required to meet certain standards before offering services. New Zealand-based online casinos are illegal at present, but SkyCity Entertainment operates one based in Malta and has long called for a regulated industry. "This is not intended to increase the amount of gambling New Zealanders do, but to ensure operators meet requirements for consumer protection and harm minimisation, as well as...

Trump to be interviewed by FBI in shooting investigation

30Jul

By Raayan ThompsonNo Comments

World News

Trump to be interviewed by FBI in shooting investigation

Donald Trump has agreed to be interviewed by the FBI as part of its investigation into the assassination attempt at his rally earlier this month. Photo: AFP / Brendan Smialowski By Tom Geoghegan, BBC News Donald Trump has agreed to be interviewed by the FBI as part of its investigation into the assassination attempt at his rally in Pennsylvania earlier this month. In a call with reporters on Monday, the FBI did not give a date for the interview, but said it would be "a standard victim interview we do for any other victim of crime". "We want to get his perspective on what he observed," FBI Special Agent Kevin Rojek said. Despite pouring over mountains of evidence, investigators are yet to determine a motive to explain why Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire on 13 July. Newly released text ...

Businesses must think of staff wellbeing amid reports of bullying within hospitality sector – minister

30Jul

By Raayan ThompsonNo Comments

Business

Businesses must think of staff wellbeing amid reports of bullying within hospitality sector – minister

Tourism and Hospitality Minister Matt Doocey speaking at the HNZ24 conference. Photo: RNZ / Adam Burns The tourism and hospitality minister is "challenging" businesses to think of the welfare of hospitality staff following reports of bullying from its workforce. The remarks came during a speech to open Hospitality New Zealand's two-day HNZ24 conference at Christchurch's Te Pae Convention Centre on Tuesday. Hundreds of operators from both the accommodation and hospitality sectors were in attendance. Tourism and Hospitality Minister Matt Doocey said the government wanted to help create the settings for the industry to thrive. However, Doocey - who also holds the first mental heath portfolio - took the opportunity to alert businesses of problems within the sector, including bullying in the...

Sainz to move from Ferrari to Williams in 2025

30Jul

By Raayan ThompsonNo Comments

World News

Sainz to move from Ferrari to Williams in 2025

Carlos Sainz. Photo: photosport Ferrari's Carlos Sainz will race for Williams next season after signing a multi-year deal, the Formula One team said in a major coup for a team currently ninth in the championship. The Spaniard, who will be teammate to Alex Albon in place of U.S. racer Logan Sargeant, is leaving Ferrari at the end of the year to make way for Mercedes' seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton. Former champions Williams said the 29-year-old winner of three races had signed a two-year agreement with options to extend. "It is no secret that this year's driver market has been exceptionally complex for various reasons and that it has taken me some time to announce my decision," said Sainz in a statement. "However, I am fully confident that Williams is the right place for me to...

New Plymouth Airport solar farm ready for take off

30Jul

By Raayan ThompsonNo Comments

Business

New Plymouth Airport solar farm ready for take off

Te Kotahitanga o Te Atiawa Trustee and PRIP Director Shelley Kopu leads the procession for the laying of the Mauri stone for the blessing of the site for the New Plymouth Airport Solar Farm. Photo: Supplied / Sandra Henderson A 15-hectare solar farm project designed to make New Plymouth Airport energy self-sufficient is ready for take off. The first phase beginning next week will see 14,400 solar panels installed, generating up to 14,700 megawatt hours - or enough to power 2000 homes for a year. Chief Executive David Scott said as well as making the airport self-sufficient in sustainable energy the solar farm would provide an added income stream via the sale of surplus power. "It will also take more than 1500 tonnes of CO2 out of our atmosphere each year," he said. "The solar farm on fa...

Two children dead and nine injured in stabbing at British dance workshop

30Jul

By Raayan ThompsonNo Comments

World News

Two children dead and nine injured in stabbing at British dance workshop

Police officers and forensic personnel stand behind a cordon on Hart Street in Southport, northwest England, following a knife attack. Photo: Darren Staples / AFP By Gemma Sherlock, Monica Rimmer, Lauren Potts, and Kara O'Neill, BBC News, Merseyside Two children have died and nine were injured, six of them critically, in a "ferocious" knife attack at a children's dance workshop. Two adults are also in a critical condition after being stabbed as they tried to protect children at the Taylor Swift-themed event on Hart Street in Southport, Merseyside Police said. A 17-year-old boy, from Banks in Lancashire, has been arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder. Police said the motivation for the attack was "unclear" but it was not being treated as terror-related. One witness describ...