Friday, June 26

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‘Unprecedented’ volume of evidence compiled for Samantha Murphy murder case, court hears
World News

‘Unprecedented’ volume of evidence compiled for Samantha Murphy murder case, court hears

Samantha Murphy has been missing for more than six months. Photo: Victoria Police / Supplied Patrick Orren Stephenson, 23, has faced court after being charged with the murder of missing Ballarat woman Samantha Murphy, who disappeared while on a jog over six months ago. Stephenson's defence and prosecutors requested a 12-week adjournment in order to go through a "huge amount" of evidence. What's next? Stephenson will remain in custody until the matter returns to court on November 14. An "unprecedented" amount of evidence, including extensive CCTV footage, is causing delays in court for the matter of Patrick Orren Stephenson, accused of murdering Victorian woman Samantha Murphy. The 23-year-old appeared before the Ballarat Magistrates' Court via video link on Thursday. He wore a white t...
Tower increases full-year underlying profit guidance to more than $45 million
Business

Tower increases full-year underlying profit guidance to more than $45 million

Photo: RNZ / Dan Cook Insurer Tower has increased its full year underlying profit guidance to more than $45 million. Tower said efforts to address vehicle thefts, as well as improved weather conditions had improved business-as-usual claims. The company's previous guidance for the year ending September was for more than $40m in early June. It said gross written premium growth was expected to be at the top-end, or exceed guidance of between 10 and 15 percent. The absence of any unforeseen events would see underlying profit growth of $32m. Source link
Horoscope today: Your daily guide for Thursday, August 8, 2024
Life Style

Horoscope today: Your daily guide for Thursday, August 8, 2024

Aries 0904 470 1141 (65p per minute)*Taurus 0904 470 1142 (65p per minute)*Gemini 0904 470 1143 (65p per minute)*Cancer 0904 470 1144 (65p per minute)*Leo 0904 470 1145 (65p per minute)*Virgo 0904 470 1146 (65p per minute)*Libra 0904 470 1147 (65p per minute)*Scorpio 0904 470 1148 (65p per minute)*Sagittarius 0904 470 1149 (65p per minute)*Capricorn 0904 470 1150 (65p per minute)*Aquarius 0904 470 1151 (65p per minute)*Pisces 0904 470 1152 (65p per minute)**Astro line horoscopes are updated every Friday. Calls cost 65p per minute plus your telephone company’s network access charge and will last approximately five minutes. You must be over 18 and have the bill payer’s permission. Service provided by Spoke. Customer service: 0333 202 3390 Source link
They went to space for eight days – and could be stuck until 2025
World News

They went to space for eight days – and could be stuck until 2025

By Mike Wendling, BBC News NASA's Boeing Crew Flight Test Commander Butch Wilmore (L) and Pilot Suni Williams walk out of the Operations and Checkout Building on June 05, 2024 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Photo: JOE RAEDLE / Getty Images via AFP When two American astronauts blasted off on a test mission to the International Space Station on 5 June, they were expecting to be back home in a matter of days. But things did not quite go to plan. In fact, Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Sunita Williams are still there, floating high above the Earth nearly two months later. The pair - who are stuck indefinitely - now face the sudden prospect of missing the summer entirely and even spending Christmas and New Year in space. Wilmore, 61, and Williams, 58, flew a Boeing Starliner spacecraft to the sta...
Power price warning for households as major users feel the crunch
Business

Power price warning for households as major users feel the crunch

Experts are warning that power prices are going to hit consumers hard. Photo: 123RF Households could feel the impact of high wholesale prices in as little as two months' time, it has been warned. As RNZ reported earlier, wholesale power prices have doubled in the past three weeks, in part because of New Zealand's hydro lakes storage, which is at about 47 percent of what it would normally be at this time of year. Some major users say soaring power prices are putting their viability at risk and two timber mills say they are considering closing. Electric Kiwi last month stopped taking new customers because of the high prices. Speaking to Morning Report on Thursday, associate energy minister Shane Jones accused the big power companies of profiteering. Jones said advice was being sought on p...
New study highlights link between heat exposure and diabetic health
Health

New study highlights link between heat exposure and diabetic health

Increasing heat wave conditions due to climate change may be detrimental to the health of people with diabetes -- about 537 million adults worldwide, according to a study. A team of endocrinologists and researchers from the University of Oxford, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and Queen Mary University of London argued that as climate change is increasing seasonal temperatures and causing more frequent heat waves, understanding their effects, especially on diabetics, has become more crucial than ever. Hormones play a role in nearly all biological functions -- controlling processes such as conservation of body water, sweating, and heat generation from cell metabolism -- yet the influence of environmental factors on hormone release and action is not well characterised...
Tower increaseds full year underlying profit guidance to more than $45 million
Business

Tower increaseds full year underlying profit guidance to more than $45 million

Photo: RNZ / Dan Cook Insurer Tower has increased its full year underlying profit guidance to more than $45 million. Tower said efforts to address vehicle thefts, as well as improved weather conditions had improved business-as-usual claims. The company's previous guidance for the year ending September was for more than $40m in early June. It said gross written premium growth was expected to be at the top-end, or exceed guidance of between 10 and 15 percent. The absence of any unforeseen events would see underlying profit growth of $32m. Source link
Paris mayor wants Olympic flame balloon to stay near Louvre after games end
World News

Paris mayor wants Olympic flame balloon to stay near Louvre after games end

A balloon holds the Olympic cauldron after it was lit during the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics. Photo: PETER CZIBORRA/AFP Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo says she hopes the Olympic flame suspended below its balloon can remain in central Paris near the Louvre museum after the games end. The flame - which is not a flame but an illusion of fire created with lights - has become a fixture of the Paris Olympics, with hundreds of Parisians and tourists coming to watch it every evening when it goes up at sundown in the Jardin des Tuileries park near the Louvre. Hidalgo said it was not her decision to make, as the Louvre and Tuileries are state property, but added she had written to President Emmanuel Macron, asking for the flame to remain in place and not be moved to another location. "I woul...
How KiwiSaver funds performed in the June quarter
Business

How KiwiSaver funds performed in the June quarter

Photo: IRD/screenshot The value of KiwiSaver funds improved to the end of June, amid caution in financial markets and a mixed economic environment in New Zealand and around the world. Morningstar's survey for the three months ended June showed the value of savings rose $3.5 billion for the quarter to $110.8b, following a $4b increase in the first quarter. Average multi-sector category returns for the June quarter ranged between 0.3 percent and 0.8 percent, as most funds posted incremental gains. Morningstar data director Greg Bunkall said the second quarter was a cautious period for investors. "While global growth dynamics offered some positive signals, domestic challenges persisted. The equity market delivered moderate gains, primarily supported by international exposures, while fixed i...
Foodstuffs North Island fined $3.25 million for hindering competition
Business

Foodstuffs North Island fined $3.25 million for hindering competition

Photo: Google Maps Foodstuffs North Island has been hit with a $3.25 million fine for deliberate and serious blocking of competitors. A High Court judge ruled the supermarket company, which runs the chains New World and Pak N Save, deliberately used covenants on land to hinder rivals. The practice came to light in a Commerce Commission market study in 2022. Justice Paul James Radich said the practice was to hinder rivals opening in three locations - Newtown and Petone in Wellington and Tamatea in South Napier. The Commerce Commission said the penalty shows the seriousness of the conduct. More to come. Source link