Open mike 05/02/2024
Covid-19 Inquiry updateWe are happy to announce that the terms of reference on the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Covid-19 response have been expanded. This includes what we committed to in our coalition agreement, to:Ensure, as a matter of urgency in establishment and completion, a full scale,
Source:Stuff
February 05, 2024 05:24 UTC
Cause goes beyond ceasefire
People march into the Octagon, protesting against the war in Gaza, on Saturday. PHOTO: PETER MCINTOSHThe marches against the war in Gaza could continue even if Israel and Hamas reach a ceasefire, the co-organiser of the Dunedin rallies says. Marches have occurred in Dunedin regularly since the latest conflict between Israel and Palestinians started on October 7. Co-organiser Rinad Tamimi, who is from Hebron in the West Bank, said a permanent ceasefire in the conflict would be a great result. Asked whether the marches would continue if Hamas and Israel reached a ceasefire, Ms Tamimi said this would be "a fraction of what we’re after".
Source:Otago Daily Times
February 04, 2024 15:55 UTC
Govt warned over 'tight' power periods
Photo: RNZThe government is being warned that tight electricity supply situations could become more frequent, especially on cold winter mornings and evenings. "These tight periods can last minutes or hours and are a particular challenge at times when our thermal generators are not already running to provide baseload electricity supply, when the wind drops, or when the weather is colder than forecast." MBIE promised Energy Minister Simeon Brown another briefing soon on the elevated risks of tight supply as it looked at trade-offs around cost, technology and sustainability in tackling it. "For example, large-scale domestic green hydrogen production as an input to sustainable aviation fuels would increase electricity demand very substantially (at a time when we are already needing to significantly increase electricity generation)." The briefing contains a forecast of a 70 percent rise in electricity demand by 2050.
Source:Otago Daily Times
February 04, 2024 14:45 UTC
Air NZ plane diverted to Guam over mystery smell back in Auckland
An Air New Zealand flight travelling to Auckland from Taiwan, which was diverted to Guam on Friday due to an "unidentified odour", is back on New Zealand soil this morning. Flight NZ78 touched down in Auckland at 6.55am this morning. A passenger on the flight had told Stuff it was an "electrical kind of smell". An image taken from onboard the plane showed firefighters inside the cabin after it landed in Guam. Morgan said the airline had provided accommodation for "as many customers as possible" while they were in Guam.
Source:Stuff
February 04, 2024 11:27 UTC
The “New Zealand model” for prostitution liberalisation doesn’t work
See my comment at the end of the postweka: The Women’s Rights Party have responded, see the end of the post. The Women’s Rights Party, New Zealand and the Women’s Declaration International – New Zealand are concerned that women’s rights and safety are not being upheld under the current legislation. Submitted by:The Women’s Right’s Party, New ZealandWomen’s Declaration International, New ZealandThank you for the opportunity to make this submission. New Zealand legislationIt is twenty years since the Prostitution Reform Act 2003, which fully decriminalised prostitution in New Zealand, was passed. 3The Women’s Rights Party, New Zealand and the Women’s Declaration International – New Zealand are concerned that women’s rights and safety are not being upheld under the current legislation.
Source:Stuff
February 04, 2024 11:20 UTC
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova reacts to fan praising her 'MEOW' tattoo that sparked controversy at the 2024 Australian Open
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova reacted to a fan praising her controversial 'MEOW' tattoo, which caused her trouble at the 2024 Australian Open earlier this year. 42 in the world, got her first tattoo when she was 18 years old. In January, Pavlyuchenkova faced verbal harassment from drunken spectators during her second-round match against Paula Badosa at the Australian Open. On Saturday, February 3, an X (formerly Twitter) user posted a picture of Pavlyuchenkova's 'MEOW' tattoo and wrote:"best tattoo ever 😭", tagging Pavlyuchenkova. The Latvian, who had dropped only one set in her previous two matches, was too strong for Pavlyuchenkova, ultimately defeating her in straight sets.
Source:New Zealand Herald
February 04, 2024 03:51 UTC
Open mike 04/02/2024
Covid-19 Inquiry updateWe are happy to announce that the terms of reference on the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Covid-19 response have been expanded. This includes what we committed to in our coalition agreement, to:Ensure, as a matter of urgency in establishment and completion, a full scale,
Source:Stuff
February 04, 2024 01:50 UTC
Does bad economic news trump good news?
Inflation is deflating,” Lisa Owen told RNZ’s Checkpoint listeners the day the latest quarterly data showing inflation below 5 per cent for the first time in ages. But does that explain why more recent good economic news doesn’t seem to make as many headlines as the bad stuff does? “In the US they get inflation data monthly; we only get ours quarterly. “Whether it's business, economic, or political or otherwise, news coverage is determined by the relevance to an audience. “In the case of inflation, that 4.7 percent rate that we had last week, that is still inflation and prices going up.
Source:New Zealand Herald
February 03, 2024 23:41 UTC
'Prepare for interesting scenes': Government braced for first Waitangi event
The tension in the air at Waitangi is palpable, as people wait to see how the Government and iwi leaders will mix. Opposition MPs were welcomed yesterday and Labour did not hold back, suggesting the Government was a den of lions - and advocating for Māori rights in speeches. The Government will be welcomed to Waitangi on Tuesday, with thousands of visitors expected. Herald Political Reporter Adam Pearse is there, and says the next few days will bring some 'interesting scenes.' "And we will see and hear, I can imagine, some pretty strong speeches from iwi leaders about where the Government's taking Māori issues."
Source:New Zealand Herald
February 03, 2024 23:04 UTC
Calling backyard trappers
PHOTO: SUPPLIEDResidents of Queenstown’s Lake Hayes Estate and Shotover Country can do their bit to help protect the growing native bird population in their midst. Whakatipu Wildlife Trust’s (WWT) received a grant for 80 Victor rat traps (right) from Predator Free NZ. On Tuesday, Waitangi Day, WWT executive officer Joanne Conroy’s inviting residents who’d like a free rat trap in their backyard to visit her at the Lake Hayes Estate playground between 10am and noon. She says WWT applied for traps for these neighbourhoods due to their proximity to Lake Hayes and the Kawarau River, "and there’s actually quite a lot of birdlife out there now". Last year WWT gave out free traps to Quail Rise residents, "which was quite successful", Conroy says.
Source:Otago Daily Times
February 03, 2024 21:00 UTC
My Net Worth: Sinead Boucher, Stuff's executive chair and owner
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Source:Stuff
February 03, 2024 16:16 UTC
Why interest rates are likely to tumble
A rapid decline in inflation would likely see short-term interest rates fall significantly over the next year. For longer-term interest rates, there’s likely to be a continued downward drift as we creep closer to anticipated OCR cuts. Impact on home loan interest ratesFor starters, bank interest margins on fixed-rate home loans – a.k.a. what they charge over and above where wholesale interest rates are at – are currently extremely wide. But when it does happen, sooner or later, that will be the catalyst that sets home loan interest rates tumbling down again.
Source:New Zealand Herald
February 03, 2024 08:32 UTC
Populism's great replacement of economics
In 2024, the biggest election year in history, people in dozens of countries, representing half of the world’s population, will go to the polls. Many commentators and experts view this global synchronicity as a kind of plebiscite on the postwar global order. Seen from this perspective, the likely rejection of the postwar world order this year should not come as a surprise: elements of the narrative have become increasingly prominent in recent decades. The tragedy is that the dominant populist narrative about the architects of the liberal postwar order, that they are mad scientists who have lost control of their creations, contains a kernel of truth. As in Frankenstein, a little recognition of the finer feelings that the monster – in this case, the postwar economy – is capable of would have gone a long way toward changing its behavior.
Source:Stuff
February 03, 2024 02:19 UTC
Weekend briefing: US jobs strength takes financial markets by surprise
The Fear & Greed index has eased back from its extreme level a week ago into the "greed" range. But that is +US$20 higher than week ago levels. A week ago these prices were US$77/bbl and US$82/bbl so an even bigger fall from then. It -¼c lower than a week ago. That all means our TWI-5 starts today at just on 70 and down -30 bps from yesterday to essentially matching week ago levels.
Source:Stuff
February 03, 2024 02:03 UTC
Open mike 03/02/2024
Covid-19 Inquiry updateWe are happy to announce that the terms of reference on the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Covid-19 response have been expanded. This includes what we committed to in our coalition agreement, to:Ensure, as a matter of urgency in establishment and completion, a full scale,
Source:New Zealand Herald
February 03, 2024 01:56 UTC