Vatican Aims to Become 'World's First Carbon Neutral State'
By Randy Hall
CNSNews.com
Staff Writer/Editor
July 12, 2007
(CNSNews.com) - The Vatican plans to create a forest in Europe that will offset all of its carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions for the year, according to the ecorestoration company that is working to help the Holy See achieve what it calls a "historic goal."
"The Holy See's increasingly creative environmental leadership is both insightful and profound," said Russ George, CEO of Planktos Corp. and managing director of its forest subsidiary, KlimFa, in a news release on Thursday outlining the effort to make the sovereign state located in Rome the "first carbon neutral sovereign state" in the world.
"Not only is the Vatican steadily reducing its carbon footprint with energy efficiency and solar power, its choice of new mixed-growth forests to offset the balance of its emissions shows a deep commitment to planetary stewardship as well," he said."It eloquently makes the point that ecorestoration is a fitting climate change solution for a culture of life," George added....
New Zealand Herald
One might note The Pope isn't putting huge stock into nuclear either so much as his home planet Earth.
Obey Earth's voice, says Pope
5:00AM Friday July 27, 2007
LORENZAGO DI CADORE - Pope Benedict said the human race must listen to "the voice of the Earth" or risk destroying its very existence.
The Pope, speaking as he was concluding a holiday in northern Italy, also said that while there was much scientific proof to support evolution, the theory could not exclude a role by God.
"We all see that today man can destroy the foundation of his existence, his Earth," he said in a meeting with 400 priests. "We cannot simply do what we want with this Earth of ours, with what has been entrusted to us."
The Pope said: "We must respect the interior laws of creation, of this Earth, to learn these laws and obey them if we want to survive.
"This obedience to the voice of the Earth is more important for our future happiness ... than the desires of the moment. Our Earth is talking to us and we must listen to it and decipher its message if we want to survive."
Last April the Vatican sponsored a scientific conference on climate change to underscore the role that religious leaders around the world could play in reminding people that wilfully damaging the environment is sinful.
The Pope spoke of the current debate raging in some countries, particularly the United States and his native Germany, between creationism and evolution.
"They are presented as alternatives that exclude each other," the Pope said.
"This clash is an absurdity because on one hand there is much scientific proof in favour of evolution, which appears as a reality that we must see and which enriches our understanding of life and being as such."
But he said evolution did not answer all the questions. "Above all it does not answer the great philosophical question: 'Where does everything come from?"'
- REUTERS
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=39&objectid=10454075
The politics and the passion
5:00AM Saturday July 28, 2007
By Greg Ansley
It is not easy to miss Peter Garrett. Towering a head - at least - above most in the room, bald, in sports jacket and open-necked shirt, a Timorese scarf draped around his neck, Labor's spokesman on climate change, environment, heritage and the arts is one of the most recognisable faces in Australian politics.
He is also one of the central players in Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd's bid to end Prime Minister John Howard's 11 years in power. Climate change and the environment, spurred by Howard's late, poll-driven, conversion and rush of lavishly funded policies, have become key issues in the election to be held in the final months of the year.
Nor has it been only the greenies who have been driving the debate. Scientists, engineers, even businessmen have been urging the Government to take climate change and the accelerating decline of the Australian environment seriously.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10454268
More weather woes for Northland
8:45AM Saturday July 28, 2007
North Island drivers are being urged to take it easy this weekend, as a storm develops in the Tasman Sea.
Heavy rain in Northland tonight is expected to move southwards, to hit Auckland, the Coromandel Peninsula, the Bay of Plenty and northern Gisborne tomorrow.
MetService forecaster Andy Downs says while it is not expected to be as bad as the storms which hit Northland in March and earlier this month, thundery conditions with short, intense rainfall could still cause problems.
He says driving conditions will be dangerous with the possibility of surface flooding and some slips.
The heavy rain is expected to move over most of the South Island by Monday.
- NEWSTALK ZB
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10454411
Slipping and sinking in land of extremes
5:00AM Saturday July 28, 2007
The banks of the Yangtze River have disappeared in the city of Wuhan. Photo / Reuters
Heavy rain is to hit flood-battered southwest China over the next few days, with officials warning of landslides as a heatwave shows no let-up across the south and east.
More than 500 people in China have died in floods this summer and meteorologists forecast more downpours for the Guangxi region and the provinces of Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan, where floods and related disasters have already taken a heavy toll.
From Indonesia's South Sulawesi province to the capital of Bangladesh, worldwide floods are killing hundreds and displacing thousands.
In China, water levels on the Huai River, which has been overflowing since the start of July and has displaced hundreds of thousands of people, remained above dangerous levels though the disaster was "nearing its end", Xinhua news agency said.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10454306
Father, son rugby fans die in flood
5:00AM Saturday July 28, 2007
A father and son died as they battled to deal with the aftermath of the floods that have devastated parts of central and southern England.
Pensioner Bram Lane, a father of three, and his son Chris, were found dead in the basement of their local rugby club in Tewkesbury, scene of some of the worst flooding following last weekend's storms.
Investigators believe they were overwhelmed by fumes from a petrol-driven pump or electrocuted as they worked to clear up the damage.
Friends described them as "linchpins" of the community who lived for their sport. They were among 12 volunteers who had gone to assess the scale of the damage at Tewkesbury RFC on Thursday.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10454305
NZ and Trans-Antarctic range two sides of ancient plateau
5:00AM Saturday July 28, 2007
By Kent Atkinson
New Zealand is a remnant of a gigantic high plateau that collapsed as the Earth tore apart.
The rest of the plateau's remains make up one of the longest mountain chains in the world, Antarctica's Trans-Antarctic mountains, says geophysicist Michael Studinger of the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University.
Dr Studinger and his colleagues reported yesterday in the August issue of the journal Geology that the mountain range is the remnant edge of a gigantic plateau the size of France that was roughly 3km high.
The mountains run up out of the Ross Sea, immediately south of New Zealand, along the western edge of the Ross Ice Shelf, and nearly 4000km across the frozen continent to divide east and west Antarctica.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=82&objectid=10454386
Out of Africa theory of evolution finds support
5:00AM Friday July 20, 2007
Australian anthropologist Alan Thorne's theory that humans evolved in several regions of the world has been challenged by the new study. Picture / File
The human population in the world today arose from a single migration out of Africa about 55,000 years ago which replaced all other humans who were living in Europe and Asia at the time, a study has found.
Scientists have confirmed the "out of Africa" model of human origins with a study that combines genetic evidence with physical data gathered from more than 6000 skulls from around the world.
The twin approach has delivered what may turn out to be the killer blow to the rival theory - expounded by Australian anthropologist Alan Thorne, among others - that humans today evolved in several regions of the world, said Andrea Manica of the University of Cambridge, who led the study published in the journal Nature.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=82&objectid=10452663
Walking tall easier than knuckling down
5:00AM Wednesday July 18, 2007
By Steve Connor
More energy is expended walking on all fours than walking up right.
Walking on two legs uses up a quarter of the energy it takes to walk on all fours according to a study that could explain why early human ancestors adopted bipedalism rather than the knuckle-walking of chimpanzees and gorillas.
Explaining why humans went from a four-legged gait to a two-legged, upright posture has been one of the most difficult and contentious issues in evolution.
The latest idea suggests that it all comes down to energy expenditure and how costly it is to move around in terms of the food required.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=82&objectid=10452064
Fall in infant deaths due to position - study
1:30PM Wednesday July 25, 2007
NEW YORK - A continuing decline in the number of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) cases is likely due to parents placing infants on their backs before bed, according to New Zealand research.
Researchers from Auckland University reported there had been an initial drop in the number of cases after parents were urged to avoid placing their infants face down to sleep.
The research suggested that the continuing decline was due to a further change from the side to back positioning of infants before bed.
There was an initial 50 per cent fall in SIDS rates from the mid-1980s to 1993, at which time almost all infants were no longer placed on their stomachs to sleep.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=82&objectid=10453739
NZ dollar in free fall
8:01AM Saturday July 28, 2007
The dollar has been in free fall overnight, dropping two cents against the US dollar. Deals are being done at around 76.4 US cents to the dollar.
The dollar was at 76.2 cents against the greenback when the Reserve Bank starting selling the kiwi six weeks ago in an effort to reduce its value.
The dollar continued to rise, however, and reached a post float record of 81.6 US cents early this week.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/3/story.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10454408
Black gold or a fool's errand?
Page 1 of 4 View as a single page 5:00AM Saturday July 28, 2007
By Geoff Cumming
Philippa, my 13-year-old daughter, looks forward to a world without oil. On a visit to the Auckland Museum in the school holidays she found the 1866 gallery, that re-creation of downtown Auckland in the 19th century, a portent of what's to come. She's nervous but at the same time excited by the prospect of a simpler, slower existence. When I tell her New Zealand is the new Texas, on the cusp of an oil exploration bonanza, she calls me a dinosaur.
Any day now, light, sweet crude will start to flow from the Tui field, 40km off the Taranaki coast. The only obvious sign will be a processing and storage ship anchored in 120m of water, hoses like umbilical cords drawing oil from a station on the ocean floor.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/3/story.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10454288
Overwhelming desire for full set of wheels
5:00AM Saturday July 28, 2007
By Dan McDougall
Ratan Tata is set on producing a car for the masses. Photo / Reuters
"Wheels truly show your status. If I had a four-wheeler I would have better marriage prospects in my village, I would be respected," says Bengali market stall owner Venkat Banarjee. "I have an old Honda motorbike, so I am looked down on. To be able to afford a proper car, with four wheels, that would change my life, it would turn things around."
Four wheels good, two wheels bad, is a middle-class mantra, and now Indian billionaire Ratan Tata is preparing to unveil the world's cheapest car to meet the aspirations of the world's fastest-growing consumer markets.
Taking shape in a controversial Chinese-style "special economic zone" on the outskirts of Kolkata, the "Indian Mini" or "People's Car" is a concept Tata believes will offer the "miracle of personal transport" to India's masses and make his company a huge international player.
The domestic and global automobile industry is keenly watching the development of this ultra-economy car, expected to be launched at the end of the year and sell at about 100,000 Indian rupees ($3200), half the cost of the cheapest car available, the Suzuki Maruti 800.
..."I know of a few neighbours who have been offered a job in the Tata plant, but in reality they are simple farmers; working on a production plant will turn out to be their worst nightmare. People here have large families and they will spend the money quickly, then look around them and realise they have no land, no income and no prospects. I, for one, will not give up my land."
Nearly 404ha of farmland is already fenced off beside the best highway in the state. A further 320ha has been targeted. The project is billed as key to the rejuvenation of West Bengal, a signal that the communist regional government is investor-friendly.
Over the past year the Indian government has received applications for 250 similar special economic zones, involving turning huge tracts of land into gated business enclaves with middle-class townships attached. The zones have become a time-bomb for the political classes but the message coming from government is simple: this is a time of change, for the better.
Environmentalists, while sympathetic to evicted farmers, claim bigger issues than land seizures are at stake. "What we are really worried about is the appalling congestion in India's biggest urban areas," said Anumita Roychowdhury, associate director of the Centre for Science and Environment in New Delhi.
"Once people start using cars it will be hard to get them back, and selling cars for bottom dollar and encouraging banks to offer finance plans is a recipe for disaster. Tata reckons he will sell a million of these things a year. This will be an environmental disaster."
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10454313
'Terrorist' doctor goes free
5:00AM Saturday July 28, 2007
By Greg Ansley
The burnt wreckage of a Jeep Cherokee vehicle as it was removed from the departure entrance at Glasgow airport last month. Photo / Reuters
Australia has released terrorism suspect Mohammed Haneef after the collapse of the case claiming he supported relatives implicated in last month's failed bombings in Britain.
Federal Director of Public Prosecutions Damien Bugg yesterday dropped a charge of recklessly providing resources to a terrorist organisation against the 27-year-old doctor who was arrested on July 2.
And Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews further backed down from his earlier determination to deport Dr Haneef on character grounds, instead releasing him from detention.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10454393
Sarkozy in nuclear deal with Libya
8:15AM Saturday July 28, 2007
French President Nicolas Sarkozy yesterday urged the West to trust Arab countries with nuclear technology as he signed a deal that could lead to France supplying Libya with a new reactor.
During a meeting with Colonel Muammar Gaddafi in Libya, Sarkozy agreed to help the country with a nuclear-powered project to desalinate seawater.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10454312
Navy to the rescue as old Biddy is swept from shore
5:00AM Saturday July 28, 2007
By Alanah May Eriksen and Angela Gregory
Steve Davis (left) and Regan Garrett comfort Biddy
The Royal New Zealand Navy has always prided itself on its rapid response to an emergency at sea, so when a jack russell terrier was swept 800m offshore it immediately began a rescue mission.
Biddy, a 17-year-old jack russell terrier, was swept from her Stanley Bay home to the mudflats at Ngataringa Bay, near the Devonport naval base.
A passer-by noticed the small shivering dog and a rising tide and alerted the Navy's sea safety training squadron.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10454391
Phone companies' change wipes police text evidence
5:00AM Saturday July 28, 2007
A decision by the two big mobile phone companies to stop storing text messages is costing the police an investigatory tool.
Vodafone is no longer storing texts, and Telecom is about to follow suit.
Police were able to obtain copies of text messages, which sometimes gave them valuable information.
The change, caused by the companies' introduction of new equipment, raised debate among police and lawyers about whether a law change should be sought to require the information to be kept.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10454347
Off-colour Sky TV marketing ploy appals woman
12:00PM Saturday July 28, 2007
A recently-widowed Hamilton woman was reduced to tears by a Sky TV marketing ploy that threatened to kill her husband's associates.
The woman, in her 70s, received a letter from the broadcaster's customer service department after she had the extra channels cut off following her husband's death.
The elderly widow received the letter six days after burying her husband and seven days after cancelling the Sky subscription, The Waikato Times reported.
The letter read:
"We've just heard that you're thinking about cancelling your subscription to Sky. Why? Maybe you've found someone else to share your spare time with!! . . . Who?!!! . . . We'll kill them!!!"
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10454412
Evangelist - Muslims want 'to rule over whole world'
5:00AM Saturday July 28, 2007
By Simon Collins
Pastor Stuart Robinson believes there is a fundamental difference between Christians and Muslims trying to convert others to their religion. Photo / Richard Robinson
Christians are being urged to stand up against what a visiting author says is a Muslim push to take over the world.
Pastor Stuart Robinson, Australian author of the book Mosques and Miracles, has drawn about 200 people to a conference in Greenlane this weekend aimed at revealing what he says are the true dangers of Islam.
Meanwhile, rebel British left-wing MP George Galloway is expected to attract about 450 people to a rival meeting in Freemans Bay tonight to condemn Mr Robinson's "islamophobia".
Mr Galloway, who was expelled from the British Labour Party in 2003 for opposing the invasion of Iraq, has been brought here by the Residents Action Movement, which plans to campaign against islamophobia in October's local body elections.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10454377
Gays still stuck in the closet
5:00AM Saturday July 28, 2007
By Krisztina Than
Gabor Szetey will continue fighting for gay rights. Photo / Reuters
"I am Gabor Szetey. A faithful Hungarian-European. Citizen, public official, member of the government. And gay."
Of all the arenas in which a senior government politician could come out, Szetey's choice - two days before a Gay Pride march this month in post-communist Eastern Europe - was one of the most defiant.
Hungary's Secretary of State for Human Resources risked hostility because he wanted to highlight persistent intolerance in Eastern Europe of gay people and other minorities.
After decades under communist rule, when homosexuality was banned or simply out of sight, most East Europeans still find it hard to accept.
The lack of tolerance has been coupled with a surge in nationalism in some parts of the region.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10454267
Swooping in on Auckland airport
5:00AM Saturday July 28, 2007
By Liam Dann
Kjeld Binger says he wasn't surprised by opposition to a takeover, but he was surprised at the anti-Dubai form it took. Photo / Kenny Rodger
Next time you touch down in Auckland you might want to savour the experience - you'll be landing at the world's most expensive airport.
Dubai Aerospace Enterprise's (DAE) offer - a mix of cash, securities in a new airport company and a one-off dividend - gives the airport a market value of almost $4.7 billion.
That represents a trading multiple of more than 21 times earnings. Macquarie Airports - owner of Sydney International - trades on just 16 times earnings.
If he's feeling smug about that status, Auckland International chairman John Maasland isn't letting on
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/3/story.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10454339
Air New Zealand breaks its silence on takeover
5:00AM Saturday July 28, 2007
By Christopher Niesche
Air New Zealand has finally broken its silence on the takeover bid by Dubai Aerospace Enterprise for Auckland International Airport.
The company says airports should not be linked to airlines and that it will make a submission to the Overseas Investment Commission.
"It is Air New Zealand's strong view that the owner of Auckland International Airport Limited should not be linked in any form to an airline, so that there is no possibility of preferential treatment of any kind that would disadvantage any other operator," it said.
DAE is owned by the Government of Dubai, which also owns the Emirates airline. DAE's chairman Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum is also chairman of Emirates.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/3/story.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10454342
Family ties keep Dubai humming
5:00AM Saturday July 28, 2007
By Anne Gibson
Sheikh Mohammad's property interests are held partly via Emaar Properties and include the world's tallest tower, Burj Dubai. Photo / Reuters
The Maktoum family behind Auckland International Airport suitor Dubai Aerospace Enterprise runs Dubai as a feudal system, keeping tight control of the economic powerhouse.
However, the family delegates management to foreigners with impressive CVs.
As one London newspaper said: "Imagine if Britain was known as Windsor plc and was ruled by the company's chief executive who gave orders to a board of hand-picked loyal subordinates and that decisions were settled by a single mobile phone call. That's how Dubai works."
The Maktoum men running Dubai are Muslim and dress in traditional attire.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/3/story.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10454344
Foreign ownership - should we be anxious?
5:00AM Saturday July 28, 2007
By Catherine Masters
Auckland Airport is 64 per cent New Zealand owned at present. Photo / Kenny Rodger
Australia owns most of our banks. Americans took control of Telecom, made a killing and sold out. Fay Richwhite and their American partners ground down the state railways, made a killing and got out. Today, Australians own the trains and although the Government bought back the tracks recently, a huge investment was needed to fix them up.
The French run bits of Auckland's consumer rail system, TVNZ is still state-owned but much of our broadcasting is owned offshore. So, too, the print media, including the Herald. Even supermarkets are ruled from over the ditch.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/3/story.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10454299
Share losses likely to be short lived
5:00AM Saturday July 28, 2007
By Adam Bennett
Corrections like yesterday's are not unusual, and may provide buying opportunities. File Photo / Kenny Rodger
Sharp one-day losses on the local sharemarket yesterday, amid a global equities sell-off related to US sub-prime mortgage woes, are likely to be short lived, say commentators.
But a sustained soft patch remains a risk, says BNZ economist Stephen Toplis.
Following the example set on Wall St, the NZX-50 fell almost 2 per cent yesterday to 4246, its lowest point in two weeks. The fall takes the index's total gains for the year to date to a modest 4.8 per cent.
Top stock Telecom closed 2.5 per cent lower at $4.70 while Fletcher Building lost 3.2 per cent to close at $12.56.
"The really difficult thing at this stage is to know whether what we're seeing over the last couple of days is a correction ... or are we seeing the start of something a little nastier which is going to continue with us for some time," said Toplis. "At this stage we can only ask the question and don't really have the answer."
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/3/story.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10454380
Sub-prime fallout rattles investors
5:00AM Saturday July 28, 2007
By Adam Bennett
Cameron Bagrie
Nervous investors are watching the US for further news on the sub-prime mortgage problems that have spilled into global markets, driving New Zealand's currency down more than US2c yesterday.
Mounting concerns about a wider fallout from defaults in the US sub-prime market sent the greenback and equity markets tumbling yesterday.
But while a sell-off of the US dollar on the same concerns earlier this week sent the kiwi dollar to a fresh post-float high, this time it was caught in the downdraft as investors ran for cover and sold off high yielding but risky currencies.
From Thursday night's local close of US79.91c, the kiwi at one point retreated to a low of US77.77c yesterday morning before recovering later in the session to close at US78.33c.
"Time will tell whether it's a full recovery or just a pause," said Westpac currency strategist Michael Gordon.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/3/story.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10454382
Warship adds weight to already hefty trade deficit
5:00AM Saturday July 28, 2007
By Brian Fallow
The trade gap widened last month as exports sagged and a warship weighed on the import bill.
Imports exceeded exports by $524 million, pushing the annual trade deficit to $6.23 billion, its worst since October last year.
But even without the arrival of HMNZS Canterbury, the monthly trade gap would have been $356 million, the largest since January.
Exports were 7.5 per cent lower than in June last year.
"This is not as bad as it looks, considering the 18 per cent rise in the exchange rate over the period," said BNZ economist Craig Ebert.
Imports were only 3.5 per cent higher than in June last year, despite the higher exchange rate.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/3/story.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10454365
Home builders hit in US slump
5:00AM Saturday July 28, 2007
The slaughterhouse that has been the US housing market for the past few months got bloodier yesterday as several industry leaders reported worse results, June home sales fell more than expected and stocks throughout the sector hit multi-year lows.
The grim tidings about the industry dragged down both the housing and construction sectors, as well as the broader sharemarket.
"Overall, the market for new homes stinks ... liquidity is getting sucked out of the system," said Alex Vallecillo, senior portfolio analyst with Allegiant Asset Management, which has US$30 billion ($38.75 billion) in total assets under management. "Mortgages are going to be tougher to come by, more expensive. The buyers are basically drying up."
Yesterday, after several publicly traded home builders reported their quarterly financial results, the Dow Jones US Home Construction Index , a yardstick that measures the sector's performance, fell as much as 6 per cent, a low unseen since September 2003.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/3/story.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10454355
Ford makes surprise appearance in black after Aston Martin sale
5:00AM Saturday July 28, 2007
By Sean O'Grady
Ford yesterday produced a surprise by announcing its first quarterly profit since 2005.
The American giant made US$750 million ($958 million) between March and June, against a loss of US$317 million in the same period a year ago.
The improvement was put down to cost-cutting and the sale of its Aston Martin business for US$632 million.
Chief executive Alan Mulally said Ford expected a difficult second half and another loss as it pushed ahead with closing 16 plants and cutting up to 45,000 jobs in a big restructuring.
Analysts said the results pointed to faster-than-expected improvement for Ford in the US, but some said weaker results for Ford's finance division and the potential sale of its luxury Jaguar and Land-Rover businesses raised questions about earnings potential.
Ford also said it had cut costs by US$600 million in the second quarter and US$1.1 billion through the first half by reducing warranty costs and costs for pensioners' healthcare and having a smaller payroll.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/3/story.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10454354
$2.8m fraud will hit profit: Turners
5:00AM Saturday July 28, 2007
Turners Auctions yesterday revealed that a $2.8 million fraud against the company was likely to adversely affect the company's profit this year by $1.2 million.
In May the company said it had uncovered a potential fraud of at least $1 million by a former employee which was being investigated by the Serious Fraud Office.
Chief executive Graham Roberts said the fraud spanned a period from 1999 to last year. The employee implicated left Turners in May last year.
Turners' half year financial results for this year will be released in August.
Roberts said: "We are devastated at the extent of this alleged fraud. We want to reassure our shareholders that we are doing everything within our power to recover the funds.
"As a result of this alleged fraud ... the company is undertaking an extensive review of its internal systems and processes."
Shares in the company closed down 6c at $119.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/3/story.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10454363
The truth about Kiwi broadband
5:05PM Friday July 27, 2007
By Matt Greenop
Many of New Zealand's broadband providers are over-promising and under-delivering on line speed, according to a survey of readers.
A large number of subscribers are getting a lot less than they pay for, with some forking out for so-called broadband and being lumbered with not much more than dial-up pace.
The survey this week of nzherald.co.nz readers asked those with broadband to run a speedtest on their connections and then tell us the results.
It was conducted using Speedtest.net.
We asked readers to select the Auckland server and to run the quick test, then tell us the results.
Internet speed is affected by the amount of online traffic. Connection speed will slow down at busy times of day - like late afternoon - but will conversely be fastest at non-peak times.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10454199
Japanese women, Icelandic men world's longest-lived
10:25AM Friday July 27, 2007
Researchers have long linked Japanese people's healthy diets with their longevity. Photo / Reuters
TOKYO - Japanese girls born last year can expect to live to an average age of 85.8 years, making them the longest-lived in the world, according to figures released by the Japanese government yesterday.
Their male compatriots fare less well, with a life expectancy of 79 years, second to Icelandic men at 79.4 years, the Health Ministry said.
Japan's women have topped the world's longevity ranks for 22 years, something researchers have attributed to their healthy diet and tight social ties, among other factors.
Improved treatment of the ageing population's three biggest killers -cancer, heart disease and stroke - has helped push life expectancy to record highs, a ministry official said.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=204&objectid=10454194
Depression, anxiety dog modern teens
5:00AM Friday July 27, 2007
This generation of Aussie adolescents is the most troubled, say psychologists
Body image, family breakdown, early physical maturity and the shadow of war are combining to produce the most vulnerable generation of Australians, experts in adolescent anxiety believe.
Youth is supposed to be a carefree time, but the latest figures from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare show that mental illness, including anxiety and depression, is the greatest burden of disease for people aged 15 to 24.
Leading adolescent psychologist Dr Michael Carr-Greg believes adolescent anxiety is on an uphill curve.
"In my opinion anxiety now ranks up there with depression as the most common presentation I get clinically as an adolescent psychologist here in Melbourne," says Dr Carr-Greg, who works at the Albert Road Centre for Health in Melbourne.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=204&objectid=10454034
Memory boost in high-carb cereal
5:00AM Wednesday July 25, 2007
Eating a less "healthy" breakfast cereal could improve your memory, new Australian research suggests.
A study has found that high-GI cereals, which are generally heavier in carbohydrate and sugar, help young people remember words better in the short term.
The findings, presented to a world brain conference in Melbourne, may support pre-exam bingeing on glucose-rich foods, but the researchers caution that eating unhealthy foods is not a sustainable tool for memory.
PhD student Michael Smith, from the University of Western Australia, compared the effect of low- and high-GI cereals on the ability of healthy teenagers to remember a list of words.
"Those who ate the high-GI cereal recalled a lot more words than those in the other group," he said.
- AAP
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=204&objectid=10453573
Fitness means less belly fat regardless of weight
1:53PM Wednesday July 25, 2007
By Anne Harding
Men who are fit and overweight still have a lower risk of heart disease and diabetes than those who do no exercise, a study has found. Photo / Reuters
"Fat and fit" men are likely to have a lower risk of heart disease and diabetes because they're relatively trim around the waist, a new study shows.
The higher a man's cardio-respiratory fitness, the less fat he has in his abdominal cavity, Dr Jean-Pierre Despres of Hopital Laval Research Centre in Quebec and colleagues found.
The relationship held true regardless of body mass index (BMI), a ratio of weight to height typically used to gauge excess weight and obesity.
"This is why it's so, so important for the doctor to measure waist circumference," said Despres, who told Reuters Health he is on a "crusade" to get family doctors to check their patients' waist size and triglyceride levels.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=204&objectid=10453742
Depression, anxiety dog modern teens
5:00AM Friday July 27, 2007
This generation of Aussie adolescents is the most troubled, say psychologists
Body image, family breakdown, early physical maturity and the shadow of war are combining to produce the most vulnerable generation of Australians, experts in adolescent anxiety believe.
Youth is supposed to be a carefree time, but the latest figures from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare show that mental illness, including anxiety and depression, is the greatest burden of disease for people aged 15 to 24.
Leading adolescent psychologist Dr Michael Carr-Greg believes adolescent anxiety is on an uphill curve.
"In my opinion anxiety now ranks up there with depression as the most common presentation I get clinically as an adolescent psychologist here in Melbourne," says Dr Carr-Greg, who works at the Albert Road Centre for Health in Melbourne.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=204&objectid=10454034
Nine million now live in World of Warcraft
12:15PM Thursday July 26, 2007
The incredible World of Warcraft population boom continues unabated, with publisher Blizzard announcing nine million subscribed players.
World of Warcraft has hit yet another milestone - this time clocking up a massive nine million subscribed players worldwide.
Blizzard Entertainment said yesterday that the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) is currently working towards releasing its first expansion pack in China which is expected to further swell player numbers.
World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade is being prepared for release in mainland China with Blizzard's market partner The9.
"We're thrilled that gamers around the world have continued to embrace World of Warcraft so enthusiastically," said Blizzard president Mike Morhaime.
"We've worked hard to provide a compelling experience for our players, and we plan to continue updating the game with exciting new content for them to enjoy for many years to come."
World of Warcraft debuted in America in November 2004, and was the best-selling PC game for the next two years.
Available in seven languages, the ground-breaking game still sits at, or near, the top of PC games lists worldwide.
- NZ HERALD STAFF
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10453979
One in seven teachers hit by students - survey
2:30PM Saturday July 28, 2007
One in seven primary school teachers were hit by their students last year, a New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) survey has found.
The study also found more than 50 per cent of teachers and more than 25 per cent of school support staff reported "aggressive verbal confrontations" with students.
The responses of 67 principals, 150 teachers and 75 support staff were analysed.
The most common assaults involved students pushing, shoving or shouldering teachers, followed by "punched or struck with open hand" and "kicked or stomped".
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10454425
Four die in US when TV helicopters collide
12:01PM Saturday July 28, 2007
Four people were killed earlier today when two television news helicopters collided in the air over Phoenix while following a police chase in the Arizona desert city, police and media reports said.
The crash involved helicopters from an ABC network affiliate and an independent station that were covering the police pursuit of a car theft and assault suspect.
Television images showed thick black smoke pouring from the scene of the crash in a city park.
A police helicopter was also following the ground pursuit when the crash occurred, Phoenix police spokesman Sgt. Joel Trantor said.
Police were after someone suspected of stealing a city truck, then jumping into at least one other vehicle during the afternoon chase, Trantor said.
The suspect was cornered by police in a nearby building.
- REUTERS
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10454417
De Klerk hits back
7:15AM Saturday July 28, 2007
Former South African President F.W. de Klerk says he never condoned any atrocities committed under white rule as an apartheid-era police minister prepared to stand trial for allegedly poisoning a black church leader.
His opponents were spreading rumours to try to strip him of "an honourable place at the table as co-creators of the new South Africa", he said.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10454311
Mission of hope for hostages
5:00AM Saturday July 28, 2007
South Korea has sent a senior envoy to Afghanistan to step up efforts to free 22 Christian volunteers held hostage by the Taleban after rebels killed the leader of the church group.
But a Taleban spokesman said more hostages would be killed unless the Government releases eight rebel prisoners overnight.
"The administration of Kabul has asked us to give them till 12 noon today," spokesman Qari Mohammad Yousuf told Reuters by telephone from an unknown location yesterday.
In a first known contact with the outside, a South Korean woman hostage pleaded for help and a speedy release of all the hostages in a telephone interview with CBS News.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10454308
Quake rattles East Coast
5:30PM Friday July 27, 2007
An earthquake measuring 4.1 on the Richter scale shook the East Coast this afternoon.
The quake at 4.14pm was located 30km north-east of Matawai, 74km northwest of Gisborne, at a depth of 50km.
GNS Science said the quake was felt in the Gisborne region.
There were no immediate reports of any damage.
- NZPA
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10454271
Raul leaves no doubt who's in charge
5:00AM Saturday July 28, 2007
Raul Castro (centre) with Commanders of the Revolution Juan Almeida (left) and Ramiro Valdez. Castro's speech marked the day in 1953 when his brother, Fidel, led an attack on the Moncada Barracks. Photo / Reuters
Cuba's Acting President Raul Castro asserted his leadership yesterday, a year after his ailing brother Fidel handed over power, by promising economic reforms and offering talks with the United States once the Bush Administration is gone.
He said in a Revolution Day holiday speech that Washington had kept up efforts to undermine Cuba since 80-year-old Fidel Castro was sidelined by life-threatening surgery a year ago but that "if the next US government puts arrogance aside and decides to talk in a civilised fashion, that is welcome.
"If not, we are prepared to continue facing their hostile policy for another 50 years."
The US State Department and a leading dissident brushed off the comments by saying Castro needed more dialogue with his own people, who live under communist rule.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10454303
Family feud threatens to destroy media empire
5:00AM Saturday July 28, 2007
By Stephen Foley
Sumner Redstone with his daughter Shari (right), and granddaughter Kim in 2003. Photo / Getty Images
An octogenarian media mogul surveys the empire he has created over three hard-fighting decades. One of the world's most successful film studios. One of America's most-watched television networks. A string of other pioneering, profitable and politically powerful assets in broadcasting and publishing. With the fire dimming in his eyes, you might think his mind has turned to how best to secure his legacy, to keep the business intact and under the control of his descendants.
Not Sumner Redstone. Aged 84 and facing growing questions about his health, the mogul is living up to his reputation as the most unpredictable man in the media jungle. He has embarked on an extraordinary public slanging match with his 53-year-old daughter, Shari, until now his presumed successor, that could blow apart one of the world's biggest media companies.
At stake is the future control of some icons ranging from the CBS television network and the pioneering MTV, to the Paramount Pictures film studio and publishers Simon & Schuster.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10454297
Australian thief battered in fish shop
4:20PM Friday July 27, 2007
CANBERRA - A man who attempted to rob an Australian fish and chip shop found himself on the losing side when the angry shop owner threw fish batter and hot oil at him.
"The hot oil missed but the batter hit the offender and he fled empty handed," South Australian police said in a statement.
Police said the attempted armed robbery happened on Thursday evening at the quiet seaside retirement town of Victor Harbor, near the South Australian state capital of Adelaide.
Police were checking local hospitals in case the man was injured.
- REUTERS
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10454260
Latest teen slaying fails to shock resigned locals
5:00AM Saturday July 28, 2007
By Terri Judd
He was just 16, hunted down by a hooded gang on bicycles, left to bleed to death in the dark car park of an inner-city estate.
But the saddest thing about yesterday - as it emerged that yet another teenager had been shot and killed on the streets of London - was the lack of shock from residents of the Stockwell Gardens Estate.
Some noticed the commotion in the early hours of yesterday morning, believing it was fireworks. Others recognised the sound of gunfire.
One, who would only give his name as Tony, said he looked out to see a bunch of young men, their faces covered and their hooded tops up, cycle casually away.
On the floor he saw a shadow, not realising it was the body of a 16-year-old boy until the paramedics and police turned up.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10454302
Guilty grandmother faces life for 'honour killing'
10:25AM Friday July 27, 2007
Surjit Athwal was killed by her mother in law after deciding to leave her husband. Photo / Reuters
LONDON: A 70-year-old British grandmother is facing life imprisonment after being convicted today of the "honour killing" of her son's wife who she murdered after luring her to India.
Bachan Athwal, 70, who has 16 grandchildren, is believed to be one of the oldest women ever to be convicted of murder in England. Her son was also found guilty of murder.
They will be sentenced on Sept. 19.
The two killed Sikh Heathrow Airport worker Surjit Kaur Athwal, who disappeared in December 1998 after she decided to walk out of her arranged marriage.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10454193
Obituary: Mohammad Zahir Shah
5:00AM Saturday July 28, 2007
Afghanistan's former King, Mohammad Zahir Shah, whose 40-year reign coincided with one of the most peaceful periods in the country's history, died on Monday aged 92.
President Hamid Karzai i described Zahir Shah as the founder of Afghan democracy and a symbol of national unity. Zahir Shah ruled Afghanistan from 1933 until he was deposed by his cousin in 1973. Zahir Shah came from a long line of ethnic Pashtun rulers and was the last of a dynasty established in 1747.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10454278
Obituary: Sir Thomas Davis
5:00AM Saturday July 28, 2007
By Arnold Pickmere
Tom Davis during the 1978 election campaign.
Sir Thomas Davis, leader, doctor, seafarer. Died aged 90.
Sir Thomas Davis will be remembered as the man who, without inclination to military coup, became the premier of his country - after his party had lost the election and he had lost his own seat.
But then the Cook Islands election of 1978 was more of a desperate attempt by the premier of 23 years, Sir Albert Henry, to cling to power rather than an exercise in democracy.
Three months later the Chief Justice of the Cook Islands ruled that Sir Albert and other members of his Cook Islands Party had spent large sums of public money on providing virtually free flights from New Zealand to the islands for 445 supporters so they could vote.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10454282
Secret metal alloy dissolves as bones heal
5:00AM Tuesday July 24, 2007
By Stu Oldham
George Dias with some of the alloy. Photo / Otago Daily Times
Otago and Canterbury university scientists have developed a still-secret metal alloy that slowly disappears as it heals broken bones.
The discovery has New Zealand poised to enter a multi-billion-dollar surgical-implant market and could consign traditional repairs to the past.
University of Otago researcher Dr George Dias said patients often needed painful and costly surgery to remove stainless steel and titanium repairs.
The new alloy was as strong as titanium - the gold standard in bone repair - but its mechanical properties were much closer to that of bone.
It could be made to degrade over a time that suited the repair it was designed to do. In effect, it left as new bone grew, said Dr Dias, a former maxio-facial surgeon.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=82&objectid=10453430
Bleach a key weapon in fighting bacterial infections
1:11PM Friday July 20, 2007
Bleach is a key weapon used by white blood cells to control bacterial infections in the body, New Zealand scientists have discovered.
Exactly how the hard-working white blood cells of the immune system control and kill invading bacteria has long been an area of controversy in medical research.
Now Otago University Associate Professor Tony Kettle and Professor Christine Winterbourn have detailed in international journals Biochemistry and The Journal of Biological Chemistry research which shows exactly how the cells use bleach to control infection.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=82&objectid=10452790
Hunt for genetic jigsaw pieces (Also Known as Closing the American Color Gap)
5:00AM Saturday July 21, 2007
By Paul Harris
From the discovery that presidential hopeful Barack Obama is descended from white slave traders to the realisation that the majority of black Americans have European ancestors, a boom in "recreational genetics" is forcing America to redefine its roots.
Al Sharpton walked into a South Carolina pine forest just outside the sleepy southern town of Edgefield and stopped at a cluster of tooth-like unmarked gravestones.
This was the former plantation on which a few generations ago his ancestors had worked, lived, loved and died, owned as property by white masters.
"You must assume that it's family here," Sharpton said, referring to the abandoned slave graveyard.
A few weeks previously Reverend Sharpton, one of America's most outspoken black civil rights leaders, had not known of the cemetery's existence.
But researchers had explored his genealogy and broken the news to him.
Sharpton's story had an astonishing twist: the genealogists discovered his ancestors had once been owned by the ancestors of Strom Thurmond, the Senator and former segregationist who once ran for president on a racist platform.
The phrase "ironic coincidence" did not begin to cover it.
Dozens of reporters tagged along when Sharpton first visited the Edgefield woods, yet it was clear he was genuinely stunned by what he called "the greatest shock" of his life.
"It profoundly affected him," said Tony Burroughs, a genealogist who worked on the project.
Sharpton was not alone. America has embarked on an amazing journey to explore its own past.
Millions of Americans of every creed and colour are exploring their family histories in a genealogy boom that is redefining who they are and what it means to be American.
The internet has allowed people to find obscure information that was previously locked away on dusty library shelves. They are also using modern DNA techniques to research their racial history.
Blacks are discovering they have white blood, whites are finding black relatives. Native Americans are growing in numbers, not because of a high birth rate, but because many Americans are discovering unknown native ancestors written in their DNA.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=82&objectid=10452849
YouTube debate shows unpredictable power of web
10:49AM Wednesday July 25, 2007
By Rupert Cornwell
It may not have greatly affected the dynamics of the 2008 Presidential race. But a ground breaking Democratic candidates' debate has made official what has long been evident here : that the free-for-all of the internet - in this case the video sharing site YouTube - is something none of them can ignore.
For two hours, the eight declared candidates fielded questions in the form of YouTube clips submitted by ordinary Americans.
The tone shifted from earnest to anguished, from angry to mocking, from deadly serious to outright humorous.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/feature/story.cfm?c_id=1501161&objectid=10453711
Editorial: About-turn confirms all is lost
5:00AM Saturday July 14, 2007
This week, the United States may have experienced what history will recall as the Iraq war's Cronkite moment. The New York Times, previously an unswerving supporter of President George W. Bush's handling of the conflict, called for an American withdrawal "without any more delay than the Pentagon needs to organise an orderly exit". Echoes of CBS news anchor Walter Cronkite's 1968 appeal to President Lyndon Johnson to cut his losses in Vietnam rang loudly. The plea by Cronkite, often called "the most trusted man in America" and initially a hawk on Vietnam, proved a turning point in that struggle. The about-turn by the New York Times may be similarly influential in confirming to middle America that all is lost in Iraq.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/feature/story.cfm?c_id=1501161&objectid=10451427
continued...
Obey Earth's voice, says Pope
5:00AM Friday July 27, 2007
LORENZAGO DI CADORE - Pope Benedict said the human race must listen to "the voice of the Earth" or risk destroying its very existence.
The Pope, speaking as he was concluding a holiday in northern Italy, also said that while there was much scientific proof to support evolution, the theory could not exclude a role by God.
"We all see that today man can destroy the foundation of his existence, his Earth," he said in a meeting with 400 priests. "We cannot simply do what we want with this Earth of ours, with what has been entrusted to us."
The Pope said: "We must respect the interior laws of creation, of this Earth, to learn these laws and obey them if we want to survive.
"This obedience to the voice of the Earth is more important for our future happiness ... than the desires of the moment. Our Earth is talking to us and we must listen to it and decipher its message if we want to survive."
Last April the Vatican sponsored a scientific conference on climate change to underscore the role that religious leaders around the world could play in reminding people that wilfully damaging the environment is sinful.
The Pope spoke of the current debate raging in some countries, particularly the United States and his native Germany, between creationism and evolution.
"They are presented as alternatives that exclude each other," the Pope said.
"This clash is an absurdity because on one hand there is much scientific proof in favour of evolution, which appears as a reality that we must see and which enriches our understanding of life and being as such."
But he said evolution did not answer all the questions. "Above all it does not answer the great philosophical question: 'Where does everything come from?"'
- REUTERS
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=39&objectid=10454075
The politics and the passion
5:00AM Saturday July 28, 2007
By Greg Ansley
It is not easy to miss Peter Garrett. Towering a head - at least - above most in the room, bald, in sports jacket and open-necked shirt, a Timorese scarf draped around his neck, Labor's spokesman on climate change, environment, heritage and the arts is one of the most recognisable faces in Australian politics.
He is also one of the central players in Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd's bid to end Prime Minister John Howard's 11 years in power. Climate change and the environment, spurred by Howard's late, poll-driven, conversion and rush of lavishly funded policies, have become key issues in the election to be held in the final months of the year.
Nor has it been only the greenies who have been driving the debate. Scientists, engineers, even businessmen have been urging the Government to take climate change and the accelerating decline of the Australian environment seriously.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10454268
More weather woes for Northland
8:45AM Saturday July 28, 2007
North Island drivers are being urged to take it easy this weekend, as a storm develops in the Tasman Sea.
Heavy rain in Northland tonight is expected to move southwards, to hit Auckland, the Coromandel Peninsula, the Bay of Plenty and northern Gisborne tomorrow.
MetService forecaster Andy Downs says while it is not expected to be as bad as the storms which hit Northland in March and earlier this month, thundery conditions with short, intense rainfall could still cause problems.
He says driving conditions will be dangerous with the possibility of surface flooding and some slips.
The heavy rain is expected to move over most of the South Island by Monday.
- NEWSTALK ZB
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10454411
Slipping and sinking in land of extremes
5:00AM Saturday July 28, 2007
The banks of the Yangtze River have disappeared in the city of Wuhan. Photo / Reuters
Heavy rain is to hit flood-battered southwest China over the next few days, with officials warning of landslides as a heatwave shows no let-up across the south and east.
More than 500 people in China have died in floods this summer and meteorologists forecast more downpours for the Guangxi region and the provinces of Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan, where floods and related disasters have already taken a heavy toll.
From Indonesia's South Sulawesi province to the capital of Bangladesh, worldwide floods are killing hundreds and displacing thousands.
In China, water levels on the Huai River, which has been overflowing since the start of July and has displaced hundreds of thousands of people, remained above dangerous levels though the disaster was "nearing its end", Xinhua news agency said.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10454306
Father, son rugby fans die in flood
5:00AM Saturday July 28, 2007
A father and son died as they battled to deal with the aftermath of the floods that have devastated parts of central and southern England.
Pensioner Bram Lane, a father of three, and his son Chris, were found dead in the basement of their local rugby club in Tewkesbury, scene of some of the worst flooding following last weekend's storms.
Investigators believe they were overwhelmed by fumes from a petrol-driven pump or electrocuted as they worked to clear up the damage.
Friends described them as "linchpins" of the community who lived for their sport. They were among 12 volunteers who had gone to assess the scale of the damage at Tewkesbury RFC on Thursday.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10454305
NZ and Trans-Antarctic range two sides of ancient plateau
5:00AM Saturday July 28, 2007
By Kent Atkinson
New Zealand is a remnant of a gigantic high plateau that collapsed as the Earth tore apart.
The rest of the plateau's remains make up one of the longest mountain chains in the world, Antarctica's Trans-Antarctic mountains, says geophysicist Michael Studinger of the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University.
Dr Studinger and his colleagues reported yesterday in the August issue of the journal Geology that the mountain range is the remnant edge of a gigantic plateau the size of France that was roughly 3km high.
The mountains run up out of the Ross Sea, immediately south of New Zealand, along the western edge of the Ross Ice Shelf, and nearly 4000km across the frozen continent to divide east and west Antarctica.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=82&objectid=10454386
Out of Africa theory of evolution finds support
5:00AM Friday July 20, 2007
Australian anthropologist Alan Thorne's theory that humans evolved in several regions of the world has been challenged by the new study. Picture / File
The human population in the world today arose from a single migration out of Africa about 55,000 years ago which replaced all other humans who were living in Europe and Asia at the time, a study has found.
Scientists have confirmed the "out of Africa" model of human origins with a study that combines genetic evidence with physical data gathered from more than 6000 skulls from around the world.
The twin approach has delivered what may turn out to be the killer blow to the rival theory - expounded by Australian anthropologist Alan Thorne, among others - that humans today evolved in several regions of the world, said Andrea Manica of the University of Cambridge, who led the study published in the journal Nature.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=82&objectid=10452663
Walking tall easier than knuckling down
5:00AM Wednesday July 18, 2007
By Steve Connor
More energy is expended walking on all fours than walking up right.
Walking on two legs uses up a quarter of the energy it takes to walk on all fours according to a study that could explain why early human ancestors adopted bipedalism rather than the knuckle-walking of chimpanzees and gorillas.
Explaining why humans went from a four-legged gait to a two-legged, upright posture has been one of the most difficult and contentious issues in evolution.
The latest idea suggests that it all comes down to energy expenditure and how costly it is to move around in terms of the food required.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=82&objectid=10452064
Fall in infant deaths due to position - study
1:30PM Wednesday July 25, 2007
NEW YORK - A continuing decline in the number of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) cases is likely due to parents placing infants on their backs before bed, according to New Zealand research.
Researchers from Auckland University reported there had been an initial drop in the number of cases after parents were urged to avoid placing their infants face down to sleep.
The research suggested that the continuing decline was due to a further change from the side to back positioning of infants before bed.
There was an initial 50 per cent fall in SIDS rates from the mid-1980s to 1993, at which time almost all infants were no longer placed on their stomachs to sleep.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=82&objectid=10453739
NZ dollar in free fall
8:01AM Saturday July 28, 2007
The dollar has been in free fall overnight, dropping two cents against the US dollar. Deals are being done at around 76.4 US cents to the dollar.
The dollar was at 76.2 cents against the greenback when the Reserve Bank starting selling the kiwi six weeks ago in an effort to reduce its value.
The dollar continued to rise, however, and reached a post float record of 81.6 US cents early this week.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/3/story.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10454408
Black gold or a fool's errand?
Page 1 of 4 View as a single page 5:00AM Saturday July 28, 2007
By Geoff Cumming
Philippa, my 13-year-old daughter, looks forward to a world without oil. On a visit to the Auckland Museum in the school holidays she found the 1866 gallery, that re-creation of downtown Auckland in the 19th century, a portent of what's to come. She's nervous but at the same time excited by the prospect of a simpler, slower existence. When I tell her New Zealand is the new Texas, on the cusp of an oil exploration bonanza, she calls me a dinosaur.
Any day now, light, sweet crude will start to flow from the Tui field, 40km off the Taranaki coast. The only obvious sign will be a processing and storage ship anchored in 120m of water, hoses like umbilical cords drawing oil from a station on the ocean floor.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/3/story.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10454288
Overwhelming desire for full set of wheels
5:00AM Saturday July 28, 2007
By Dan McDougall
Ratan Tata is set on producing a car for the masses. Photo / Reuters
"Wheels truly show your status. If I had a four-wheeler I would have better marriage prospects in my village, I would be respected," says Bengali market stall owner Venkat Banarjee. "I have an old Honda motorbike, so I am looked down on. To be able to afford a proper car, with four wheels, that would change my life, it would turn things around."
Four wheels good, two wheels bad, is a middle-class mantra, and now Indian billionaire Ratan Tata is preparing to unveil the world's cheapest car to meet the aspirations of the world's fastest-growing consumer markets.
Taking shape in a controversial Chinese-style "special economic zone" on the outskirts of Kolkata, the "Indian Mini" or "People's Car" is a concept Tata believes will offer the "miracle of personal transport" to India's masses and make his company a huge international player.
The domestic and global automobile industry is keenly watching the development of this ultra-economy car, expected to be launched at the end of the year and sell at about 100,000 Indian rupees ($3200), half the cost of the cheapest car available, the Suzuki Maruti 800.
..."I know of a few neighbours who have been offered a job in the Tata plant, but in reality they are simple farmers; working on a production plant will turn out to be their worst nightmare. People here have large families and they will spend the money quickly, then look around them and realise they have no land, no income and no prospects. I, for one, will not give up my land."
Nearly 404ha of farmland is already fenced off beside the best highway in the state. A further 320ha has been targeted. The project is billed as key to the rejuvenation of West Bengal, a signal that the communist regional government is investor-friendly.
Over the past year the Indian government has received applications for 250 similar special economic zones, involving turning huge tracts of land into gated business enclaves with middle-class townships attached. The zones have become a time-bomb for the political classes but the message coming from government is simple: this is a time of change, for the better.
Environmentalists, while sympathetic to evicted farmers, claim bigger issues than land seizures are at stake. "What we are really worried about is the appalling congestion in India's biggest urban areas," said Anumita Roychowdhury, associate director of the Centre for Science and Environment in New Delhi.
"Once people start using cars it will be hard to get them back, and selling cars for bottom dollar and encouraging banks to offer finance plans is a recipe for disaster. Tata reckons he will sell a million of these things a year. This will be an environmental disaster."
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10454313
'Terrorist' doctor goes free
5:00AM Saturday July 28, 2007
By Greg Ansley
The burnt wreckage of a Jeep Cherokee vehicle as it was removed from the departure entrance at Glasgow airport last month. Photo / Reuters
Australia has released terrorism suspect Mohammed Haneef after the collapse of the case claiming he supported relatives implicated in last month's failed bombings in Britain.
Federal Director of Public Prosecutions Damien Bugg yesterday dropped a charge of recklessly providing resources to a terrorist organisation against the 27-year-old doctor who was arrested on July 2.
And Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews further backed down from his earlier determination to deport Dr Haneef on character grounds, instead releasing him from detention.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10454393
Sarkozy in nuclear deal with Libya
8:15AM Saturday July 28, 2007
French President Nicolas Sarkozy yesterday urged the West to trust Arab countries with nuclear technology as he signed a deal that could lead to France supplying Libya with a new reactor.
During a meeting with Colonel Muammar Gaddafi in Libya, Sarkozy agreed to help the country with a nuclear-powered project to desalinate seawater.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10454312
Navy to the rescue as old Biddy is swept from shore
5:00AM Saturday July 28, 2007
By Alanah May Eriksen and Angela Gregory
Steve Davis (left) and Regan Garrett comfort Biddy
The Royal New Zealand Navy has always prided itself on its rapid response to an emergency at sea, so when a jack russell terrier was swept 800m offshore it immediately began a rescue mission.
Biddy, a 17-year-old jack russell terrier, was swept from her Stanley Bay home to the mudflats at Ngataringa Bay, near the Devonport naval base.
A passer-by noticed the small shivering dog and a rising tide and alerted the Navy's sea safety training squadron.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10454391
Phone companies' change wipes police text evidence
5:00AM Saturday July 28, 2007
A decision by the two big mobile phone companies to stop storing text messages is costing the police an investigatory tool.
Vodafone is no longer storing texts, and Telecom is about to follow suit.
Police were able to obtain copies of text messages, which sometimes gave them valuable information.
The change, caused by the companies' introduction of new equipment, raised debate among police and lawyers about whether a law change should be sought to require the information to be kept.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10454347
Off-colour Sky TV marketing ploy appals woman
12:00PM Saturday July 28, 2007
A recently-widowed Hamilton woman was reduced to tears by a Sky TV marketing ploy that threatened to kill her husband's associates.
The woman, in her 70s, received a letter from the broadcaster's customer service department after she had the extra channels cut off following her husband's death.
The elderly widow received the letter six days after burying her husband and seven days after cancelling the Sky subscription, The Waikato Times reported.
The letter read:
"We've just heard that you're thinking about cancelling your subscription to Sky. Why? Maybe you've found someone else to share your spare time with!! . . . Who?!!! . . . We'll kill them!!!"
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10454412
Evangelist - Muslims want 'to rule over whole world'
5:00AM Saturday July 28, 2007
By Simon Collins
Pastor Stuart Robinson believes there is a fundamental difference between Christians and Muslims trying to convert others to their religion. Photo / Richard Robinson
Christians are being urged to stand up against what a visiting author says is a Muslim push to take over the world.
Pastor Stuart Robinson, Australian author of the book Mosques and Miracles, has drawn about 200 people to a conference in Greenlane this weekend aimed at revealing what he says are the true dangers of Islam.
Meanwhile, rebel British left-wing MP George Galloway is expected to attract about 450 people to a rival meeting in Freemans Bay tonight to condemn Mr Robinson's "islamophobia".
Mr Galloway, who was expelled from the British Labour Party in 2003 for opposing the invasion of Iraq, has been brought here by the Residents Action Movement, which plans to campaign against islamophobia in October's local body elections.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10454377
Gays still stuck in the closet
5:00AM Saturday July 28, 2007
By Krisztina Than
Gabor Szetey will continue fighting for gay rights. Photo / Reuters
"I am Gabor Szetey. A faithful Hungarian-European. Citizen, public official, member of the government. And gay."
Of all the arenas in which a senior government politician could come out, Szetey's choice - two days before a Gay Pride march this month in post-communist Eastern Europe - was one of the most defiant.
Hungary's Secretary of State for Human Resources risked hostility because he wanted to highlight persistent intolerance in Eastern Europe of gay people and other minorities.
After decades under communist rule, when homosexuality was banned or simply out of sight, most East Europeans still find it hard to accept.
The lack of tolerance has been coupled with a surge in nationalism in some parts of the region.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10454267
Swooping in on Auckland airport
5:00AM Saturday July 28, 2007
By Liam Dann
Kjeld Binger says he wasn't surprised by opposition to a takeover, but he was surprised at the anti-Dubai form it took. Photo / Kenny Rodger
Next time you touch down in Auckland you might want to savour the experience - you'll be landing at the world's most expensive airport.
Dubai Aerospace Enterprise's (DAE) offer - a mix of cash, securities in a new airport company and a one-off dividend - gives the airport a market value of almost $4.7 billion.
That represents a trading multiple of more than 21 times earnings. Macquarie Airports - owner of Sydney International - trades on just 16 times earnings.
If he's feeling smug about that status, Auckland International chairman John Maasland isn't letting on
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/3/story.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10454339
Air New Zealand breaks its silence on takeover
5:00AM Saturday July 28, 2007
By Christopher Niesche
Air New Zealand has finally broken its silence on the takeover bid by Dubai Aerospace Enterprise for Auckland International Airport.
The company says airports should not be linked to airlines and that it will make a submission to the Overseas Investment Commission.
"It is Air New Zealand's strong view that the owner of Auckland International Airport Limited should not be linked in any form to an airline, so that there is no possibility of preferential treatment of any kind that would disadvantage any other operator," it said.
DAE is owned by the Government of Dubai, which also owns the Emirates airline. DAE's chairman Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum is also chairman of Emirates.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/3/story.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10454342
Family ties keep Dubai humming
5:00AM Saturday July 28, 2007
By Anne Gibson
Sheikh Mohammad's property interests are held partly via Emaar Properties and include the world's tallest tower, Burj Dubai. Photo / Reuters
The Maktoum family behind Auckland International Airport suitor Dubai Aerospace Enterprise runs Dubai as a feudal system, keeping tight control of the economic powerhouse.
However, the family delegates management to foreigners with impressive CVs.
As one London newspaper said: "Imagine if Britain was known as Windsor plc and was ruled by the company's chief executive who gave orders to a board of hand-picked loyal subordinates and that decisions were settled by a single mobile phone call. That's how Dubai works."
The Maktoum men running Dubai are Muslim and dress in traditional attire.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/3/story.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10454344
Foreign ownership - should we be anxious?
5:00AM Saturday July 28, 2007
By Catherine Masters
Auckland Airport is 64 per cent New Zealand owned at present. Photo / Kenny Rodger
Australia owns most of our banks. Americans took control of Telecom, made a killing and sold out. Fay Richwhite and their American partners ground down the state railways, made a killing and got out. Today, Australians own the trains and although the Government bought back the tracks recently, a huge investment was needed to fix them up.
The French run bits of Auckland's consumer rail system, TVNZ is still state-owned but much of our broadcasting is owned offshore. So, too, the print media, including the Herald. Even supermarkets are ruled from over the ditch.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/3/story.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10454299
Share losses likely to be short lived
5:00AM Saturday July 28, 2007
By Adam Bennett
Corrections like yesterday's are not unusual, and may provide buying opportunities. File Photo / Kenny Rodger
Sharp one-day losses on the local sharemarket yesterday, amid a global equities sell-off related to US sub-prime mortgage woes, are likely to be short lived, say commentators.
But a sustained soft patch remains a risk, says BNZ economist Stephen Toplis.
Following the example set on Wall St, the NZX-50 fell almost 2 per cent yesterday to 4246, its lowest point in two weeks. The fall takes the index's total gains for the year to date to a modest 4.8 per cent.
Top stock Telecom closed 2.5 per cent lower at $4.70 while Fletcher Building lost 3.2 per cent to close at $12.56.
"The really difficult thing at this stage is to know whether what we're seeing over the last couple of days is a correction ... or are we seeing the start of something a little nastier which is going to continue with us for some time," said Toplis. "At this stage we can only ask the question and don't really have the answer."
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/3/story.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10454380
Sub-prime fallout rattles investors
5:00AM Saturday July 28, 2007
By Adam Bennett
Cameron Bagrie
Nervous investors are watching the US for further news on the sub-prime mortgage problems that have spilled into global markets, driving New Zealand's currency down more than US2c yesterday.
Mounting concerns about a wider fallout from defaults in the US sub-prime market sent the greenback and equity markets tumbling yesterday.
But while a sell-off of the US dollar on the same concerns earlier this week sent the kiwi dollar to a fresh post-float high, this time it was caught in the downdraft as investors ran for cover and sold off high yielding but risky currencies.
From Thursday night's local close of US79.91c, the kiwi at one point retreated to a low of US77.77c yesterday morning before recovering later in the session to close at US78.33c.
"Time will tell whether it's a full recovery or just a pause," said Westpac currency strategist Michael Gordon.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/3/story.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10454382
Warship adds weight to already hefty trade deficit
5:00AM Saturday July 28, 2007
By Brian Fallow
The trade gap widened last month as exports sagged and a warship weighed on the import bill.
Imports exceeded exports by $524 million, pushing the annual trade deficit to $6.23 billion, its worst since October last year.
But even without the arrival of HMNZS Canterbury, the monthly trade gap would have been $356 million, the largest since January.
Exports were 7.5 per cent lower than in June last year.
"This is not as bad as it looks, considering the 18 per cent rise in the exchange rate over the period," said BNZ economist Craig Ebert.
Imports were only 3.5 per cent higher than in June last year, despite the higher exchange rate.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/3/story.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10454365
Home builders hit in US slump
5:00AM Saturday July 28, 2007
The slaughterhouse that has been the US housing market for the past few months got bloodier yesterday as several industry leaders reported worse results, June home sales fell more than expected and stocks throughout the sector hit multi-year lows.
The grim tidings about the industry dragged down both the housing and construction sectors, as well as the broader sharemarket.
"Overall, the market for new homes stinks ... liquidity is getting sucked out of the system," said Alex Vallecillo, senior portfolio analyst with Allegiant Asset Management, which has US$30 billion ($38.75 billion) in total assets under management. "Mortgages are going to be tougher to come by, more expensive. The buyers are basically drying up."
Yesterday, after several publicly traded home builders reported their quarterly financial results, the Dow Jones US Home Construction Index , a yardstick that measures the sector's performance, fell as much as 6 per cent, a low unseen since September 2003.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/3/story.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10454355
Ford makes surprise appearance in black after Aston Martin sale
5:00AM Saturday July 28, 2007
By Sean O'Grady
Ford yesterday produced a surprise by announcing its first quarterly profit since 2005.
The American giant made US$750 million ($958 million) between March and June, against a loss of US$317 million in the same period a year ago.
The improvement was put down to cost-cutting and the sale of its Aston Martin business for US$632 million.
Chief executive Alan Mulally said Ford expected a difficult second half and another loss as it pushed ahead with closing 16 plants and cutting up to 45,000 jobs in a big restructuring.
Analysts said the results pointed to faster-than-expected improvement for Ford in the US, but some said weaker results for Ford's finance division and the potential sale of its luxury Jaguar and Land-Rover businesses raised questions about earnings potential.
Ford also said it had cut costs by US$600 million in the second quarter and US$1.1 billion through the first half by reducing warranty costs and costs for pensioners' healthcare and having a smaller payroll.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/3/story.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10454354
$2.8m fraud will hit profit: Turners
5:00AM Saturday July 28, 2007
Turners Auctions yesterday revealed that a $2.8 million fraud against the company was likely to adversely affect the company's profit this year by $1.2 million.
In May the company said it had uncovered a potential fraud of at least $1 million by a former employee which was being investigated by the Serious Fraud Office.
Chief executive Graham Roberts said the fraud spanned a period from 1999 to last year. The employee implicated left Turners in May last year.
Turners' half year financial results for this year will be released in August.
Roberts said: "We are devastated at the extent of this alleged fraud. We want to reassure our shareholders that we are doing everything within our power to recover the funds.
"As a result of this alleged fraud ... the company is undertaking an extensive review of its internal systems and processes."
Shares in the company closed down 6c at $119.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/3/story.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10454363
The truth about Kiwi broadband
5:05PM Friday July 27, 2007
By Matt Greenop
Many of New Zealand's broadband providers are over-promising and under-delivering on line speed, according to a survey of readers.
A large number of subscribers are getting a lot less than they pay for, with some forking out for so-called broadband and being lumbered with not much more than dial-up pace.
The survey this week of nzherald.co.nz readers asked those with broadband to run a speedtest on their connections and then tell us the results.
It was conducted using Speedtest.net.
We asked readers to select the Auckland server and to run the quick test, then tell us the results.
Internet speed is affected by the amount of online traffic. Connection speed will slow down at busy times of day - like late afternoon - but will conversely be fastest at non-peak times.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10454199
Japanese women, Icelandic men world's longest-lived
10:25AM Friday July 27, 2007
Researchers have long linked Japanese people's healthy diets with their longevity. Photo / Reuters
TOKYO - Japanese girls born last year can expect to live to an average age of 85.8 years, making them the longest-lived in the world, according to figures released by the Japanese government yesterday.
Their male compatriots fare less well, with a life expectancy of 79 years, second to Icelandic men at 79.4 years, the Health Ministry said.
Japan's women have topped the world's longevity ranks for 22 years, something researchers have attributed to their healthy diet and tight social ties, among other factors.
Improved treatment of the ageing population's three biggest killers -cancer, heart disease and stroke - has helped push life expectancy to record highs, a ministry official said.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=204&objectid=10454194
Depression, anxiety dog modern teens
5:00AM Friday July 27, 2007
This generation of Aussie adolescents is the most troubled, say psychologists
Body image, family breakdown, early physical maturity and the shadow of war are combining to produce the most vulnerable generation of Australians, experts in adolescent anxiety believe.
Youth is supposed to be a carefree time, but the latest figures from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare show that mental illness, including anxiety and depression, is the greatest burden of disease for people aged 15 to 24.
Leading adolescent psychologist Dr Michael Carr-Greg believes adolescent anxiety is on an uphill curve.
"In my opinion anxiety now ranks up there with depression as the most common presentation I get clinically as an adolescent psychologist here in Melbourne," says Dr Carr-Greg, who works at the Albert Road Centre for Health in Melbourne.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=204&objectid=10454034
Memory boost in high-carb cereal
5:00AM Wednesday July 25, 2007
Eating a less "healthy" breakfast cereal could improve your memory, new Australian research suggests.
A study has found that high-GI cereals, which are generally heavier in carbohydrate and sugar, help young people remember words better in the short term.
The findings, presented to a world brain conference in Melbourne, may support pre-exam bingeing on glucose-rich foods, but the researchers caution that eating unhealthy foods is not a sustainable tool for memory.
PhD student Michael Smith, from the University of Western Australia, compared the effect of low- and high-GI cereals on the ability of healthy teenagers to remember a list of words.
"Those who ate the high-GI cereal recalled a lot more words than those in the other group," he said.
- AAP
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=204&objectid=10453573
Fitness means less belly fat regardless of weight
1:53PM Wednesday July 25, 2007
By Anne Harding
Men who are fit and overweight still have a lower risk of heart disease and diabetes than those who do no exercise, a study has found. Photo / Reuters
"Fat and fit" men are likely to have a lower risk of heart disease and diabetes because they're relatively trim around the waist, a new study shows.
The higher a man's cardio-respiratory fitness, the less fat he has in his abdominal cavity, Dr Jean-Pierre Despres of Hopital Laval Research Centre in Quebec and colleagues found.
The relationship held true regardless of body mass index (BMI), a ratio of weight to height typically used to gauge excess weight and obesity.
"This is why it's so, so important for the doctor to measure waist circumference," said Despres, who told Reuters Health he is on a "crusade" to get family doctors to check their patients' waist size and triglyceride levels.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=204&objectid=10453742
Depression, anxiety dog modern teens
5:00AM Friday July 27, 2007
This generation of Aussie adolescents is the most troubled, say psychologists
Body image, family breakdown, early physical maturity and the shadow of war are combining to produce the most vulnerable generation of Australians, experts in adolescent anxiety believe.
Youth is supposed to be a carefree time, but the latest figures from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare show that mental illness, including anxiety and depression, is the greatest burden of disease for people aged 15 to 24.
Leading adolescent psychologist Dr Michael Carr-Greg believes adolescent anxiety is on an uphill curve.
"In my opinion anxiety now ranks up there with depression as the most common presentation I get clinically as an adolescent psychologist here in Melbourne," says Dr Carr-Greg, who works at the Albert Road Centre for Health in Melbourne.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=204&objectid=10454034
Nine million now live in World of Warcraft
12:15PM Thursday July 26, 2007
The incredible World of Warcraft population boom continues unabated, with publisher Blizzard announcing nine million subscribed players.
World of Warcraft has hit yet another milestone - this time clocking up a massive nine million subscribed players worldwide.
Blizzard Entertainment said yesterday that the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) is currently working towards releasing its first expansion pack in China which is expected to further swell player numbers.
World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade is being prepared for release in mainland China with Blizzard's market partner The9.
"We're thrilled that gamers around the world have continued to embrace World of Warcraft so enthusiastically," said Blizzard president Mike Morhaime.
"We've worked hard to provide a compelling experience for our players, and we plan to continue updating the game with exciting new content for them to enjoy for many years to come."
World of Warcraft debuted in America in November 2004, and was the best-selling PC game for the next two years.
Available in seven languages, the ground-breaking game still sits at, or near, the top of PC games lists worldwide.
- NZ HERALD STAFF
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10453979
One in seven teachers hit by students - survey
2:30PM Saturday July 28, 2007
One in seven primary school teachers were hit by their students last year, a New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) survey has found.
The study also found more than 50 per cent of teachers and more than 25 per cent of school support staff reported "aggressive verbal confrontations" with students.
The responses of 67 principals, 150 teachers and 75 support staff were analysed.
The most common assaults involved students pushing, shoving or shouldering teachers, followed by "punched or struck with open hand" and "kicked or stomped".
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10454425
Four die in US when TV helicopters collide
12:01PM Saturday July 28, 2007
Four people were killed earlier today when two television news helicopters collided in the air over Phoenix while following a police chase in the Arizona desert city, police and media reports said.
The crash involved helicopters from an ABC network affiliate and an independent station that were covering the police pursuit of a car theft and assault suspect.
Television images showed thick black smoke pouring from the scene of the crash in a city park.
A police helicopter was also following the ground pursuit when the crash occurred, Phoenix police spokesman Sgt. Joel Trantor said.
Police were after someone suspected of stealing a city truck, then jumping into at least one other vehicle during the afternoon chase, Trantor said.
The suspect was cornered by police in a nearby building.
- REUTERS
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10454417
De Klerk hits back
7:15AM Saturday July 28, 2007
Former South African President F.W. de Klerk says he never condoned any atrocities committed under white rule as an apartheid-era police minister prepared to stand trial for allegedly poisoning a black church leader.
His opponents were spreading rumours to try to strip him of "an honourable place at the table as co-creators of the new South Africa", he said.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10454311
Mission of hope for hostages
5:00AM Saturday July 28, 2007
South Korea has sent a senior envoy to Afghanistan to step up efforts to free 22 Christian volunteers held hostage by the Taleban after rebels killed the leader of the church group.
But a Taleban spokesman said more hostages would be killed unless the Government releases eight rebel prisoners overnight.
"The administration of Kabul has asked us to give them till 12 noon today," spokesman Qari Mohammad Yousuf told Reuters by telephone from an unknown location yesterday.
In a first known contact with the outside, a South Korean woman hostage pleaded for help and a speedy release of all the hostages in a telephone interview with CBS News.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10454308
Quake rattles East Coast
5:30PM Friday July 27, 2007
An earthquake measuring 4.1 on the Richter scale shook the East Coast this afternoon.
The quake at 4.14pm was located 30km north-east of Matawai, 74km northwest of Gisborne, at a depth of 50km.
GNS Science said the quake was felt in the Gisborne region.
There were no immediate reports of any damage.
- NZPA
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10454271
Raul leaves no doubt who's in charge
5:00AM Saturday July 28, 2007
Raul Castro (centre) with Commanders of the Revolution Juan Almeida (left) and Ramiro Valdez. Castro's speech marked the day in 1953 when his brother, Fidel, led an attack on the Moncada Barracks. Photo / Reuters
Cuba's Acting President Raul Castro asserted his leadership yesterday, a year after his ailing brother Fidel handed over power, by promising economic reforms and offering talks with the United States once the Bush Administration is gone.
He said in a Revolution Day holiday speech that Washington had kept up efforts to undermine Cuba since 80-year-old Fidel Castro was sidelined by life-threatening surgery a year ago but that "if the next US government puts arrogance aside and decides to talk in a civilised fashion, that is welcome.
"If not, we are prepared to continue facing their hostile policy for another 50 years."
The US State Department and a leading dissident brushed off the comments by saying Castro needed more dialogue with his own people, who live under communist rule.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10454303
Family feud threatens to destroy media empire
5:00AM Saturday July 28, 2007
By Stephen Foley
Sumner Redstone with his daughter Shari (right), and granddaughter Kim in 2003. Photo / Getty Images
An octogenarian media mogul surveys the empire he has created over three hard-fighting decades. One of the world's most successful film studios. One of America's most-watched television networks. A string of other pioneering, profitable and politically powerful assets in broadcasting and publishing. With the fire dimming in his eyes, you might think his mind has turned to how best to secure his legacy, to keep the business intact and under the control of his descendants.
Not Sumner Redstone. Aged 84 and facing growing questions about his health, the mogul is living up to his reputation as the most unpredictable man in the media jungle. He has embarked on an extraordinary public slanging match with his 53-year-old daughter, Shari, until now his presumed successor, that could blow apart one of the world's biggest media companies.
At stake is the future control of some icons ranging from the CBS television network and the pioneering MTV, to the Paramount Pictures film studio and publishers Simon & Schuster.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10454297
Australian thief battered in fish shop
4:20PM Friday July 27, 2007
CANBERRA - A man who attempted to rob an Australian fish and chip shop found himself on the losing side when the angry shop owner threw fish batter and hot oil at him.
"The hot oil missed but the batter hit the offender and he fled empty handed," South Australian police said in a statement.
Police said the attempted armed robbery happened on Thursday evening at the quiet seaside retirement town of Victor Harbor, near the South Australian state capital of Adelaide.
Police were checking local hospitals in case the man was injured.
- REUTERS
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10454260
Latest teen slaying fails to shock resigned locals
5:00AM Saturday July 28, 2007
By Terri Judd
He was just 16, hunted down by a hooded gang on bicycles, left to bleed to death in the dark car park of an inner-city estate.
But the saddest thing about yesterday - as it emerged that yet another teenager had been shot and killed on the streets of London - was the lack of shock from residents of the Stockwell Gardens Estate.
Some noticed the commotion in the early hours of yesterday morning, believing it was fireworks. Others recognised the sound of gunfire.
One, who would only give his name as Tony, said he looked out to see a bunch of young men, their faces covered and their hooded tops up, cycle casually away.
On the floor he saw a shadow, not realising it was the body of a 16-year-old boy until the paramedics and police turned up.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10454302
Guilty grandmother faces life for 'honour killing'
10:25AM Friday July 27, 2007
Surjit Athwal was killed by her mother in law after deciding to leave her husband. Photo / Reuters
LONDON: A 70-year-old British grandmother is facing life imprisonment after being convicted today of the "honour killing" of her son's wife who she murdered after luring her to India.
Bachan Athwal, 70, who has 16 grandchildren, is believed to be one of the oldest women ever to be convicted of murder in England. Her son was also found guilty of murder.
They will be sentenced on Sept. 19.
The two killed Sikh Heathrow Airport worker Surjit Kaur Athwal, who disappeared in December 1998 after she decided to walk out of her arranged marriage.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10454193
Obituary: Mohammad Zahir Shah
5:00AM Saturday July 28, 2007
Afghanistan's former King, Mohammad Zahir Shah, whose 40-year reign coincided with one of the most peaceful periods in the country's history, died on Monday aged 92.
President Hamid Karzai i described Zahir Shah as the founder of Afghan democracy and a symbol of national unity. Zahir Shah ruled Afghanistan from 1933 until he was deposed by his cousin in 1973. Zahir Shah came from a long line of ethnic Pashtun rulers and was the last of a dynasty established in 1747.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10454278
Obituary: Sir Thomas Davis
5:00AM Saturday July 28, 2007
By Arnold Pickmere
Tom Davis during the 1978 election campaign.
Sir Thomas Davis, leader, doctor, seafarer. Died aged 90.
Sir Thomas Davis will be remembered as the man who, without inclination to military coup, became the premier of his country - after his party had lost the election and he had lost his own seat.
But then the Cook Islands election of 1978 was more of a desperate attempt by the premier of 23 years, Sir Albert Henry, to cling to power rather than an exercise in democracy.
Three months later the Chief Justice of the Cook Islands ruled that Sir Albert and other members of his Cook Islands Party had spent large sums of public money on providing virtually free flights from New Zealand to the islands for 445 supporters so they could vote.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10454282
Secret metal alloy dissolves as bones heal
5:00AM Tuesday July 24, 2007
By Stu Oldham
George Dias with some of the alloy. Photo / Otago Daily Times
Otago and Canterbury university scientists have developed a still-secret metal alloy that slowly disappears as it heals broken bones.
The discovery has New Zealand poised to enter a multi-billion-dollar surgical-implant market and could consign traditional repairs to the past.
University of Otago researcher Dr George Dias said patients often needed painful and costly surgery to remove stainless steel and titanium repairs.
The new alloy was as strong as titanium - the gold standard in bone repair - but its mechanical properties were much closer to that of bone.
It could be made to degrade over a time that suited the repair it was designed to do. In effect, it left as new bone grew, said Dr Dias, a former maxio-facial surgeon.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=82&objectid=10453430
Bleach a key weapon in fighting bacterial infections
1:11PM Friday July 20, 2007
Bleach is a key weapon used by white blood cells to control bacterial infections in the body, New Zealand scientists have discovered.
Exactly how the hard-working white blood cells of the immune system control and kill invading bacteria has long been an area of controversy in medical research.
Now Otago University Associate Professor Tony Kettle and Professor Christine Winterbourn have detailed in international journals Biochemistry and The Journal of Biological Chemistry research which shows exactly how the cells use bleach to control infection.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=82&objectid=10452790
Hunt for genetic jigsaw pieces (Also Known as Closing the American Color Gap)
5:00AM Saturday July 21, 2007
By Paul Harris
From the discovery that presidential hopeful Barack Obama is descended from white slave traders to the realisation that the majority of black Americans have European ancestors, a boom in "recreational genetics" is forcing America to redefine its roots.
Al Sharpton walked into a South Carolina pine forest just outside the sleepy southern town of Edgefield and stopped at a cluster of tooth-like unmarked gravestones.
This was the former plantation on which a few generations ago his ancestors had worked, lived, loved and died, owned as property by white masters.
"You must assume that it's family here," Sharpton said, referring to the abandoned slave graveyard.
A few weeks previously Reverend Sharpton, one of America's most outspoken black civil rights leaders, had not known of the cemetery's existence.
But researchers had explored his genealogy and broken the news to him.
Sharpton's story had an astonishing twist: the genealogists discovered his ancestors had once been owned by the ancestors of Strom Thurmond, the Senator and former segregationist who once ran for president on a racist platform.
The phrase "ironic coincidence" did not begin to cover it.
Dozens of reporters tagged along when Sharpton first visited the Edgefield woods, yet it was clear he was genuinely stunned by what he called "the greatest shock" of his life.
"It profoundly affected him," said Tony Burroughs, a genealogist who worked on the project.
Sharpton was not alone. America has embarked on an amazing journey to explore its own past.
Millions of Americans of every creed and colour are exploring their family histories in a genealogy boom that is redefining who they are and what it means to be American.
The internet has allowed people to find obscure information that was previously locked away on dusty library shelves. They are also using modern DNA techniques to research their racial history.
Blacks are discovering they have white blood, whites are finding black relatives. Native Americans are growing in numbers, not because of a high birth rate, but because many Americans are discovering unknown native ancestors written in their DNA.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=82&objectid=10452849
YouTube debate shows unpredictable power of web
10:49AM Wednesday July 25, 2007
By Rupert Cornwell
It may not have greatly affected the dynamics of the 2008 Presidential race. But a ground breaking Democratic candidates' debate has made official what has long been evident here : that the free-for-all of the internet - in this case the video sharing site YouTube - is something none of them can ignore.
For two hours, the eight declared candidates fielded questions in the form of YouTube clips submitted by ordinary Americans.
The tone shifted from earnest to anguished, from angry to mocking, from deadly serious to outright humorous.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/feature/story.cfm?c_id=1501161&objectid=10453711
Editorial: About-turn confirms all is lost
5:00AM Saturday July 14, 2007
This week, the United States may have experienced what history will recall as the Iraq war's Cronkite moment. The New York Times, previously an unswerving supporter of President George W. Bush's handling of the conflict, called for an American withdrawal "without any more delay than the Pentagon needs to organise an orderly exit". Echoes of CBS news anchor Walter Cronkite's 1968 appeal to President Lyndon Johnson to cut his losses in Vietnam rang loudly. The plea by Cronkite, often called "the most trusted man in America" and initially a hawk on Vietnam, proved a turning point in that struggle. The about-turn by the New York Times may be similarly influential in confirming to middle America that all is lost in Iraq.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/feature/story.cfm?c_id=1501161&objectid=10451427
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