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New Zealand First’s Shane Jones isn’t backing down from his fight against what he calls “woke Māori” and divisive politics. In an interview with Moana Maniapoto, Jones argued that Māori should focus on economic advancement rather than identity politics. Dismissing critics who see his policies as anti-Māori, he said, “Woke Māori can throw insults but can’t take their own medicine.” Taking aim at the Waitangi Tribunal, Jones called for a…

Battle of Langverwacht Hill - 24 February 1902 The South African War of 1899–1902, often called the Boer War (sometimes the Second Boer War), was the first overseas conflict to involve New Zealand troops. Fought between the British Empire and the South African Republic (Transvaal) and its Orange Free State ally, it was the culmination of long-standing tensions in southern Africa. Bound to the ‘Mother country’ by the ‘crimson tie’ of empire,…

Snow weighed down the fronds of palm trees in Fort Myers, Florida, while an icy crust formed on the Mississippi River in New Orleans. Nearly three feet of snow buried the nation’s capital, and ice encased steamboats on Lake Michigan. There’s cold—and then there was the Great Arctic Outbreak of February 1899. The polar vortex delivered an icy slap to every corner of the continental United States, making all other Snowmageddons to follow seem…

Young adults who ate a handful of walnuts with breakfast saw a long-lasting improvement in their reaction times and a boost in memory performance hours later, according to a new study. The findings strengthen the claim that walnuts are a brain-enhancing food. According to the Doctrine of Signatures, which has been around since pre-scientific times, the physical characteristics – or ‘signature’ – of certain plants were indicative of their…

UK-based Core Power has announced that it plans to mass produce a fleet of floating nuclear power plants (FNPPs) using advanced reactor design and modular shipbuilding to be anchored off the US coast in about 10 years. Nuclear power is enjoying something of a renaissance with many countries turning to the atom to meet their energy needs. However, the bottleneck for increasing the nuclear sector isn't with manufacturing reactors. It's the civil…

The last time the free world was in this much danger was during the Cuban missile crisis – and that was for precisely opposite reasons. In 1962, at the height of the Cold War, there was no ambiguity about who was on what side. The Soviet Union was a communist dictatorship whose leader, Nikita Khrushchev, had threatened to “bury” the West. But the United States held its nerve in the face of what the Kennedy government knew was an epochal…

At 12.51 p.m. on Tuesday 22 February 2011, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake caused severe damage in Christchurch and Lyttelton, killing 185 people and injuring several thousand. The earthquake’s epicentre was near Lyttelton, just 10 km south-east of Christchurch’s central business district. It occurred nearly six months after the 4 September 2010 earthquake. The earthquake struck at lunchtime, when many people were on the city streets. More than…

These divine melting biscuits, named for the old-fashioned toy, benefit from a sharp, zingy buttercream. Make some this weekend to drop to a friend or simply enjoy at home. They are easy to make, but just try to keep the biscuits all the same size as they have to be sandwiched together. **Ingredients** For the biscuits - 90ml passion fruit pulp - 175g butter, softened - 90g icing sugar, sifted - 235g plain flour, sifted - 40g cornflour,…

Winston Peters is calling for New Zealand to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord, arguing the country is wasting billions while global superpowers ignore the deal. According to The Country host Jamie Mackay, Peters was blunt: “What’s the use of being in when the US, China, and Russia aren’t there?” Peters has long criticised the agreement, and with compliance costs estimated at billions of dollars, he is demanding a serious rethink. …

Te Pāti Māori seems to be in hiding after allegations surfaced that it used confidential census data to secure an electoral win by just 42 votes. Broadcaster Duncan Garner calls out Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. Instead of facing scrutiny, she fled to the Cook Islands, marching in a protest that has nothing to do with New Zealand voters. Rawiri Waititi has vanished from sight, and John Tamihere—the real power behind the party—remains silent. This…

Most people have absolutely no idea how important having a properly fitting helmet is. Almost every two-wheel rider wears one that's too big because there hasn’t been a proper, standardized way of personalizing helmets to individual head shapes. Sure, helmet manufacturers offer a variety of sizes (S, M, L, XL) but that’s where the options stop. Not every human head conforms to these industry-standard sizes. But that’s not all – what about the…

On the morning of 21 February 1879, an explosion rocked the coal mine at Kaitangata, South Otago. On the day of the explosion, 47 men were employed at the mine. At first, no one knew how many of them were underground. Debris from the explosion and the presence of fire damp – an explosive mix of methane gas and oxygen – thwarted initial rescue attempts. Rescue parties were unable to enter the mine until about midday. By early evening, it was…

People who sit on the low or high side of normal vitamin B12 levels are still at risk of cognitive impairment, according to a new study. The researchers behind the study say we need to rethink the ‘healthy’ range for the vitamin that plays a key role in brain and nerve health. Vitamin B12, or cobalamin, is crucial in DNA synthesis, red blood cell formation, nervous system health and function, brain health, and energy production. It’s normally…

Global and European political shifts could push Italy, under Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, towards a more radical stance. Since 2022, her government has combined hardline domestic policies on immigration and justice with a pragmatic foreign approach. But rising instability in Europe and the return of Donald Trump may reshape its strategy. With France and Germany facing EU leadership challenges, Italy’s importance to Washington is growing,…

Aspartame has long been marketed as a guilt-free alternative to sugar in popular food products, ranging from zero-calorie Diet Coke to sugar-free Jell-O. It's also had a pretty bad rap, and the artificial sweetener has now been linked to an increased risk of heart attacks and stroke in mice. But not everyone's convinced this is as bad as it sounds for humans. That's from a study published in Cell Metabolism, authored by cardiovascular health…

So the empire strikes back. Donald Trump’s tsunami of executive orders threatens to wash away the entire “DEI” establishment of the deep state even as Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency conducts a thorough financial proctological examination on the books and payment systems of the deep state. The revelations have been embarrassing, almost stupefying. The sums featured abundant use of that great Babylonian invention: the zero.…

The jump that won Yvette Williams a gold medal at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics on February 20th, 1954 was only 1 cm short of the world record held by Francine (‘Fanny’) Blankers-Koen of The Netherlands. Williams, like Blankers-Koen, was a versatile athlete, competing successfully in the long jump and high jump, and a range of track events. Williams broke Blankers-Koen’s long jump record 18 months after the Helsinki Olympics at an athletics…

Humans possess a unique ability that sets us apart from other species – the capacity to collaborate not just as individuals pursuing parallel goals, but as truly unified collectives working towards shared objectives. This distinctive way of thinking and acting, termed "we-mode," represents a hidden human superpower, enabling achievements far beyond what any individual could accomplish alone. However, this crucial capability may be under threat…

The 90-minute phone call between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 6, 2025, was the official initiation of return to diplomacy to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict with ‘immediacy’.  Trump had made ending the Ukraine war a campaign issue and dubbed it as former President Joe Biden’s war. The reality on the ground is that Ukraine is losing and Russia is gaining more ground every passing day. And that…

Stuck for healthy and nutritious lunch ideas that don't cause the 3pm slump. This simple to make and quick to prepare pasta dish is both full of flavour and has the benefit of vitamin e in the almonds, giving you a boost to your brain function to get you through the day INGREDIENTS -per person - 80g pasta (spirals or penne work well) - 1 roasted sweet red pepper from a jar, in oil, drained - 1 tbsp ground almonds - 1 tsp pine nuts - 1…