Articles from ‘elocal magazine’

In a case that has major implications for co-governance, Ngāi Tahu is suing the Crown in a landmark High Court case to force co-management of South Island freshwater resources. · The government, however, is pushing back hard, arguing that Ngāi Tahu’s claims have no legal standing beyond historical settlements. · Blaming intensive dairy farming, Ngāi Tahu argue that successive governments have failed to protect water bodies and breached Treaty…

Disney’s The Jungle Book was slapped with a racism warning amid criticisms that King Louie, the jazz-singing orangutan, was intended as a racist caricature of African Americans · Disney has scrapped its trigger warnings for children’s cartoons such as Dumbo in a bonfire of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies. · The entertainment giant is removing disclaimers on beloved classics such as Peter Pan and the Jungle Book which warned…

On February 4, Elon Musk, the world’s richest man and now US President Donald Trump’s ‘efficiency’ czar, posted a message on the site formerly known as Twitter, addressed to the American people. “We’re never going to get another chance like this,” wrote Musk. “It’s now or never. Your support is crucial to the revolution of the people.” · Musk has been polishing and amplifying the Trumpian ideological project. His words make it clear that what…

Google is eliminating hiring goals tied to diversity, becoming the latest tech giant to scale back DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) initiatives amid political pressure from President Donald Trump’s administration. · The company confirmed it is reevaluating its DEI programs but insists it remains committed to workplace equity. · Following the 2020 George Floyd protests, Google pledged to increase leadership representation of…

On the evening of 12 February 1909, the Union Steam Ship Company passenger steamer Penguin left Picton for Wellington in fine weather. · Conditions quickly deteriorated as the Penguin reached Cook Strait. As the weather closed in, familiar landmarks disappeared. Unable to see Pencarrow light, Captain Francis Naylor set a course to steer clear of danger. After changing course again to ride out the storm, the ship struck rocks and began to sink…

Fact-checking has gone out of fashion, at least for much of the social media 'broligarchy' — that billionaire tech group typified by Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg and X's Elon Musk. · Zuckerberg announced earlier this year that Meta had disbanded Facebook and Instagram's independent fact-checking programme. Meta will instead use a form of Community Notes, similar to that introduced by X after owner Musk dumped third-party fact-checking when he…

Langen Motorcycles last made waves back in 2023 with the Lightspeed, a limited edition naked capable of a face-melting 185 bhp. It's now set to take things up a notch by turbocharging the heart of that beast to summon 300 thundering horses – with a view to make it the 'world's fastest production motorcycle.' · Citing turbo-equipped legends from the 80s like the 100-hp Honda CX650 and 112-hp Kawasaki GPZ750 as inspiration, the Manchester-based…

In a blistering letter to senior health leaders, Federal MP Russell Broadbent has accused the Australian government of wilful blindness over mounting evidence of DNA contamination in Pfizer and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines. · Broadbent slams the government’s repeated failure to engage with compelling scientific findings, instead offloading responsibility to officials lacking the necessary expertise. · Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Health…

Scientists have found a rare Einstein ring in “our cosmic backyard” using images from the Euclid space telescope. · The discovery, revealed in the journal Astronomy And Astrophysics, is of a circle of light created by gravitational lensing around a galaxy 500 million light years away called NGC 6505. · This ring is made up of light from another galaxy 4.42 billion light years away and what can be seen from Earth is distorted by gravity. The…

Delicious, crunchy, cheap. Apples – you can’t beat them. Despite strawberries, grapes and bananas topping the polls as a favourite fruit, it’s the apple that is found most frequently in our shopping baskets. · And it’s for good reason. “Apples are a nutrient-dense fruit,” says Nichola Ludlam-Raine, a nutritionist and author of How Not to Eat Ultra-Processed. The fruit bowl favourite is full of antioxidants to enhance our heart health and…