Articles from ‘elocal magazine’

Despite the risk of plunging the Middle East into all-out war, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has two compelling reasons for continuing Israel's devastating assaults on Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. · The first is Netanyahu's Zionist ideology. The second is his political opportunism. · Zionism's ‘iron wall' · The level of shock and fear among Israelis created by Hamas's October 7 attacks should not be underestimated. · Hamas's…

The mining industry receives more than half of Australia’s Fuel Tax Credits Scheme, which is set to cost the government $9.6 billion this year. Recent calls to revise the scheme add to a long line of critiques, pushing for reforms to its current setup. · The scheme enables businesses to offset fuel costs by providing tax credits based on eligible activities such as transport, agriculture, construction, commercial fishing and mining. · This…

With less than a week until the most divisive and hotly contested US presidential election in recent memory, a new threat has emerged. · Artificial intelligence is contributing to the flood of misinformation around the candidates and the issues. · While research around this area is limited, confected images to "expose" scandals or laud candidates for their heroic, if fictional, acts can raise public fears of information manipulation just when…

The Epsom electorate, held by ACT Party leader David Seymour, is at risk as New Zealand’s Representation Commission considers cutting one seat from Auckland for the 2026 election. · Law professor Andrew Geddis explained that, with central Auckland’s growing population demands, “Epsom… could be split into nearby electorates” to balance numbers. · Recent census data led Stats NZ to drop the total electorates to 64, which may dissolve Epsom to…

A recent child extortion case illustrates the importance of parental support in helping young victims face online abuse. A convicted child sex offender from Northern Ireland, posing as a teen online, used manipulation to extort children for images and then blackmail them. · Alexander McCartney targeted 3,500 children globally, including some from New Zealand. Many young victims, overcome with shame, failed to notify caregivers or authorities…

The United Nations has just listed more things the world needs to accomplish. It should be asking why it hasn’t reached its current goals. · On 22 September, delegates at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City applauded after approving the Pact for the Future. Comprising 56 promises — on issues such as peace and security, sustainable development, climate change and human rights — the pact would more aptly be named the Laundry…

An analysis of the searching patterns of nearly half a million people browsing Wikipedia suggests that the site’s users demonstrate three unique styles of curiosity. · There’s the ‘hunter’, who pursues specific answers, the ‘busybody’, searching for diverse nuggets of new information and the ‘dancer’, who links unrelated concepts through the process of exploration. The study, which was published in Science Advances on 25 October1, is the first…

It's getting warmer! Time to start creating wonderful summer salads to accompany food cooked on the BBQ. This is a delightful, fresh, classic Greek salad with a homemade Greek Salad Dressing. Bright zesty and fresh, this is a classic recipe everyone should know! It is also a wonderful accompanimemt to Greek Marinade Butterfly BBQ lamb · Ingredients  · Salad · - 3 tomatoes (size of a tennis ball) - 4 Lebanese / Persian cucumbers (about 8"/20cm…

The government’s reintroduction of the three strikes law has faced criticism for being a watered-down version of its original form. · Sean Plunket and Stephen Franks discussed how the coalition government’s attempt to bring it back falls short. · While ACT campaigned to reintroduce the policy, the current version still allows judges to override sentences if they find them “manifestly unjust.” · The original three strikes policy aimed to deter…

This is a terrific, bold Greek marinade for lamb that both tenderises and infuses it with garlicky, herby, lemon flavours.Butterflied lamb leg is a fantastic way to enjoy lamb because the flattened shape means it can be cooked relatively quickly compared to roasting a whole leg. In fact, I think that butterflied lamb leg is one of the best cuts of lamb for the BBQ! · Ingredients · - 1.5 – 1.8kg / 3 – 3.6 lb butterflied (ie. boneless) lamb…