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Britain's Ministry of Defence, with the help of the United States, has achieved what is being billed as a major hypersonic propulsion test of a new engine design that could power a cutting-edge hypersonic cruise missile for UK armed forces by 2030. · With their ability to fly at speeds in excess of five times the speed of sound, hypersonic missiles have the potential to revolutionize warfare in a way not seen since the sound barrier was cracked…

The first state secondary school in New Zealand, Nelson College, opened in temporary premises in Trafalgar St with a roll of just eight boys on April 7th 1856. It eventually attracted boys from around the country as well as the local area. It now has a roll of over 1000 and continues to take both boarders and day pupils. · The original wooden school burnt down in 1904. A new brick building, opened in 1907, suffered severe damage during the 1929…

A new study found shingles vaccination cut older adults’ risk of developing dementia over the next seven years by 20%. · The research, published Wednesday in the journal Nature, is part of growing understanding about how many factors influence brain health as we age – and what we can do about it. · “It’s a very robust finding,” said lead researcher Dr. Pascal Geldsetzer of Stanford University. And “women seem to benefit more,” important as…

And so the great experiment in US economic policy begins. · On the face of it, we are getting the full fat version, with no country escaping unscathed from a blizzard of “reciprocal” tariffs announced by Donald Trump in the White House Rose Garden. · Many of these tariffs are based on highly questionable assumptions of what charges the Trump administration thinks each country imposes on the US. · In any case, the tariffs are for some much…

On 4 April 1921, 30 women aged between 18 and 36 began training as dental nurses for the state-funded School Dental Service (SDS). A world first, the SDS was established to provide New Zealand primary school children with free dental care, in recognition of the appalling condition of their teeth – nine out of ten were said to be in need of dental intervention. The social policy of the time was also heavily focused on children’s health and…

Tariffs—taxes on imported goods—have been a feature of U.S. trade policy since the nation’s founding. Until the Civil War, they made up the vast majority of government revenue, and remained an extremely important revenue source until the creation of the formal income tax in 1913. · While high tariffs largely fell out of favor after World War II, thanks to concerns over reduced trade and rising costs for consumers, they have made headlines in…

The US Space Force has a contract worth up to US$60 million to develop and fly a kind-of aircraft carrier in space. No, it's not the result of a major typo. It's intended as a way to station space vehicles to quickly counter orbital threats. · During the last century, as wars raged on the surface of the Earth, space was seen as something of a sanctuary – a safe haven free of conflict. Even during the Cold War and the Space Race, weaponry in…

One of the most studied space rocks of all time has given scientists another big surprise, with the "mudball meteorite" Aguas Zarcas found to have been in orbit for two million years without crashing into any other objects – or if it did, there was no damage. It challenges conventional thought of the "fragile" carbonaceous chondrite class it belongs to. · This meteorite has captured people's imaginations since it shot through Earth's atmosphere…

Broadcaster Sean Plunket, and Family First CEO Bob McCoskrie are calling for a formal investigation into Green MP Benjamin Doyle after dozens of deleted Instagram posts emerged, including one captioned “bussy galore” beneath a photo featuring a child. · On The Platform, McCoskrie criticised the media’s coverage, saying it spent days avoiding the story before suddenly aligning with Green Party messaging that cast Doyle as a victim. “The legacy…

Soldiers and civilians slugged it out on the streets of Wellington on April 3, 1943 during the ‘Battle of Manners Street’, the best-known clash between New Zealanders and American servicemen during the Second World War. · Drunk Allied servicemen fighting each other on a Saturday night was not a good look, and news of the brawl was hushed up at the time. One young man who said he was a former member of the Royal New Zealand Air Force was…