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Three weeks after forces led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) ousted President Bashar al-Assad on December 8, 2024, HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa – previously known as Abu Muhammad al-Jawlani – has announced that elections in the war-ravaged country may take up to four years, citing the need for a new constitution and a nationwide census to determine voter eligibility. · The comments come as Damascus seeks to reassure neighbours and international…

Property values in New Zealand fell by 0.2% in December 2024, marking the ninth decline in the past ten months, according to CoreLogic. · The national median house value now sits at about $804,000, nearly 4% lower than a year ago and down almost 18% from the post-COVID peak. · CoreLogic’s chief property economist, Kelvin Davidson, described 2024 as a “soggy” year for the housing market. High mortgage rates and a weak labour market have driven…

In May 2023 at a CNN Town Hall meeting, Donald Trump, already well advanced in his campaign to become president of the United States again, said: “They’re dying, Russians and Ukrainians. I want to stop them dying. And I’ll have that done – I’ll have that done in 24 hours.” · He has repeated the claim often, saying it would be contingent on his sitting down with Vladimir Putin, the Russian aggressor, and Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of…

Alcohol has many negative effects on your physical and mental health. The benefits of quitting drinking are often apparent soon after you stop, and will only continue to improve the longer you abstain from drinking. · Even if you know that there are benefits to quitting alcohol, it does not mean that it’s easy to stop drinking—especially if you’ve been misusing alcohol for a long time. · Research shows that some damage to your brain, liver,…

At Akers Station at Ōpiki, Manawatū, Godfrey Bowen set a new world record on January 6th, 1953, shearing 456 full-wool ewes in nine hours. Bowen helped establish sheep shearing as a legitimate sport and was one of the first people inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame in 1990. · In the years after the Second World War, Godfrey and his brother Ivan revolutionised the wool industry through their improved shearing methods – the ‘Bowen…

In the summer of 1940, in the heart of Ohio, a set of twin boys entered the world under extraordinary circumstances. Tragically, the infants were separated shortly after birth, each adopted by different families, with no knowledge of each other’s existence. But what followed over the next four decades would defy logic, leaving scientists, psychologists, and the public in awe. · This is the incredible, true story of Jim Lewis and Jim…

Christmas has come and gone, along with all its trappings: cake, turkey, wine, roast chicken, pudding and gingerbread men. And there's that dreaded thing: holiday flab, or the tendency to pack on the pounds during holiday season. · The tendency to consume food high in fat, salt and sugars accompanied by reduced physical activity increases susceptibility towards obesity and metabolic disorders such as hypertension, diabetes, heart diseases and…

Could the Duhare of North America have been the descendants of Irish explorers who ventured across the Atlantic long before the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria set sail? · Maybe it’s the Amish in me, but there’s an ornery streak that delights in eccentric theories, provoking the establishment, undermining the accepted narrative, pondering alternative histories, and subverting the certain certainties. · Many will be familiar with…

Coubray-tone news, the work of the inventive Edward (Ted) Coubray, had its first public screening at Auckland’s Plaza Theatre on January 3rd, 1930. Filmed on location around the city, its footage included the funeral of Catholic Bishop Henry Cleary, workers on Queen St and the Auckland wharves, and scenes from The romance of Maoriland, which captured poi, haka and waiata performances. · After a private screening of Coubray’s newsreel a week…

The Arab-Israeli conflict has once again dominated international headlines since October 7, 2023, and has been a primary focus of Israeli political discourse since the state’s establishment in 1948. Over the past two decades, this discourse has been largely shaped by the Likud Party or consolidation party in English, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. · A complex democracy · Israel’s political structure is intricate and complex. Often…