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Royal Enfield knows a thing or two about creating retro classics but a drag bike? That’s a stretch. Oregon-based ICON Motosports has created a custom café racer based on the Shotgun 650 that’ll turn heads again and again. · The Shotgun 650 from Royal Enfield is a rather tame Bobber-styled cruiser that makes use of the company's parallel twin platform from the Interceptor 650 and Continental GT, which produces 46.3 horsepower (34.5 kW) at 7,250…

21 November 1863 · More British soldiers and sailors were killed at ‘Bloody Rangiriri’ than in any other battle of the New Zealand Wars, but their eventual hard-fought victory opened the Waikato basin to the advancing imperial forces. · Following the invasion of Waikato (see 12 July), Māori defended a strong pā at Meremere for several months. They also began building a second defensive line across a narrow strip of land between the Waikato…

Sea ice around Antarctica has “slowly increased” since satellite monitoring began in 1979 according to a study published in The Cryosphere. The paper found no conclusive evidence that human activity is behind the changes, contrary to mainstream media claims. · The Financial Times previously warned of a “catastrophic cascade of extreme environmental events” linked to declining Antarctic ice. Yet, EU weather service Copernicus acknowledges there…

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., tapped by President-elect Donald Trump to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), has laid out an agenda to address chronic disease, corporate influence in health agencies, and America’s chemical-laden food system. · Kennedy declared, “Together we will clean up corruption, stop the revolving door between industry and government, and return our health agencies to their rich tradition of gold-standard,…

On 20 November 1841, Maketū Wharetōtara, the 17-year-old son of the Ngāpuhi chief Ruhe, killed five people at Motuarohia in the Bay of Islands. In March 1842 he became the first person to be legally executed in this country. · Maketū worked on the farm of a widow, Elizabeth Roberton. His killing spree began when he attacked another farm worker, Thomas Bull, with an axe while he slept. Maketū went on to kill Roberton, her two children, and…

Asparagus season is here, and there’s no better way to celebrate than with this fresh and vibrant pasta dish! Perfect for the warming weather, it’s quick and easy to prepare, making it a delightful addition to your spring table. · Ingredients · 100g lemon laganelle (this is available from specality stores, or you can just cook your chosen pasta shape in lemon water) · 1 bunch asparagus, sliced into 1cm pieces · 100g  preserved lemon, pith…

Researchers have had their first-ever look at samples brought back from the Moon’s far side — and they detail a history of volcanic activity that spans billions of years. · The results are the first scientific analyses of samples retrieved by the Chinese mission Chang’e-6, which scooped up nearly two kilograms of lunar soil and returned it to Earth in a capsule in June. Independent research teams in China published separate papers in Science1…

Stress makes mice form big bundles of neurons in the brain that disrupt memory formation, making them fearful of harmless situations1 — which might help to explain why stressed people often feel threatened in safe environments. · Researchers have long known that stress or trauma can lead people to fear harmless situations. For instance, after burning a finger on a hot pan, a stressed individual might subsequently avoid not only hot pans but the…

It's nearly 15 years since the first air fryer as we know it hit the market, but food companies and consumers are still catching up when it comes to food safety and these game-changing kitchen gadgets. Experts say better instructions and user awareness will lower the risk of food-related illness. · While the first air fryer was patented in 1945 by William Maxson – called the Maxson Whirlwind Oven – it was Dutch inventor Fred van der Weij who…

The Pike River underground coal mine is located in the rugged Paparoa Range, on the West Coast of the South Island. The mine workings were reached via a 2.3-km-long tunnel that intersected with the Brunner coal seam. · At 3.44 p.m. on Friday 19 November 2010, the mine exploded. Twenty-nine men underground died immediately or soon afterwards from the blast or because of the toxic atmosphere this generated. Two men who were some distance from the…