A man who died following a single vehicle crash in the early hours of Sunday has been remembered as a “much-loved student”.Police have confirmed Metua Ryan Hori Ewart died after a crash at the intersection of Rush Creek Drive and…
Tag Archives: oceania
Scientists working to detect seismic risk below North Island
By RNZ Scientists from Victoria University of Wellington, GNS Science and two Canadian universities will deploy 20 ocean-bottom seismometers to the Hikurangi Subduction Zone, early next year.Team leader Professor Martha Savage,…
Ramshackle West Auckland rental removed in 'caution' from Trade Me
A rental listing for a one-bedroom ramshackle lean-to in West Auckland asking nearly $300 a week to rent has been pulled by a major New Zealand property website.The Waitakere dwelling consisted of a caravan under a crude timber…
Weather: Tropical cyclone moving away from Fiji and could bring flooding rains to New Zealand
A tropical cyclone that has caused damage in Fiji could bring flooding rains and damaging winds to parts of New Zealand.Tropical Cyclone Cody, a category 1 storm, is set to slowly move south westwards from Fiji today before taking…
Northland police investigate human skeleton discovered in Kaitaia
Northland police are investigating the circumstances around a human skeleton stumbled upon by forestry workers in the Far North. The workers made the discovery on Monday afternoon as they felled trees in an isolated forestry block…
Italy tourist spot painted red by 'cowardly' vandals
An incident in which vandals allegedly smeared red pigment across a famous white cliff on the island of Sicily has been condemned as "cowardly" by local officials.
An investigation has been launched after the Scala dei Turchi, or Turks' Steps – a distinctive cascade of marl limestone rock jutting out of the Mediterranean on the island's southwest coast – were allegedly targeted overnight between January 7 and 8.
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Photos released by the police show streaks of red running down the slopes of the rocks, which are a popular tourist attraction and, according to legend, were once a landing site for Saracen or Arabic sailors.
"The splendid white marl cliff of the Scala dei Turchi, in the Agrigento area, an attraction for visitors from all over the world, has been shamefully defaced," Sicily's president, Nello Musumeci, wrote on Facebook.
"We condemn the authors of this cowardly gesture, which constitutes an outrage not only to a landscape asset of rare beauty but also to the image of our island."
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Major Marco La Rovere, in charge of the investigation as head of nearby Agrigento's Carabinieri police department said what appeared to be paint was actually red oxide powder, commonly used to make building plaster.
"With the humidity and the seawater, the oxide powder melted," Major La Rovere explained.
Volunteers and city technicians with water pumps were able to remove the oxide the following day, Major La Rovere says, adding that investigators were confident security camera footage would reveal the identity of those behind the incident.
Toddler with Fragile X syndrome 'discriminated against' at Hamilton bird park, father claims
A Hamilton father is appalled after he claims a Shaw’s Bird Park volunteer said his toddler, who is intellectually disabled, “shouldn’t be there” and accused him of animal cruelty. Hayder Abed is seeking an apology after the woman…
Goldfish taught to drive by Israeli scientists
Israeli researchers have discovered goldfish are capable of navigating on land, after training the fish to drive.
The team at Ben-Gurion University developed an FOV – a fish-operated vehicle – a robotic car fitted with lidar, a remote sensing technology that uses pulsed laser light to collect data on the vehicle's ground location and the fish's whereabouts inside a mounted water tank.
A computer, camera, electric motors and omni-wheels give the fish control of the vehicle.
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"Surprisingly, it doesn't take the fish a long time to learn how to drive the vehicle," researcher Shachar Givon said.
"They're confused at first. They don't know what's going on but they're very quick to realise that there is a correlation between their movement and the movement of the machine that they're in."
Six goldfish, each receiving around 10 driving lessons, took part in the study.
Each time one of them reached a target set by the researchers, it was rewarded with food, and some goldfish are better drivers than others.
"There were very good fish that were doing excellent and there were mediocre fish that showed control of the vehicle but were less proficient in driving it," biology professor and neuroscientist Ronen Segev said.
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Showing that a fish has the cognitive capability to navigate outside its natural environment of water can expand scientific knowledge of animals' essential navigation skills.
"We humans think of ourselves as very special and many think of fish as primitive but this is not correct," Professor Segev said.
"There are other very important and very smart creatures."
Supermarkets facing lemon shortage this summer
Supermarkets across New Zealand are facing lemon shortages with the citrus fruit not being in season locally, and the pandemic being blamed for delays in imports.Countdown has put a stop on online purchases of lemons, and New World…
KFC facing shortages as Omicron supply issues continue
First it was the supermarkets, now Australia's favourite fast-food chains are feeling the bite of Omicron.
Supply chain issues around the country have seen shoppers face empty shelves, with workers in transportation, distribution, and stores, forced to isolate.
New rules in some jurisdictions will allow more back to work, but there are still plenty of kinks in the chain.
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And now, KFC has confirmed it's feeling them too, with some items going off the menu for now.
"Unfortunately our supply chain has been disrupted, and some of our restaurants will be offering a reduced menu," a spokesperson said.
"We're sorry for any issues this causes our customers – we're doing everything we can to help our suppliers get back on track."
Fellow fast-food giant McDonalds painted a somewhat rosier picture.
"Like many businesses, McDonald's Australia has been carefully managing our supply chain – the bulk of which is based right here in Australia," a spokesperson said.
"We continue to work closely with our strong network of long term suppliers, farmers and producers throughout the pandemic, to ensure our customers can continue to enjoy our great tasting food."
Nine.com.au has contacted Hungry Jacks and Dominos to see how widespread the issue is.
Farmers call for rapid antigen test priority
As shoppers continue to face empty shelves in supermarkets around the country, farmers have confirmed there's plenty of fresh food around – it's just getting it to customers that's the problem.
"Our growers are sending plenty of produce down to the Sydney Markets, and we're working on making sure farm businesses can continue to harvest these crops," NSW Farmers Association president James Jackson said.
"Sadly, we've seen some companies and individuals use the scarcity of tests and images of empty shelves as an opportunity to lift their prices, so we would ask the ACCC to keep a close eye on retailers to make sure they don't bump up prices above any movements in the farm gate price of fresh fruit and vegetables."
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Mr Jackson also joined the chorus of voices calling for greater availability of rapid antigen tests, saying a lack of them was contributing to the broader supply chain issues, as well as affecting farm production.
He said the tests would allow farmers to keep sick workers at home and healthy workers in the field.
"We've seen some positive announcements, but the fact remains that the fresh food we enjoy is grown on Australian farms, and if our farmers can't get it out of their fields it won't make it to supermarket shelves," Mr Jackson said.
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"What's needed most is expedited supply of tests for farmers so they can keep the food flowing to Aussie families.
"We need the agriculture sector – including harvest workers and those in the meat processing sectors, as well as those in transport and handling – to get prioritised access to Rapid Antigen Testing in the latest outbreak, lest we return to the scenes of early 2020 when customers were stockpiling food items."
Supermarkets say panic buying not the problem
Photos emerged last week of shelves stripped bare in supermarkets in major cities.
Coles brought in buying limits on several products, with customers now limited to two packs each of chicken breasts and chicken thighs – or six pieces from the deli.
Two-pack limits also apply to mince and sausages, while customers are allowed one rapid antigen test apiece.
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Woolworths CEO Brad Banducci outlined the impact the spread of Omicron had made across the supply chain.
"Unlike the surge buying of early 2020 (who could forget the toilet paper), this is because of the number of people in our supply chain in isolation – from suppliers to truck drivers and distribution centre team members – which in turn is causing material delays to store deliveries," Mr Banducci said.
"To give you a sense of the magnitude of the challenge, we are experiencing COVID-driven absences of 20 per cent-plus in our distribution centres and 10 per cent-plus in our stores."
Aldi has also said there have been additional pressures in securing store supply, but like Woolworths, it has not yet introduced buying limits.