Obama shifts resources to US border

The border fence between Nogales, Arizona and Sonora, Mexico President Barack Obama has directed immigration resources towards the US border with Mexico. The US president announced he will use his own powers to "fix as much of our broken immigration system as we can". The move comes as Republicans told Mr Obama a sweeping immigration bill passed by the Senate last year will not see a vote in the House this year. ...

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Hobby Lobby case: Court curbs contraception mandate

The highly politicised case drew lively demonstrations outside the court building in Washington The US Supreme Court has ruled a Christian-owned company can claim a religious exemption to a law requiring employers to pay for their workers' contraception. The owners of craft chain Hobby Lobby and others argued the mandate in President Barack Obama's healthcare law violated their religious beliefs. The...

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Israel: Hamas 'will pay price' after teenagers found dead

The three teenagers' bodies were discovered in a pit near the town of Halhul Israel has vowed retribution against Hamas, the militant Palestinian group it accuses of the kidnap and murder of three teenagers. The bodies of Naftali Frenkel, Gilad Shaar and Eyal Yifrach were found on Monday evening, after they had been missing for more than a fortnight. Israel PM Benyamin Netanyahu said: "Hamas is responsible and Hamas...

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House prices v your pay

How they compare Even young middle-income households face an impossible task now.Alan Johnson, Salvation Army Kiwi wages have risen $34 . 53 on average in the past year while house prices have skyrocketed $38,000. The dramatic comparison of real estate prices outstripping people’s pay is revealed in Massey University’s Home Affordability Report quarterly survey, released yesterday. Herald grap Written by Professor...

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Tech kingpin a smart idea for NZ

A chief technology officer for the country could identify big issues and own a national strategy, writes Barack Obama has one. So do many large companies. The chief technology officer’s role, for the US at least, is to apply technology to help create jobs, reduce the cost of health care, help keep the nation secure and increase access to broadband. Picture / Alan Gibson The focus during the past three years has been on implementing...

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She’s been married 50 years – so why do people still ask Dolly if she prefers girls?

DOLLY PARTON famously pleaded with Jolene, the woman in the song, not to steal her man ‘ just because you can’. Hello Dolly: The country star wows Glastonbury. Above, with Carl in the early years. Right, friend Judy Ogle Jolene had ‘ beauty beyond compare’ and ‘ flaming locks of auburn hair with ivory skin and eyes of emerald green’ — in short, a femme fatale of the most dangerous kind, against whom even the ravishingly...

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Sex with student: Teacher gets jail of 4 years, 9 months

THE head of a school’s department of character and citizenship was jailed for four years and nine months yesterday for having an affair with a student 16 years his junior. The 33-year-old teacher, who held a local merit scholarship, was sleeping with the then 15year-old at the same time he was planning to be married, which nearly drove the girl to suicide. Now unemployed, he pleaded guilty to one...

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Caliphate: Muslims must back us

The al Qaeda breakaway group that has seized much of northeastern Syria and huge tracts of neighbouring Iraq formally declared a new Islamic state yesterday. Holy huddle: Indonesia. The Sunni extremist group has carved out a chunk of territory that has effectively erased the border between Iraq and Syria. But the declaration, made on the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, could trigger...

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THE detractors of Abbott’s paid parental leave scheme are hiding behind a thin veil of two-faced duplicity

Public servants already enjoy generous parental leave schemes NOW I am no fan of Tony Abbott’s proposed paid parental leave scheme. But, frankly, the stench of hypocrisy coming from Labor, the trade unions and leftwing commentators is close to overpowering. Take the stance of Labor parliamentarians, led by former trade unionist, Bill Shorten. Perhaps his team needs reminding that it was Labor’s Gough Whitlam who introduced...

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Guilty: Rolf Harris faces jail

AMID dramatic scenes of shock, Australian showman Rolf Harris has been found guilty of all 12 child sex charges in a London court. Harris faces a jail term, the length of which will be determined by Justice Nigel Sweeney on Friday and depending on a medical report that will be provided in the coming days. “The type of sentence in mind is a custodial sentence, and he must be aware of that,’’ the judge said. Daughter Bindi Harris sat open mouthed while Harris’s niece Jenny just shook...

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Bust building firm partners trade blame for homeowners’ woes

The sole director of a Christchurch building firm that went bust owing hundreds of thousands of dollars to homeowners has laid a complaint with police about his business partners. Steve Hicks is at odds with his Tectonic Construction Ltd business partners Levi and Asher Davey over who is responsible for the company’s downfall. Police are investigating. The Press previously reported that Erica McLachlan paid Tectonic Construction more than $220,000 in advances for a land and house package in Kaiapoi’s Silverstream...

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China has to know: did we fund PUP?

DID the People’s Republic of China unknowingly bankroll the Palmer United Party’s balance-of-power-achieving success in the federal election last September? This is the question that Tony Abbott, China’s political leadership in Beijing and a small army of lawyers in Perth and Brisbane are now asking with increasingly serious concerns about where it will all lead. As a result of new filings in the Supreme...

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Malaysian envoy in sex case

Outcry erupts as Wellington wants diplomat tried under its laws New Zealand wants diplomat tried under its laws but he has returned home. A Malaysian diplomat who is said to have sexually assaulted a 21-year-old woman at her home in Wellington has been recalled, but New Zealand is demanding that he be sent back to face charges there. The incident has created a public outcry in New Zealand, with Prime Minister John...

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Around 30 migrants found dead on boat near Sicily

(Reuters) – As many as 30 corpses were found on a boat packed with migrants off the coast of Sicily, Italy’s navy said on Monday after rescuing thousands of people trying to cross from North Africa over the weekend. The dead are thought to have either suffocated on the overcrowded fishing vessel or drowned, the navy said. The discovery on Sunday underlined the scale of the crisis in the southern Mediterranean, where hundreds have died in the past year making the journey to Europe, and tens of thousands more have...

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Sunni insurgent group Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) Declares Themselves an Islamic State

                                                               Dhaka,30 June, Deily Newspaper : Sunni insurgent group Islamic State...

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During the month of Ramadan Commerce ministry directs for stern action against bazaar manipulators

Dhaka,30 June,Abnews: Commerce Ministry has directed the authorities concerned to take stern action against the people who will try to make the market instable through manipulation during the month of Ramadan. The ministry passed the directive at an urgent meeting with the heads of monitoring teams at the conference room. Senior Secretary of the ministry Mahbub Ahmed chaired the meeting.A total of 14 monitoring teams of the ministry are...

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Nigeria 'raids Boko Haram cell linked to abductions'

Boko Haram has said it will not free the girls until authorities release all imprisoned militants Nigeria's military says it has raided a Boko Haram intelligence unit thought to be linked to the recent abduction of more than 200 schoolgirls. The cell leader Babuji Ya'ari was arrested, a military statement said. Mr Ya'ari had been actively involved in the seizure of the girls as well as the killing in May of a traditional...

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BNP Paribas to pay $9bn to settle sanctions violations

In April, the bank said it had set aside $1.1bn to cover the cost of US penalties France's largest bank BNP Paribas has agreed to a record $9bn (£5.1bn) settlement with US prosecutors over allegations of sanctions violations. As part of the deal, the bank will plead guilty to two criminal charges of breaking US sanctions against trade with Sudan, Iran and Cuba. It will also be prevented from clearing certain transactions...

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Toronto Mayor Rob Ford: Rehab saved my life

Some onlookers said Ford appeared to be slimmer on his return to work Toronto Mayor Rob Ford has returned to work after two months of "intensive treatment" for drug and alcohol abuse, which he described as life-saving. In a speech at city hall, he told reporters he felt "ashamed, embarrassed and humiliated" by his actions. He admitted last year to smoking crack cocaine but is seeking re-election. On Monday,...

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Germany through after Algeria scare

Algeria gave Germany an unexpected scare before two extra-time goals sent the three-time champions into a ninth successive World Cup quarter-final. The Africans had Germany rattled for long spells but Andre Schurrle's inventive flick from Thomas...

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Beyonce tops Forbes celebrity power list

Beyonce is currently touring the US with her husband Jay-Z Beyonce has topped the Forbes celebrity power list for the first time since her debut on the list in 2004. The singer, who has earned an estimated $115m (£67.4m) in the last year, was joined by her husband Jay-Z at number 6, who made $60m (£35.1m). The pair are currently on a joint tour of the US. Last year, they were named the highest-earning celebrity...

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