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Connecting Communities Through News.
Tukaha Cooper of the Southland Sharks, 2025. Photo: PHOTOSPORT Breakers development player Tukaha Cooper has been banned from basketball for a month after testing positive for cannabis. The Sport Integrity Commission Te Kahu Raunui tested Cooper after the Southland Sharks National Basketball League game against Saints in Wellington on 20 July. The commission’s statement said…
New Zealand’s Grace Wisnewski in action during the OFC U-19 Women’s Championship 2019. Photo: Photosport After time out of the game with serious injury and to focus on her mental health, Grace Wisnewski is falling back in love with football. The Football Fern has just returned to Australia as the Kiwis prepare to take on…
New Zealand golfer Ryan Fox. Photo: Matthew Harris / PHOTOSPORT The holiday is over for Ryan Fox and the Kiwi golfer is gearing up for what he hopes will be an even better 2026. Fox completed his second full season on the PGA Tour with two victories and a top 40 finish in the 2025…
Russian figure skaters Adeliia Petrosian and Petr Gumennik have won the qualifiers for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games after standout performances in China on Sunday. Both are set to compete as neutral athletes in next yearโs Games in Italy due to ongoing Ukraine-related sanctions against Russia. Gumennik racked up 262.82 points to capture the menโs…
Think โSesame Streetโ but with death, depression, and existential dread. At first glance, it looks like any other childrenโs cartoon: Round, brightly colored animals teaching kids to share, be polite, and cross the street safely. But Russiaโs most beloved animated series, โSmesharikiโ โ released internationally as โKikoRikiโ and in the US as โGoGoRikiโ or โBalloonToonsโ…
Chancellor Rachel Reeves said she had accepted recommendations from the Low Pay Commission so that those on low incomes are โproperly rewardedโ for their work. From next April, the National Living Wage will rise by 4.1% to ยฃ12.71 an hour for eligible workers aged 21 and over, which the Government said will increase gross annual…
R & P Flower House, run by Rebecca Eldrett and Alyssa Findlay, has relocated to the chapel at Duncombe Cemetery in Ferryhill. The move comes after responding to an advertising campaign for vacant properties by Ferryhill Town Council. Rebecca Eldrett and Alyssa Findlay, co-owners of the business, said: “We are absolutely delighted to continue our…
The MP blamed โa dentistry desertโ. In his reply, the PM, Keir Starmer, agreed with her, congratulating her on her efforts in gaining extra funding and going onto criticise the last Conservative government for lack of funding. Putting aside the politics, his reply was a little disappointing, but not surprising, that he failed to state…
A dramatic cap on salary sacrifice pension benefits are expected in the forthcoming Budget, which some have dubbed a ‘stealth tax rise in Employer National Insurance’. This could potentially see the allowance slashed to just ยฃ2,000 a year. If the government really cares about getting rid of tax distortions in the pension system and raising…
Chancellor Rachel Reeves will take to the House of Commons at 12.30pm on Wednesday (November 26) to deliver the Autumn Budget. Setting out the state of the country’s finances, the state of the economy, as well as taxes and plans for public spending, Reeves is widely expected to pull the lever on tax hikes in…
