How does anyone manage to carry on an extramarital affair in a pandemic with the constant threat of a call from a COVID-19 contact tracer threatening to blow their cover? Why does Netflix drag out a perfectly adequate two-hour movie into eight hour-longepisodes and then a second series? How did anyone manage to do anything sneaky this year with all […]

Kim Jong-un watches Hwasong-14 get erected in 2017 Kim Jong-un’s secretive nation has been subject to UN sanctions since 2006 over its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. The US imposed sanctions back in 2017 following the launch of a ballistic missile from Pyongyang. While the Security Council has steadily strengthened sanctions, UN monitors reported this year that North Korea continued […]

Iran could be 'pushed' by US to make nuclear bomb says expert World War 3 fears have been reignited as an expert warned that in the future Iran may attempt to build a nuclear bomb to stave off the US in the Middle East. Dr Pupak Mohebali, an expert from Iran International, owned by Volant Media, explained the many reasons […]

Angela Merkel outlines plans for European Health Union The centre-right politician became Chancellor of Germans 15 years ago in 2005. During the pandemic Germany has recorded 1.35m coronavirus cases and 33,230 fatalities. Ms Merkel typically delivers an annual televised address to the German people to mark the new year. She commented: “In nine months, a parliamentary election will take place and […]

Police in Whangamatā have today arrested a 54-year-old local man and charged him with inciting disorderly behaviour after the riot last night that damaged a local cafe. A police spokeswoman said this related to live streaming the riot on the Blackies Cafe on social media, which allegedly captured the man inciting disorder in what was already a “challenging” policing environment. […]

Nobody believes it was ET phoning, but radio astronomers admit they do not have an explanation yet for a beam of radio waves that apparently came from the direction of the star Proxima Centauri. “It’s some sort of technological signal. The question is whether it’s Earth technology or technology from somewhere out yonder,” said Sofia Sheikh, a graduate student at […]

Rome: No light show illuminated Beijing from the top of the TV tower. St Peter's in Rome was almost empty for vespers. London's Trafalgar Square, Moscow's Red Square, Madrid's Puerta del Sol and New York's Times Square were all barricaded off. Good riddance, 2020. Hello, 2021. While some cities would launch fireworks over empty streets, others, such as London and […]

Farewell to the Mailman with the magic pen: Tributes pour in after Mail cartoonist Ken Mahood dies at 90 Moving tributes were paid yesterday to the brilliant and charismatic former Mail cartoonist Ken Mahood, who has died aged 90. Fondly remembered for his generosity and kindness as well as for his award-winning work, he passed away peacefully in St Thomas’ […]

NO ONE could ever have predicted the horrors of the past year. But as we stagger into 2021, we can at least look forward to a host of new trends, from virtual happy hours, travel and, er, foreplay, to mullets, DIY pampering and digital fashion filters. Kathryn Bishop, foresight editor at business forecast consultants The Future Laboratory, already knows what […]