Author: Starvision News Desk

Canberra, Sep 27 (IANS) Australia’s rate of inflation accelerated to 5.2 per cent in the 12 months to August, up from 4.9 per cent in the year to July as a result of growing housing and transport costs, the statistics bureau said on Wednesday.According to data published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), a 7.7 per cent increase in transport costs and a 6.6 percent increase in housing prices between August 2022 and August 2023 were the biggest drivers of the CPI spike, reports Xinhua news agency.Food and non-alcoholic beverage prices increased 4.4 per cent in the same period,…

Wellington, Sep 27 (IANS) The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) has launched the final policy consultation on the review of the Insurance (Prudential Supervision) Act 2010 (IPSA).This omnibus consultation sets out a full set of proposals for amending the legislation. It is based on feedback from earlier consultations and is the final policy consultation for the IPSA review, reports Xinhua news agency.RBNZ Deputy Governor Christian Hawkesby said the Reserve Bank’s prudential supervision of insurance promotes a sound and efficient insurance sector in New Zealand and promotes public confidence in the sector.”The proposed changes will support the Reserve Bank’s evolution…

Washington, Sep 27 (IANS) US Border Patrol agents found an abandoned two-month-old infant at the country’s border with Mexico near Rio Grande City, Texas, an official said.In a post on X, Chief Patrol Agent Gloria Chavez said on Tuesday: “Rio Grande City Border Partol Agents find a 2-month-old child left abandoned at the border! This is a chilling reminder of how children are being exploited by human smugglers & criminal organizations every day.”This is not the first time that a child was found abandoned or dead at the border, reports Xinhua news agency.Just days ago, a three-year-old boy’s body was…

Lucknow, Sep 27 (IANS) The Indian Institute of Technology-Kanpur (IITK) has developed an affordable, unobstructive and compact technology that can monitor lung health of patients continuously.The technology has been developed by a group of inventors from IIT-Kanpur, IIT-Kharagpur, and the International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Naya Raipur and is financially supported by the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).The technology is already patented. The system includes an acoustic mask with highly sensitive sound sensors and an intelligent corded device to sense the inaudible breathing sounds from the user’s mouth and nose.The corded device consists of a wi-fi…

Wellington, Sep 27 (IANS) Eight out of the 10 warmest years ever recorded in New Zealand up to 2022 have been within the last decade, the country’s statistics department said on Wednesday.”Average annual temperatures have increased nationwide in the last century and 2022 was the warmest year on record,” said Stats NZ’s senior manager of environment and agricultural statistics Stuart Jones.Data collected over the last 114 years from sites across New Zealand show long-term changes in climate, with the trend of temperatures increasing, Xinhua news agency quoted Jones as saying.New Zealand’s annual average temperature rose by 1.26 degrees Celsius between…

Toronto, Sep 27 (IANS) Dismissing a media report which claimed that there was a delay in initial response to the fatal shooting of hard-line Khalistan leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said its officers reached the scene within four minutes of the incident. The clarification from the RCMP’s Surrey division came after a Washington Post report said on Monday that at least six people and two vehicles were involved in the murder of Nijjar in the parking lot of a gurdwara in Surrey on June 18. Quoting witnesses, the report said that it took between 12…

Washington, Sep 27 (IANS) US retail giant Target announced that it will close nine stores in major cities across the country, after grappling with violence, theft and organised crime.The company announced on Tuesday that it will close one store in New York City, two in Seattle, three in the San Francisco-Oakland area and three more in Portland, Oregon, reports Xinhua news agency. These locations will be permanently closed on October 21, according to CNBC.”We cannot continue operating these stores because theft and organised retail crime are threatening the safety of our team and guests, and contributing to unsustainable business performance,”…

Washington, Sep 27 (IANS) Negotiations between the US United Auto Workers (UAW) and the ‘Big Three’ automakers continued as President Joe Biden visited a picket line outside a General Motors parts distribution centre in thestate of Michigan, while his predecessor Donald Trump announced a visit to the state on Wednesday to show his support to the striking workers.”You made a lot of sacrifice. You gave up a lot when the companies were in trouble. Now, they’re doing incredibly well… You should be doing incredibly well, too,” Biden said on Tuesday — 12th day of the union’s strike, amid applause from…

Singapore, Sep 27 (IANS) A 34-year-old Indian national died after being hit by a steel bar at a construction site in Singapore where he worked.The worker was performing cable-pulling work when a steel stand that was supporting a cable drum gave way, leading to the accident on Sunday afternoon in Pasir Ris Industrial Drive 1, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said.“As a general safety measure, the cable drum and its supporting structure must be stable and secured during cabling works,” MOM said, adding that it is investigating the fatal accident.A cable drum is a round, cylindrical object used to carry…

Seoul, Sep 27 (IANS) A Seoul court on Wednesday rejected an arrest warrant sought for South Korean opposition leader Lee Jae-myung over corruption charges, a decision that averted the biggest crisis yet for the former presidential candidate.The Seoul Central District Court made the decision following a hearing attended by Lee, chair of the Democratic Party (DP), reports Yonhap News Agency. It marked the first time the leader of South Korea’s main opposition party has attended an arrest warrant hearing.”In comprehensive consideration of the degree to which the defendant’s right to defense is needed and the extent of concerns about the…