China leaves Huawei founder off honor roll marking 40 years of economic success

In the lead up to China’s 40th anniversary of reforms and opening up, People’s Daily, the mouthpiece of the ruling Communist Party, published a list on Monday commending 100 extraordinary contributors to the country’s economic development. Familiar names like Jack Ma of ecommerce operator Alibaba as well as Pony Ma of gaming and social networking […]

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Watch Rocket Lab send its first commercial rocket to space

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The private space race is heating up.

U.S. and New Zealand spaceflight company Rocket Lab successfully completed its first commercial launch called “It’s Business Time” on Sunday, sending seven payloads to orbit.

Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket lifted off from Launch Complex 1 on New Zealand’s Māhia Peninsula at 4:50 p.m., shortly reaching orbit afterward.

Rocket Lab’s second orbital Electron mission #ItsBusinessTime. A successful launch and more payloads on orbit. We’re opening access to spacepic.twitter.com/0HgJ1aNtdS

— Rocket Lab (@RocketLab) November 11, 2018 Read more…

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With $50M in fresh funding, Allbirds will open new stores in the US, UK and Asia

Allbirds’ wool runners have been a VC favorite since the beginning. Now, the company is worth $1.4 billion.

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Gogoprint raises $7.7M to expand its online printing business in Asia Pacific

Gogoprint, a startup that is aiming to disrupt the traditional printing industry in Southeast Asia, has pulled in a $7.7 million investment as it prepares to expand its business in Asia Pacific. We first profiled Gogoprint in 2016 soon after its launch the previous year, and since then the Bangkok-based company has expanded beyond Thailand […]

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Of course, New Zealand’s Prime Minister tried to get a role on ‘Lord of the Rings’

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The Lord of the Rings trilogy is a topic that seemingly gets brought up with New Zealanders a lot, even with the country’s prime minister. 

Jacinda Ardern dropped by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Wednesday night, revealing that she had been knocked back for a role on the movie, as she lived close to where the films were shot.

“I do find it slightly offensive that everyone thinks that every New Zealander starred in either Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit,” Ardern said. “Some of us auditioned but weren’t successful, OK? That’s all I’m going to say.”

Aside from other discussing matters like Trump’s steel tariffs and diplomats laughing at him at the United Nations, Ardern seems pretty down to Earth — especially for a world leader.  Read more…

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New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern brings baby to UN General Assembly, makes history

Three months ago, Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand’s prime minister, gave birth to her daughter Neve while running a country. 
Now, Ardern and baby Neve are making history at the UN general assembly. 
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New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is putting children first

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“If you ask me why I’m in politics, my answer will be simple: children,” New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told the audience at Mashable’s 9th annual Social Good Summit on Sept. 23.

On the one-year anniversary of the general election that elevated her to power, Ardern spoke about one of her greatest passions as a politician: helping kids. 

“When I came into office, somewhat surprisingly, I did so with the single-minded determination to improve the lives of children in New Zealand,” she said, speaking alongside the executive director of UNICEF, Henrietta Fore. 

“As one of our 12 priorities as a government we want to make New Zealand the best place in the world to be a child,” Ardern said. “Not to raise children, but to be a child.” Read more…

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New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern & Nobel Peace Laureate Leymah Gbowee join 2018 Social Good Summit lineup

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It’s not every day that you get the chance to hear from international heads of government alongside comedians, Nobel laureates, and Bollywood stars alike. But then, the Social Good Summit isn’t your everyday forum.

Hosted at New York’s 92nd Street Y on Sunday, Sept. 23, the 2018 Social Good Summit seeks to connect anyone with a vision for a better world with today’s leaders, innovators, and activistsGeneral Admission and Student tickets are still available, and with newly announced speakers —including New Zealand MP Jacinda Ardern and Nobel Peace Laureate Leymah Gbowee — on the agenda, you’ll want to make sure you’re there. Read more…

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Pacific Islands ask U.S. to rejoin Paris Accord, deeming climate change ‘the single greatest threat’ to the region

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Australia, New Zealand, and nations of the Pacific Islands are calling on the U.S. to return to the landmark Paris Agreement on climate change after Donald Trump officially withdrew the country from it last year. They’ve also signed an agreement deeming climate change “the single greatest threat” to the region.

This all happened during the 49th Pacific Islands Forum — a gathering of leaders from large islands like Australia and New Zealand, as well as smaller ones like Samoa, Vanuatu, Tonga, New Caledonia, and the Marshall Islands — which took place on the island of Nauru on Thursday. Read more…

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New Zealand politician casually cycled to hospital to give birth

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Sundays are usually a lazy, uneventful affair for many of us.

Not for the 42-week pregnant New Zealand Minister for Women, Julie Anne Genter, who made her way to hospital for an induction.

That’s all very normal, except perhaps for her mode of transportation. Instead of getting in a car, she cycled to the hospital instead.

“My partner and I cycled because there wasn’t enough room in the car for the support crew… but it also put me in the best possible mood!” she wrote on Instagram.

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