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Newsroom
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Newsroom
How to ride a horse, if you don't have a horse
Alastair Goodwin remembers standing in front of an obstacle course, hobby horse in hand, and questioning the choices that had led him and his co-founder to that spot. 'We were the biggest sceptics … The couple of hours before we started we were just like, 'What the hell are we doing?'.' But after the event kicked off and crowds started lining the perimeters of the course, Goodwin, who co-founded Hobby Horsing New Zealand with Tony Sundman, tells The Detail all his worries evaporated. 'It's like, sceptics be damned, people have a really good time and a lot of people have a good laugh.' The children's hobby of 'riding' a stick with a horse head on it has been around for centuries but it wasn't until the early 2000s that it began to be taken more seriously. A group of children sitting with their hobby horses at Whanganui's hobby horsing competition. Photo: Alastair Goodwin Finland was the first country to embrace it, and the sport there is largely dominated by pre-teen girls. Oscar-nominated Finnish filmmaker Selma Vilhunen is widely credited with bringing the sport into the mainstream with her 2017 film, Hobbyhorse Revolution. While it sounds like a bizarre game of childhood make-believe, hobby horsing is taken incredibly seriously in some parts of the world. The horses are often handmade, and the goal is to make them look as realistic as possible. Many riders will train for different events, competing in the likes of dressage, show jumping, and western riding. In the past couple of decades the sport has taken off. It's estimated that about 10,000 Finnish people take part, and it's on the rise here as well. 'We get a lot of emails from people setting up [events] around the place and I know there's another organisation over in Hawkes Bay that does it,' says Goodwin. 'It is building, which is bizarre.' But, he says it's a lot more laidback here. 'We're just trying to promote it as a concept and if people want to run with it and do the kind of high-end level of it then that's good for them,' he says. Another sport rising in the ranks of popularity here is pickleball. The sport is a mix of tennis, badminton and table tennis, and has nothing to do with pickles. 'Three dads were at home with their kids during winter, and the kids were bored and the dads were getting a bit frustrated so they thought, 'Right, let's see what we can find,' and they made the game of pickleball up,' says Ange Brady, the Hawkes Bay representative on the board of the Pickleball Association of New Zealand. The game is designed to include the whole family, from grandchild to grandparent. 'Generally it's played in doubles,' Brady says. 'You've got two people each side of the net and you can only score a point off your serve.' But while it began as a fun family sport, pickleball has evolved. Brady says both America and Australia have professional league teams, and there's an annual world cup competition. New Zealand sent two teams over to last year's world cup. The open team made it to the quarter finals and the 50+ team came second out of the 22 participating countries. There's even talk of it becoming an Olympic sport, but for that to happen Brady says there need to be some changes at the governing level. 'There are currently two governing bodies for pickleball across the world. 'We need to have one governing body for the sport and a bit of consistency of what that looks like around the world, because you obviously need to have criteria that you would meet across all of the countries in order to select the team,' she says. Whether or not it makes an appearance at a future Olympic games, Brady says pickleball is a sport for everyone. 'I hear stories of kids lining up at lunchtime and morning tea time to play at schools, and then we've got pickleball available all through the day for everybody right through until the evening for those who still have to work a full-time job, and then across the weekends. 'Once you start playing, you just find your people.' Check out how to listen to and follow The Detail here. You can also stay up-to-date by liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter.
3 hours ago
- Business
Roadless Rule repeal will help economically struggling Alaskan communities: senators
The Roadless Rule has never fit Alaska, so I welcome this effort to rescind it, Murkowski (R-Alaska) said in a statement on Tuesday. The Roadless Rule was set up in 2001 during the administration of then-President Bill Clinton. The initiative put strict limits on road construction and logging in designated wilderness areas across the U.S., including the Tongass National Forest, which covers nearly 17 million acres in southeast Alaska. The rule's restrictions have long been a point of tension for Alaskans with some arguing that the majority of the Tongass is already protected under other conservation laws, and that further restrictions hinder economic growth for the small rural communities in the forest. Even without the rule in place, nearly 80 percent of the Tongass National Forest will still be explicitly restricted from development, Murkowski said. Repeal will not lead to environmental harm, but it will help open needed opportunities for renewable energy, forestry, mining, tourism, and more in areas that are almost completely under federal control. This is particularly critical for our continued efforts to build a sustainable year-round economy in Southeast Alaska. 'Aligning with Trump Administration's deregulation agenda' The announcement came after U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins confirmed the USDA's plan to put aside the nationwide rule. The action is in line with a series of initiatives introduced by the Trump administration aimed at reducing bureaucracy they argue is hindering business and innovation in the country. The first Trump administration granted Alaska an exemption from the rule in 2020, but the Biden administration reversed that in 2023. Once again, President Trump is removing absurd obstacles to common sense management of our natural resources by rescinding the overly restrictive Roadless Rule, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said on Monday. This move opens a new era of consistency and sustainability for our nation's forests. Will be a boost business: senator Alaska's leaders say the repeal will be a big win for the state's small communities and economy as a whole. Since 2001, this rule has hindered Alaskans' ability to responsibly harvest timber, develop minerals, connect communities, or build energy projects at lower costs—including renewable energy projects like hydropower, which are especially critical to economic opportunities in Southeast Alaska surrounded by the Tongass National Forest, Sen. Sullivan (R-Alaska) said. I am grateful that the Trump administration is once again rescinding this rule to put Alaskans back in the driver's seat to make a living, support our families, and connect our communities while protecting our lands and growing our economy. Comments, tips or story ideas? Contact Eilís at Related stories from around the North: Canada: N.W.T. forests absorb more carbon than territory emits — most of the time (new window) , CBC News Finland: Finnish government buys naturally diverse historical island from forestry giant, (new window) Yle News Norway: World's northernmost coal power plant shuts down (new window) , The Independent Barents Observer Russia: Arctic national park expands, becomes Russia's biggest (new window) , The Independent Barents Observer Sweden: Ancient Swedish forests cut down at fast pac (new window) e, Radio Sweden Eye on the Arctic (new window)
Hindustan Times
4 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Cyber criminal takes chips seller on Chandigarh holiday to access bank account
A gang of cyber fraudsters took a 27-year-old chips seller on a six-day all-expenses-paid trip to Chandigarh, gave him ₹ 50,000 in cash, and used his bank account as a mule to route ₹ 1.93 crore siphoned from victims across multiple cities, including Gurugram, police said on Friday. The seller, identified as Sumit Kumar from Narnaul, was arrested on Tuesday. (Representational image) The seller, identified as Sumit Kumar from Narnaul, was arrested on Tuesday during the investigation of an investment fraud case lodged by a Gurugram-based telecom engineer. Police said Sumit's bank account was used to launder funds between May 28 and June 3, during which time the fraudsters kept him entertained at a Chandigarh hotel. The suspect had made Sumit stay at Hotel Greenland in Sector-125, Chandigarh, which has a room rent of upto ₹ 5000 per day. As per police officials, it was for the first time that Sumit was staying in a hotel, that too, outside his hometown and out of excitement, he didn't even care to check what was the hotel name where he was put up. He had the privilege to order the costliest food Chinese and visible in the menu along with different desserts after lunch and dinner besides ordering Indian and foreign liquor via room service. Investigators said that the suspect spent somewhere around ₹ 55,000 on the overall stay at the hotel and food to operate for the cybercrime gang along with paying ₹ 50,000 to Sumit for providing his account access to the gang. Investigators said that ₹ 21.33 lakh out of the ₹ 1.93 crore was part of a ₹ 70.26 lakh sum stolen from a 52-year-old telecom engineer living in Sector 71. The victim, an employee of a Finnish communication device company, was duped between April 22 and June 2 through an investment scam. He registered an FIR at the Cybercrime police station (south) on June 9. As per police, Kumar was on two-day police remand for interrogation till Friday during which he disclosed details of the suspects including the who had accompanied him to Chandigarh. 'He was promised good food, liquor and a nice hotel, and all expenses were taken care of. Once they reached Chandigarh on May 28, Mohit took possession of Sumit's account credentials and phone. Over the next six days, crores were routed through his account, which Mohit and his gang remitted to other accounts,' said Sandeep Kumar, Gurugram police PRO. Sumit was largely kept uninvolved in the details of the scam. 'He enjoyed the trip, unaware of the full scale of the fraud, but complicit in allowing his account to be used,' Kumar said. Upon returning to Mahendragarh, Sumit was paid ₹ 50,000 in cash for 'renting' his account, and Mohit vanished. Police recovered Sumit's phone and two SIM cards linked to the transactions. Raids are on to arrest Mohit and his accomplices.
The Star
7 hours ago
- Politics
- The Star
Finnish Samis urge stronger voice in EU decision-making
HELSINKI, June 27 (Xinhua) -- Representatives of the Finnish Sami community called for stronger Indigenous participation in European Union (EU) policymaking at the EU Arctic Forum held Friday in Kittila, northern Finland. Tuomas Aslak Juuso, vice president of the Sami Parliament in Finland, emphasized that EU policies significantly influence the daily lives of the Samis - from climate adaptation to cross-border trade - yet the Sami people currently lack a direct mechanism to shape those policies. He noted that while the EU formally recognized the special status of the Samis in Finland's EU accession treaty, a legal foundation that protects Indigenous rights such as reindeer herding, recent initiatives like the European Green Deal have frequently failed to reflect the needs of Indigenous communities. The Samis have long advocated for permanent parliamentary representation in Brussels and a formal partnership between the Sami Parliamentary Council (SPC) and the European Parliament. However, Juuso pointed out that the EU still lacks an internal policy on Indigenous peoples. He further urged the creation of dedicated EU funding mechanisms to support Sami adaptation and strengthen community resilience. Such funds, he argued, should directly address the impacts of climate change on traditional livelihoods like reindeer herding, fishing, and handicrafts. Also speaking at the forum, former Finnish President Tarja Halonen highlighted the importance of protecting Indigenous rights and ensuring their active role in shaping EU policies. "The cultural heritage and knowledge of Indigenous peoples are essential to the resilience of ecosystems - both in the Arctic and globally," Halonen said. She warned that despite contributing the least to environmental degradation, Indigenous communities are disproportionately affected by climate change, land degradation, and biodiversity loss, particularly in the rapidly warming Arctic region. The Samis are the only recognized Indigenous people within the EU, with their traditional homeland spanning the northern regions of Finland, Norway, Sweden, and parts of Russia. The EU Arctic Forum runs from June 26 to 27, with side events scheduled on June 25 and 28.
Arabian Post
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Arabian Post
Finnish Rock Icons The Rasmus to Ignite Dubai Stage
Finnish rock band The Rasmus will perform at The Agenda in Dubai on 27 October 2025, as part of their expansive Weirdo Tour, marking their sole Middle East appearance that year. Doors open at 19:00 with the concert slated to begin at 20:00, promising a two‑hour set blending classic hits and new material, with tickets starting from AED 300. Formed in Helsinki in 1994, The Rasmus rose to global prominence with their third studio album, Into, and the breakthrough record Dead Letters, buoyed by the enduring anthem 'In the Shadows'. Core members Lauri Ylönen, Eero Heinonen, Aki Hakala and guitarist Emppu Suhonen continue to define their signature fusion of hard‑edged guitar riffs and electronic-pop sensibilities. Their forthcoming eleventh album, teased by Ylönen as the band's heaviest and darkest project yet, is expected to feature prominently in the Dubai setlist. Speaking to fans, Ylönen said, 'It represents our new sound… it's shaping up to be the heaviest and darkest album of our career to date!'. ADVERTISEMENT The Weirdo Tour 2025 spans multiple continents, including headline dates in Greece, Germany, the UK, France and Mexico, with Dubai serving as its exclusive regional stop. Tour promoters highlight the performance at The Agenda as a marquee highlight in their calendar, underscoring Dubai's growing stature as a pivotal music hub. Concert ticketing is in full swing via local platforms such as Platinumlist, where prices start at AED 300. The event is strictly for audiences aged 18 and above, aligning with venue policy. The location, situated on Abdullah Omran Taryam Street, is accessible by car, public transport or ride-hailing, with proximity to the Dubai Internet City metro station. Industry analysts suggest the Dubai stop highlights the band's strategic outreach to growing markets in the Middle East and Asia. The Rasmus has a strong fan base in the region, bolstered by extensive touring history in Asia and successful chart performances. The band's international sales exceed four million albums, and they boast numerous accolades, including the MTV Europe Music Award for Best Nordic Act. Critical reception traces their evolution from gothic-tinged rock to a polished amalgamation of hard rock, pop, and electronic layers. Fans on platforms such as Bandsintown praise their live presence; one review of a North American show noted: 'they're really cool… down to earth'. Reviews spotlight not only their musicianship but also their dynamic stage engagement. Dubai's live music infrastructure has expanded significantly, and The Agenda sits at the city's cultural epicentre, offering state-of-the-art acoustics and production capability. Local concertgoers will likely benefit from the venue's curated amenities and strategic location amid Dubai's entertainment district. Organisers emphasise that this concert is a one-night-only experience, urging fans to act swiftly to secure tickets. Merchandise booths are expected to feature limited-edition tour gear, aligning with The Rasmus's established merchandising approach observed in prior tour stops. With their roots firmly planted in 1990s alternative rock and a career characterised by reinvention, The Rasmus now stand at an inflection point. Their forthcoming album and accompanying stage presentation have sparked anticipation among long-term followers and a newer generation discovering their evolving sound. This Dubai show offers a snapshot of that transformation—a fusion of nostalgia and forward momentum. Fans planning to attend are advised to arrive early and prepare for a full evening of high-octane performance, combining beloved hits such as 'In the Shadows', 'Guilty' and 'Livin' in a World Without You' with previews of their latest musical offering. As articulated by Ylönen, the atmosphere is expected to reflect the band's 'family' ethos: intimate, energetic and unifying. Reflecting on The Rasmus's longevity, their adaptability is evident: transitioning through line-up changes, genre shifts and the evolving digital landscape, they continue to harness a dedicated fan base across continents. The Dubai concert will serve as a case study in how veteran bands can recalibrate for modern relevance while maintaining core identity. No supporting acts have been confirmed as yet, though the band's itinerary suggests a standalone headline performance. Concert logistics, including security protocols and access arrangements, will align with The Agenda's standard operating procedures.
