|  | | | | | | | | | | | | | World | | New Zealand unveiled a $2.5-billion spending package under a much-hyped ‘Wellbeing’ budget, prioritizing mental health and alleviating child poverty, but it expects a smaller surplus and slower economic growth over the next year. Much of the excitement around the budget, touted as a world’s first that measures broader living goals, was dampened amid a national furor over hacking accusations after details were leaked ahead of its release. The opposition has called for heads to roll over the blunder. | | | | The United States believes Russia may be conducting low-level nuclear tests, said a U.S. intelligence official, while the head of a body monitoring a global nuclear treaty said there was no sign of such violations by Moscow. However, the head of the Defense Intelligence Agency said, “The United States believes that Russia probably is not adhering to its nuclear testing moratorium in a manner consistent with the ‘zero-yield’ standard.” | | | | WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was too ill to appear via video link from a British prison in a hearing on an extradition request from the United States, his lawyer said. The U.S. is seeking the extradition of Assange, who faces a total of 18 U.S. criminal counts and decades in prison if convicted. “He’s in fact far from well,” Assange’s lawyer told Reuters. A judge at Westminster Magistrates’ Court added: “He’s not very well.” | | | | | | | | | | | | | Business | | Most of the solar cells made by Panasonic at Tesla’s New York manufacturing plant are being purchased by H.R.D. Singapore’s factories in the Philippines, a chief supplier of panels to Japanese eco-homebuilder Ichijo, two sources familiar with the arrangement said. Until now, the identity of the buyer of the Panasonic cells, which Panasonic is producing at the Tesla facility under an agreement struck in 2016, has not been published. 4 min read | | | | China is willing to meet reasonable demand for rare earths from other countries, but it would be unacceptable that countries using Chinese rare earths to manufacture products would turn around and suppress China, its commerce ministry said. 1 Min Read | | | | Singapore is an unlikely place for a farming revolution. With tiered fish farms, vegetable plots atop office buildings and lab-grown shrimp, the island aims to beef up its own food production and rely less on imports to feed its 5.6 million people. The challenge is space. 5 min read | | | | Developers of a multi-rotor hover craft billed as the first flying vehicle to be powered by hydrogen fuel cells unveiled a full-scale model on Wednesday in Southern California, in a show-and-tell that raised some eyebrows but never left the ground. 4 min read | | | | | | | | | | | | | Top Stories on Reuters TV | | | | | | | |
