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RNZ News
15 hours ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
Samoa election: Political parties make big promises on health, welfare and economy
FAST's La'auli Leuatea Polataivao, SUP's Fiame Naomi Mata'afa, and HRPP's Tuila'epa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi. Photo: RNZ Pacific / FAST Party / Samoa Uniting Party / HRPP With campaigning well underway for Samoa's general elections, registered political parties have been announcing their policy platforms. Voters are being courted with manifestos that promise free public healthcare, cash payments for families, job creation schemes, and major infrastructure investments. According to Samoa Electoral commissioner Toleafoa Tuiafelolo Alexander Stanley, seven registered political parties will contest this year's election. Among them are the ruling FAST party, its offshoot Samoa Uniting Party (SUP), the long-standing Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP), and four others: Samoa Labour Party (SLP), Samoa National Democratic Party (SNDP), Samoa Democratic Republic Party (SDRP), and the recently formed Tumua ma Pule Reform Republican Party (TPRRP). Out of the seven political parties, the three largest contenders are HRPP, FAST and SUP. FAST, under leader La'auli Leuatea Polataivao, launched its manifesto in Savai'i earlier this month. The party says its policies reflect a strong focus on social welfare and economic revitalisation: HRPP lead by Tuila'epa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi was the first to launch its manifesto campaigning on financial support and significant infrastructure proposals. The party has the longest list of policy promises including: As part of the broader Poverty Alleviation Project, complements the Cost of Living Allowance and Pension Ensuring Lasting Empowerment for the Golden Age initiatives, with a total investment of $210m. SUP, a newly formed party led by Fiame Naomi Mata'afa after her ejection from FAST, is promoting itself as a people-first party focused on continuity and reform. Its manifesto includes: The Samoa Labour Party, led by Fa'aolesa Katopau Ainu'u, is targeting employment and trade. The party is proposing: The Tumua ma Pule Reform Republican Party, is led by former public servant Molio'o Pio Molio'o. Its platform promises: Two parties, the Samoa National Democratic Party and the Samoa Democratic Republic Party, had not released formal manifestos at the time this article was published but remain registered to contest the election. The official campaign period which began 14 July concludes 24 August, with advance voting to open 27 August and polling day set down for the 29 August. According to the electoral office, there are 102,000 registered voters who will elect 51 members of parliament. An amendment to Samoa's Electoral Act in 2013 introduced a 10 percent quota for women members of parliament. The so called floating seats - because new seats are created if elected representatives do not meet the quota - became the centre of a constitutional crisis and numerous legal battles over the balance of power at the last election after the results produced a tie. The impasse was broken only after an independent candidate joined the FAST Party camp but even then the transition of power dragged on for months. *All currency is in Samoan Tala. ( WST1 = NZ$0.59 )
CNA
5 days ago
- General
- CNA
Trading Day: Econ surprise, Wall Street's new highs
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The Age
5 days ago
- Health
- The Age
Matt is 56 but his ‘fitness age' says he is in his 30s. How is that possible?
'Fitness age, also known as your biological age, is a way of grading your health and fitness in comparison to your chronological age,' says Transformation Coach co-founder Chief Brabon, who has coached Quirk for the past 10 years. The accuracy of your result depends on a couple of factors, the first being the breadth of the analysis. Most rudimentary indicators of fitness age, such as the one on your smartwatch, measure your cardiorespiratory fitness by assessing your VO2 max and how it stacks up against others of your age and gender. Some may also take into account your body fat percentage. Others, such as the FAST test Quirk did, also measure mobility, stability, strength, and body composition, providing a more rounded understanding of your physical wellbeing. 'The benefit of the FAST test is it looks at so many aspects of health and wellbeing,' Brabon says. 'These elements are often overlooked in what we consider good health.' But even with more holistic assessments like this, Sydney University health and longevity researcher Professor Luigi Fontana says technology alone provides an incomplete picture of our overall health. Loading 'In 2025, we don't have reliable biomarkers of biological age,' Prof Fontana says. 'No doubt, some devices can now measure – even if not perfectly like an EEG – things like sleep quality, heart rate variability, and some can measure body temperature and blood oxygen,' he says. 'These tools are useful, especially because we're living in a mostly sedentary society, but exercise alone won't guarantee long-term health. Let's say you're exercising, but you're also smoking, over-drinking alcohol, and eating an unhealthy diet. Do you really believe you're going to be healthier and live longer?' Loading Does fitness age matter? Other than a handy brag among your mates, why care about fitness age? Quite simply, Brabon says, because it will boost your chances of living well, if not necessarily longer. 'Our health and fitness – which fitness age represents – should be a priority in our lives, just like family and career,' he says. 'It's no use nurturing a wonderful family or creating financial security if you're not fit enough to enjoy either of them.' Numerous studies show that strong overall fitness is associated with a lower risk of conditions like cardiovascular disease, depression, diabetes, dementia and premature death. 'Ultimately, the greatest benefit of a younger fitness age is a greater quality of life for an extended period of time,' Brabon says. 'What that basically means is that you will be able to move and perform in your 50s, 60s, and even older, as well as you did in your 20s and 30s.' How to improve fitness age Unlike chronological age, Brabon says we all have power to influence our fitness age – whether that's for better or worse. 'We so often see people get to this point in life in their late 40s or early 50s and they've almost given up,' he says. 'But even if you've never been fit before in your life, it doesn't mean you can't achieve a lower fitness age and the lifestyle benefits that come with it. You just have to start.' Fontana says you don't need super intense workouts to see results – just consistent, sustainable habits. Loading 'In one study we found people aged 50 to 60 who exercised one hour a day, six days a week at 70 per cent of their maximum heart rate lost 40 per cent of their visceral fat over the course of a year,' he says. Adding exercises that build strength, mobility and balance can enhance those benefits and support positive ageing. 'As we age we lose muscle mass and bone mass,' Fontana says. 'Resistance and flexibility training help counteract musculoskeletal disorders and osteoporosis, especially in postmenopausal women.' Quirk pushes back on the familiar excuse 'I'm too old to get fit'. 'You're too old not to,' he says. 'You see on YouTube 75-year-old guys who look amazing and they've just continued with strength and fitness work. So why would you stop?' Quirk plans to continue his pursuit of lowering his fitness age. Next on the list his a blood analysis and some fine-tuning of his nutrition to support his training. 'I don't want to end up in a nursing home,' he says. 'I want to stay fit until I drop dead.'
Sydney Morning Herald
5 days ago
- Health
- Sydney Morning Herald
Matt is 56 but his ‘fitness age' says he is in his 30s. How is that possible?
'Fitness age, also known as your biological age, is a way of grading your health and fitness in comparison to your chronological age,' says Transformation Coach co-founder Chief Brabon, who has coached Quirk for the past 10 years. The accuracy of your result depends on a couple of factors, the first being the breadth of the analysis. Most rudimentary indicators of fitness age, such as the one on your smartwatch, measure your cardiorespiratory fitness by assessing your VO2 max and how it stacks up against others of your age and gender. Some may also take into account your body fat percentage. Others, such as the FAST test Quirk did, also measure mobility, stability, strength, and body composition, providing a more rounded understanding of your physical wellbeing. 'The benefit of the FAST test is it looks at so many aspects of health and wellbeing,' Brabon says. 'These elements are often overlooked in what we consider good health.' But even with more holistic assessments like this, Sydney University health and longevity researcher Professor Luigi Fontana says technology alone provides an incomplete picture of our overall health. Loading 'In 2025, we don't have reliable biomarkers of biological age,' Prof Fontana says. 'No doubt, some devices can now measure – even if not perfectly like an EEG – things like sleep quality, heart rate variability, and some can measure body temperature and blood oxygen,' he says. 'These tools are useful, especially because we're living in a mostly sedentary society, but exercise alone won't guarantee long-term health. Let's say you're exercising, but you're also smoking, over-drinking alcohol, and eating an unhealthy diet. Do you really believe you're going to be healthier and live longer?' Loading Does fitness age matter? Other than a handy brag among your mates, why care about fitness age? Quite simply, Brabon says, because it will boost your chances of living well, if not necessarily longer. 'Our health and fitness – which fitness age represents – should be a priority in our lives, just like family and career,' he says. 'It's no use nurturing a wonderful family or creating financial security if you're not fit enough to enjoy either of them.' Numerous studies show that strong overall fitness is associated with a lower risk of conditions like cardiovascular disease, depression, diabetes, dementia and premature death. 'Ultimately, the greatest benefit of a younger fitness age is a greater quality of life for an extended period of time,' Brabon says. 'What that basically means is that you will be able to move and perform in your 50s, 60s, and even older, as well as you did in your 20s and 30s.' How to improve fitness age Unlike chronological age, Brabon says we all have power to influence our fitness age – whether that's for better or worse. 'We so often see people get to this point in life in their late 40s or early 50s and they've almost given up,' he says. 'But even if you've never been fit before in your life, it doesn't mean you can't achieve a lower fitness age and the lifestyle benefits that come with it. You just have to start.' Fontana says you don't need super intense workouts to see results – just consistent, sustainable habits. Loading 'In one study we found people aged 50 to 60 who exercised one hour a day, six days a week at 70 per cent of their maximum heart rate lost 40 per cent of their visceral fat over the course of a year,' he says. Adding exercises that build strength, mobility and balance can enhance those benefits and support positive ageing. 'As we age we lose muscle mass and bone mass,' Fontana says. 'Resistance and flexibility training help counteract musculoskeletal disorders and osteoporosis, especially in postmenopausal women.' Quirk pushes back on the familiar excuse 'I'm too old to get fit'. 'You're too old not to,' he says. 'You see on YouTube 75-year-old guys who look amazing and they've just continued with strength and fitness work. So why would you stop?' Quirk plans to continue his pursuit of lowering his fitness age. Next on the list his a blood analysis and some fine-tuning of his nutrition to support his training. 'I don't want to end up in a nursing home,' he says. 'I want to stay fit until I drop dead.'
CNBC
5 days ago
- Business
- CNBC
Best Stocks: A company that's indispensable to its customers with a stock in a pristine uptrend
(This is The Best Stocks in the Market , brought to you by Josh Brown and Sean Russo of Ritholtz Wealth Management.) Josh — A business that makes itself indispensable to its customers ends up being a business with a defensible moat, predictable cash flow, SG & A expenses in check and a happy employee culture. I like to think I am running such a business in wealth management — by incorporating tax and insurance in-house for wealth management clients, we've made ourselves indispensable. The more our clients come to rely on us for, the higher the engagement, the less risk of turnover. Customer turnover is expensive. Companies that build indispensable services experience less disruptive churn and shareholders benefit as a result. Some of the biggest winners in the history of the stock market have had this characteristic. Think Salesforce, Apple, Costco, and Starbucks. For many, interacting with these companies is part of their regular routine, and it would take a lot for a competitor to pry them away. As an investor, I am always looking for stories like the one we're about to tell. Sean has written up a piece describing the strategy Fastenal (FAST) uses to make itself indispensable to its customers and the tactics that they employ to execute the strategy. We'll take a look at the stock's technicals as well but, first, it's story time. Best Stock Spotlight: Fastenal Co (FAST) On the list since: 4/12/2025 Sean — Fastenal is not just an industrial company selling screws and bolts, they have successfully vertically integrated their business to allow for more predictable, higher margin relationships with customers. Their stock price is reflecting the momentum the business is seeing. The long-term trend in this stock looks incredible: Fastenal acts more like a logistics and inventory partner than a typical industrial supplier. FAST sets up industrial-level vending machines, bins, and on-site locations that Fastenal stocks and monitors. FAST has one of the densest networks in terms of stores and distribution centers. This allows them to achieve economies of scale in purchasing, logistics, and inventory management. One of their largest focuses has been the "Fastenal Managed Inventory" — a digitized tech platform that fulfills, tracks, processes and delivers products to customers. Fastenal is creating dashboards monitoring inventory and supplying that inventory to customers. Via Quartr, 44.1% of total sales came through FMI technology in Q2 2025, up from 41.8% in Q2 2024 and 39.8% in Q2 2023. There are 132,174 integrated devices installed in total, which is up 10.8% year-over-year. Diving into their earnings from Monday of this week, the company beat on top and bottom lines, sending the stock about 4% higher post-earnings. Sales were up 8.6% year-over-year, operating margin improved to 21.0% from 20.2% last year, and earnings per share was up 12.7% year-over-year. This company is taking tariffs head-on. FAST dedicated an entire slide in their presentation to the current trade situation (via Fastenal): The CFO noted they have been proactively engaging with customers this year as it relates to tariff costs. From the CFO: "Fastenal has historically been able to win market share during periods of disruption on the strength of our nimble sales, our frugal and adaptive culture and the weight of the technologies and the global supply chain resources we can apply to finding solutions to customer challenges. This is our expectation in the current environment." FAST has implemented 3 pricing changes and plans on a phased approach to increase prices 140-170 basis points, depending on trade policy in 2025. The stock is within 5% of new all time highs. It sits about 8% above its 50 day moving average and about 15% above its 200 day moving average, well within a defined uptrend. Risk management Josh — This one's easy. The stock is slightly overbought thanks to the post-earnings reaction from the start of this week. I might give it a day or two to work off some of that overbought condition, even if I am not necessarily expecting much of a pullback. In a situation like this, position sizing is the key thing to focus on. If you're worried you missed it, you can enter the trade in stages. Worst-case scenario, it keeps rolling higher and you don't have enough. It happens. Above, I'm showing you a three-year chart with a 50-WEEK moving average (orange line, currently at $38 and change). I want you to pay attention to how pristine this uptrend has been. Since 2023, the dip-buyers have consistently come in as the stock flirted with its trendline and they bought it right back up. I would take advantage of any weakness here and then follow the trade with a mental stop loss (or physical if you're easily distracted) at that 50-week, checking on it every Friday to see if something's changed. If not, I'd stay long. DISCLOSURES: (None) All opinions expressed by the CNBC Pro contributors are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of CNBC, NBC UNIVERSAL, their parent company or affiliates, and may have been previously disseminated by them on television, radio, internet or another medium. THE ABOVE CONTENT IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY . THIS CONTENT IS PROVIDED FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT CONSITUTE FINANCIAL, INVESTMENT, TAX OR LEGAL ADVICE OR A RECOMMENDATION TO BUY ANY SECURITY OR OTHER FINANCIAL ASSET. THE CONTENT IS GENERAL IN NATURE AND DOES NOT REFLECT ANY INDIVIDUAL'S UNIQUE PERSONAL CIRCUMSTANCES. THE ABOVE CONTENT MIGHT NOT BE SUITABLE FOR YOUR PARTICULAR CIRCUMSTANCES. BEFORE MAKING ANY FINANCIAL DECISIONS, YOU SHOULD STRONGLY CONSIDER SEEKING ADVICE FROM YOUR OWN FINANCIAL OR INVESTMENT ADVISOR. INVESTING INVOLVES RISK. EXAMPLES OF ANALYSIS CONTAINED IN THIS ARTICLE ARE ONLY EXAMPLES. THE VIEWS AND OPINIONS EXPRESSED ARE THOSE OF THE CONTRIBUTORS AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE OFFICIAL POLICY OR POSITION OF RITHOLTZ WEALTH MANAGEMENT, LLC. JOSH BROWN IS THE CEO OF RITHOLTZ WEALTH MANAGEMENT AND MAY MAINTAIN A SECURITY POSITION IN THE SECURITIES DISCUSSED. ASSUMPTIONS MADE WITHIN THE ANALYSIS ARE NOT REFLECTIVE OF THE POSITION OF RITHOLTZ WEALTH MANAGEMENT, LLC" TO THE END OF OR OUR DISCLOSURE. Click here for the full disclaimer.
