US rig count up 10 this week to 431

HOUSTON (AP) ” The number of rigs exploring for oil and natural gas in the U.S. increased by 10 this week to 431.A year ago, 862 rigs were active. Depressed energy prices have sharply curtailed oil and gas exploration.Houston…

Brothel injunction denied for a second time

A landlord whose tenants include a posh Auckland restaurant has lost its second attempt to stop an alleged brothel being run from their building.Sale 33 owns a building on the central Auckland street of the same name, which houses…

Wet weather causing internet, phone outages

Wet weather has caused faults in the Chorus copper network, leaving Spark customers without broadband and phone connections in some areas.Spark said it had experienced over 6000 fault related calls per day this week, an increase…