Sunday Morning

Our compost bins are full of coffee grounds, and some gardening experts not only advocate that, but also recommend sprinkling coffee grounds directly on the garden. But in the latest New Scientist they claim this is another myth saying used coffee grounds may be doing our plants more harm than good. NZ Gardener editor Jo McCarroll takes us through the pros and cons.

Surgery, equality and equity; starling survey results score easy exposure; independent local radio pioneer 1XX changes hands - but the mission remains the same.

Although our biting insects take a break in Winter, this week saw the shortest day of the year, so forgive us for looking ahead to the warm summer months. Are insects more likely to bite you when you're on the move, or when you're sitting down or standing still? Dr David Beresford, Professor of Biology at Trent University in Canada, has been looking into this very question.

BBC's Frank Gardner talks to Jim about the implications of the short-lived mutinous march on Moscow by the Wagner mercenaries who've been engaged in some of the fiercest fighting of the war in Ukraine. Frank Gardner is the BBC's Security Correspondent and the author of best-selling books about his assignments.

The Special Olympics World Summer Games are currently taking place in the historic Olympiastadion in Berlin. The event hosts 7000 athletes from 200 countries, supported by 20,000 volunteers and an expected 300,000 spectators. The New Zealand delegation of 39 athletes with an intellectual disability have been competing here across 9 sports. Powerlifter Ryan Stewart from Dunedin was the first New Zealand athlete to claim a medal with bocce player, Aaron Campbell from Levin claiming New Zealand's first gold. Journalist Coen Lammers joins us with the latest.

The journal New Scientist has dispelled some old wisdom about the need to water your garden early in the morning before the day warms up. It says that's not necessary, and sometimes it's not a good idea - same with watering in the early evening. How can this long-agreed-on idea be wrong? Editor of NZ Gardener, Jo McCarroll joins us.

Dr Ali Hill join us for our regular nutrition chat. She makes sense of the headlines that claim will make us look better, feel better and live longer. Could what they call NR be a magic ingredient for our health? Or taurine? What about seaweed, or even a diet of just fast food?

A study from the International Longevity Centre in the UK has found that if you compete at the Commonwealth Games, you'll live significantly longer, on average, than other people. On of the report's authors, health and fitness researcher, Ray Algar takes us though the findings.

This Sunday, Mimi Todhunter is calling home from Venice.

Mediawatch looks at the response to the revelation of 'inappropriate editing' of online world news at RNZ - and asks two experts what may come out of the investigation into how it happened. Also: Mediawatch asks about claims that state-sponsored offshore disinformation campaigns could be undermining our media.