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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

In brief: New Zealand may cut postal service to three days a week

From Wire Reports

Wellington, New Zealand – New Zealand’s government has agreed to allow its postal service to deliver mail as infrequently as three days a week to most customers.

The move could foreshadow similar changes in other developed nations as businesses and residents increasingly move online to communicate and pay their bills.

New Zealand’s government announced today it was changing its agreement with the postal service effective June 2015.

Instead of delivering mail six days a week, the service will be required to deliver a minimum three days a week in urban areas and five days a week in rural areas, which tend to rely more on mail.

‘U.N.C.L.E.’ star Harrison dies at 79

British actor-singer Noel Harrison, known for his portrayal of secret agent Mark Slate in NBC’s 1960s TV series “The Girl from U.N.C.L.E,” died Saturday night at the age of 79.

Harrison suffered a heart attack at his home in Ashburton, Devon.

The son of Rex Harrison and his first wife, Collette Thomas, Harrison was a member of the British ski team and competed in the 1952 and 1956 Winter Olympics. But he soon left the slopes and began playing guitar and singing at nightclubs and bars around Europe before coming to America in 1965.

In 1966, he was cast opposite Stefanie Powers in the lighthearted spy spoof “The Girl From U.N.C.L.E,” which lasted one season.

He moved to Canada in the early 1970s, toured the U.S. in his father’s big stage hits “My Fair Lady” and “Blithe Spirit,” and returned in the late 1990s to England, where he continued to perform and record.

Reality shows see less airtime in China

Beijing – Chinese authorities are cracking down on how often broadcasters can air reality, dating and talent shows such as the Chinese versions of “American Idol” and “The Voice,” which draw huge audiences.

Provincial broadcasters show such programs, which are cheap to produce and earn a lot of advertising revenue, on satellite channels seen around the country.

The official Xinhua News Agency reported that the “American Idol” kind of talent shows now need approval from the body that oversees broadcasting, which will license one such program per channel each quarter for prime-time viewing.