Author: Press Room
Christmas music is echoing through the halls of a Christchurch hospital thanks to some generous pianists.Almost every day, musicians have volunteered their time to play the piano in the foyer of Burwood Hospital to spread some cheer. “I think it’s great and it’s a beautiful atmosphere so you can hear the piano all over the hospital – literally,” one woman said. The instrument was given to the hospital by an anonymous donor.Volunteer Aynsley Ward, 89, said tapping on the keys “has been a lifesaver for me” since his wife’s death four years ago. “It’s something I could do, something I…
Denmark moves to boost Greenland’s defence capabilities after US President-elect Donald Trump doubles down on controversial remarks of US dire to control the arctic nation. ADVERTISEMENTThe Danish government has announced a major plan to bolster Greenland’s defence capacity just hours after US President-elect Donald Trump publicly repeated his desire to purchase the arctic country, home to just 56,000 people.Without giving specifics, the Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen told Danish media outlet Jyllands-Posten that Copenhagen would invest a “double digit billion amount in Danish krone to upgrade the country’s defences.The unspecified defence spending could amount to anywhere from €1.34 billion…
A child has died after being struck by a vehicle in a driveway in Masterton this afternoon.Emergency services were called to Atkinson St just after 3.10pm, police said.”Police are currently investigating the circumstances of how this incident occurred.”
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave his Christmas greetings to the nation in his nightly address as the country officially marks the second Christmas held on the revised 25th of December day, and the third Christmas in total since Russia’s invasion. ADVERTISEMENTZelenskyy’s Christmas Eve address took a slightly different tone than normal as the Ukrainian leader attempted to instil hope into a nation battered by three years of brutal Russian onslaught.The Ukrainian president officially marked the religious occasion and gave his greetings to the people.Ukraine is observing Christmas on the 25th of December for only the second year. In July of…
A person has been seriously injured following a water-related incident at a beach in Whangaparaoa this morning.Emergency services were called to Army Bay around 11.28am.A Hato Hone St John spokesperson told 1News it responded with one ambulance, a rapid response unit, an operations manager, and one helicopter. One person was taken to Starship Hospital in a serious condition.
Justin Baldoni’s podcast co-host has quit their show.The 40-year-old actor has fronted The Man Enough Podcast with Liz Plank and Wayfarer Studios president Jamey Heath since 2021, but in the wake of Blake Lively filing a lawsuit accusing her It Ends With Us co-star and director of sexual harassment and waging a campaign to discredit her reputation, Plank has announced she is stepping down.The author wrote on Instagram: “I have had my representatives inform Wayfarer that I will no longer be co-hosting The Man Enough Podcast.“Thank you for trusting me with your hearts and stories, for holding space for mine,…
MetService says Christmas Day could feature showers or rain for much of the motu, but it’s still going to be a great day, a collection of mayors say.Rain was expected to arrive in the morning along the western side of the South Island, and extend eastwards in the afternoon.In the North Island, rain was forecast for during the afternoon on Christmas Day for the western parts, and to reach the rest of the North Island later in the day.During Christmas morning, MetService issued a severe thunderstorm watch for parts of the South Island until 8pm Wednesday, and for inland Canterbury,…
A family-owned restaurant in the Far North is making sure people who could have gone hungry today will instead go home full of good food and Christmas spirit.Jesse’s on the Waterfront, in the historic town of Mangōnui, is putting on a free three-course meal for 100 people, with sittings starting at 10am and 1pm.The restaurant is owned by Danielle and Anaru Moa, and their sons Jesse, the head chef, and Tyler, front-of-house manager.Jesse said the family bought the restaurant just over two years ago, when he came home from Melbourne, and they figured now was the right time to give…
A woman who was carjacked by a prisoner who escaped Waikato Hospital last month is shocked another prisoner from Spring Hill Corrections Facility has escaped from custody at the same hospital again.Police are still searching for the latest escapee, 48-year-old Damon Anderson who escaped custody during a visit to Waikato Hospital on Monday afternoon. It is the second time in a month that a prisoner has escaped from Waikato Hospital.Earlier in the month, Chloe Mather was carjacked by a 25-year-old prisoner who managed to break free from custodial staff during an offsite specialist medical appointment.The manhunt began on November 22,…
Christmas Eve was the busiest shopping day of the year with 10,408 sales a minute at its peak. Payments company Worldline said from noon to 1pm yesterday 607,299 sales were recorded on its network. The company’s network covers about three-quarters of the electronic terminals in operation. Worldline did not have a dollar value for spending, but the peak number of transactions is the lowest of the past six years and well shy of the record 679,436 in 2019, before the pandemic. Earlier this month it noted an increase in sales in the first two weeks of December on a year…