Author: Press Room
A pair of ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz is on the auction block nearly two decades after a thief stole the iconic shoes, convinced they were adorned with real jewels.Online bidding has started and will continue through December 7, Heritage Auctions in Dallas announced in a news release yesterday.The auction company received the sequin-and-bead-bedazzled slippers from Michael Shaw, the memorabilia collector who originally owned the footwear at the heart of the beloved 1939 musical. Shaw had loaned the shoes in 2005 to the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota.That summer, someone smashed through…
Figures from Stats NZ have shed light on the number of people working from home in New Zealand.About a third of employees worked from home at some point in the September 2024 quarter, according to data out today.The total number of people working from home was 898,700 in the September quarter.A quarter of those — or 240,000 — worked exclusively from home.A total of 651,800 are “hybrid” workers — at home and at another location.The top three industries with staff working from home are information and media telecommunications, financial and insurance services, and professional, scientific and technical services.More than 40%…
A Kāinga Ora development in central Blenheim has been given the green light — provided an “acoustic fence” is built to appease neighbours.Five older single-storey state homes along Arthur St will be removed or demolished, and 10 two-storey homes will be built in their place, some duplex and with shared driveways.The Government agency filed two resource consent applications for the properties, which an independent commissioner for the Marlborough District Council decided to consider at the same time.Commissioner Craig Welsh said, in a decision issued last week on one of the applications, that it did not comply with rules for site…
Can you catch the flu from exposure to cold temperatures? Is the flu the same as a cold? EuroVerify takes a look. ADVERTISEMENTFlu season is officially here, and along with it, a plethora of common misconceptions about the virus.From the efficacy of vaccines to the medication you can take, a number of myths persist, both through word of mouth and online.EuroVerify presented some of the most common myths to experts to see what they had to say.Myth 1: Getting the flu vaccine increases your risk of getting the virus”The answer to that one is a pretty easy ‘no’,” said Dr.…
Firefighters are at the scene of a house fire in Glen Eden, Auckland this afternoon.Fire and Emergency New Zealand told 1News it received multiple calls about the fire at 12.09pm.All people are accounted for. There were four trucks at the scene at the height of the blaze.
Three Chinese nationals have been arrested at Auckland Airport with a “large quantity of cash” as police allege they had been operating a “blessing scam”.Detectives detained a 50-year-old man and two women, aged 59 and 53, before they checked in for flights to China yesterday.The trio have been jointly charged with two counts of obtaining by deception.Photos released by police showed thousands in seized cash across several different currencies.Detective Senior Sergeant Craig Bolton alleged the trio had been operating a “blessing scam” while in New Zealand. The charges relate to two victims — one who lost $14,500 and jewellery, and…
A fire sparked by used fireworks in a cardboard recycling truck in Northland yesterday has prompted a warning to dispose of them properly following Guy Fawkes.Whangārei District Council’s parks and recreation department field officer Grant Alsop told 1News that staff first noticed smoke coming from the back of their cardboard recycling truck in Whangaumu Bay yesterday afternoon.”They quickly pulled over into a gravel lay-by and dumped the recycling out, then contacted volunteer firefighters.”He said there were still fireworks “going off” inside the truck when they tipped out the load onto the gravel.Alsop confirmed there were no injuries as a result…
A Kaipara councillor is wearing Mickey Mouse T-shirts at council meetings over what he says is “the worrying state of democracy” in his political organisation.Councillor Mark Vincent, from Whakapirau, says democracy is fading at Kaipara District Council (KDC) and it is fast becoming the “black sheep” of councils.”I am learning to overcome my embarrassment about being a Kaipara District Councillor,” Vincent said.”I’m part of an increasingly Mickey Mouse outfit.”Vincent claims the community had fewer opportunities to take part in the council’s key decisions.Mayor Craig Jepson said he did not accept these comments.People were not being left out of decision-making and…
The latest redundancy plans come from German car parts maker Schaeffler and French grocery chain Auchan. ADVERTISEMENTThousands of job cuts are on the way in several struggling sectors across Europe, with French grocery chain Auchan being the latest to announce redundancy plans.Staff representatives, summoned by Auchan management are feeling the pinch: 2,389 of the 54,000 jobs in France are at risk. A dozen outlets will close, including one supermarket and three hypermarkets, due to a lack of profitability. The company’s customers are not surprised. “There are often empty shelves,” says one woman. Auchan, one of the pioneers of hypermarkets -…
From every conference I’ve taken away a much deeper insight into the industries they are in and, importantly, our opportunity as a business to position ourselves within it. I strode confidently into the room and seized upon the first of many new leads I would develop that day. That was the image I was projecting in my head to psych myself up for the International Mining and Resources Conference (IMARC) in Sydney last week. In reality I slunk in, power-walked around the show trying to come up with a plan and then hid in the bathroom for 10 minutes wondering what on earth…