Author: Press Room

One of the South Island’s largest high schools will close an administration block tomorrow after engineers found it could be at risk in an earthquake.The board of Burnside High School in Christchurch made the decision after receiving a draft seismic assessment showing the block was rated at 15% of the new build standard (NBS), below the minimum requirement.Board presiding member Chris Dann said “while they appreciated that this was very short notice, the board’s priority was the safety of students and staff.”This closure will not impact student timetables or classrooms. Thursday is a designated staff-only day and this gives us…

Former and incoming President Donald Trump has previously implied that he could run for the White House again in 2028. ADVERTISEMENTAfter securing a second term in the 2024 election, some of Donald Trump’s supporters and opponents have floated the possibility of the President-elect could run for a third term in four years time.The claims – and fears in the case of Trump’s detractors – stem from comments of his own in which he hinted about returning for the 2028 vote.However, Trump cannot run for a third term as president in 2028 because the US Constitution explicitly forbids it.The 22nd Amendment…

One in three retail workers feel unsafe heading into the peak Christmas shopping season. That’s according to a new safety report surveying almost 400 New Zealand and Australian workers. The research commissioned by tech company Motorola Solutions found their top three concerns were shoplifting, hostile customers and smash and grabs. Motorola Solutions director Dan Leppos told Checkpoint the influx of foot traffic in retail areas over the Christmas period leads to stress. “We all tend to leave Christmas shopping pretty late, car park can get pretty full, people are on edge trying to get things done and then you go in there…

Let the office debates begin — John Krasinski is People magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive for 2024.The magazine announced the actor-writer-director as its pick Wednesday during The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.Krasinski starred in The Office before launching the Quiet Place franchise and leading the action series Jack Ryan. He joked in an interview with the magazine that he’s hoping his wife, fellow actor Emily Blunt, makes good on a promise to plaster the cover as wallpaper at their home.He takes the mantle from last year’s honoree, Patrick Dempsey.Krasinski, 45, told People that his immediate reaction to the honour was “just…

Tonight’s $4 million Lotto Powerball jackpot has rolled over after no tickets won the prize this evening.The winning numbers were: 03 11 29 30 32 38 Bonus 23 Powerball 02Two lucky punters have each won $500,000 with Lotto First Division. The winning tickets were sold at Woolworths Rangitīkei Street in Palmerston North and on MyLotto to a player from Auckland.Powerball was not struck this evening and has rolled over to Saturday night, where the jackpot will be $5 million.Meanwhile, a lucky Strike player from Kaitāia will also be celebrating after winning $200,000 with Strike Four. The winning Strike ticket was…

In an exclusive interview with Euronews, ex-European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso talks Putin, Trump, Crimea and why it’s “not prudent” to change EU treaties. ADVERTISEMENTCrimea has always been a “special case”, but the EU is much better prepared now if US president-elect Donald Trump withdraws the US from Ukraine, former European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso told Euronews in an interview we feature on Radio Schuman today.The former Portuguese Prime Minister helmed the European Commission for two terms between 2004 to 2014, during which time Romania and Bulgaria joined the EU and Russia illegally annexed Crimea from Ukraine.In an…

Five Gisborne marae at risk of flood and erosion will be relocated under Gisborne District Council plans. Local Democracy reporter Zita Campbell looks at Puketawai Marae’s “earth-shattering” cyclone experience, the progress since then and how community spirit and generosity has played a vital part in the recovery.As the sun broke through the clouds and shone on the devastation left behind by Cyclone Gabrielle, it revealed “nothing had been left untouched” at Puketawai Marae in the Tairāwhiti community of Ūawa/Tolaga Bay.The February 2023 damage left the Puketawai Marae community at “their lowest ebb spiritually and culturally”, marae trustee Victor Walker recalls.The…

In anticipation of Donald Trump’s return to the White House, the European Union is taking the first steps to craft a unified strategy. ADVERTISEMENTDonald Trump is back.That’s the new reality the European Union faces since American voters went to the polls and granted the Republican a stronger-than-expected victory, sweeping the seven battleground states that were up for grabs.Trump’s return to the White House was not exactly an earth-shattering surprise for Brussels, as opinion polls had suggested an impossibly tight race where any outcome was possible. Still, the comeback of a man with such aversion to the multilateral system at a…

When you’re selling a house, you want to make it look as inviting as possible to potential buyers — but not to opportunistic thieves during open homes.A series of thefts in West Auckland and the North Shore prompted police to issue a warning last week to homeowners, saying there had been an increase in thieves targeting open home events.”Police are aware of three incidents, including one where a $20,000 ring was taken, and another where a vehicle was stolen after the spare key was stolen from the garage,” Acting Senior Sergeant Alex Waworis said.”Police are following positive lines of inquiry…

Carlos Cuerpo, Spain’s economy minister, commented on the recent protests in Valencia, saying that the number one priority is reconstruction, rather than blame apportionment. ADVERTISEMENTIt’s too early to point the finger over deadly floods in Valencia, as tens of thousands protest a government response they see as inadequate, Spain’s finance minister Carlos Cuerpo told Euronews in an exclusive interview that we feature on Radio Schuman today.Spain will do “whatever it takes” to help those afflicted by devastating floods, but it’s too early to start assigning blame, Cuerpo said. The deadly flooding in Valencia has claimed hundreds of lives, and led…