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Still no access to NZer held in Pakistan
Wednesday, 18 February 2009
New Zealand authorities are yet to see a New Zealander being held in Pakistan, almost a week after he was detained.
Mark Taylor, 35, was detained by Pakistani security forces after he tried to enter a tribal region on the Afghan border, identified as a Taliban and al Qaeda stronghold, without permission.
Pakistani intelligence sources have said they suspect he might have links with Islamist militants.
A Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman today said Mr Taylor was still being detained, but was unwilling to say whether the ministry had yet established what he was doing in Pakistan.
Mr Taylor, who was wearing traditional Pakistan dress, told authorities he was going to South Waziristan to get married to a tribal woman.
He was seeking an update on Mr Taylor's wellbeing from local authorities in the area and trying to negotiate access.
She said New Zealand's honorary consul in Pakistan had travelled to Islamabad to see him, but had not yet been able to do so.
"The New Zealand embassy in Tehran and our honorary consul in Pakistan are actively pressing the Pakistan authorities to get updates on Mr Taylor's welfare to ensure he has access to consular assistance and to obtain permission to speak directly to him.
Mr Taylor's family had been kept abreast of the ministry's efforts, but wished to remain out of the public eye."
The ministry had also called in Pakistan's high commissioner to New Zealand to "make urgent efforts to assist us" in gaining access to Mr Taylor.
While some Westerners of Asian descent have been known to travel to Pakistan to join militants, very few Westerners with European roots have been known to have gone there for that purpose.
South Waziristan is one of Pakistan's seven semi-autonomous ethnic Pashtun tribal regions that have long been off-limits to foreigners without special permission and which in recent years have been plagued by militant violence. .
Some reports have said Mr Taylor was carrying a tape recorder at the time of his arrest – raising speculation he might be a journalist.
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Fame pays off for refugee
By JIM KAYES Tuesday, 17 February 2009
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IN GOD’S HANDS: Iranian refugee and Christian convert Ali Panah (centre) has been granted refugee status in New Zealand.
Being famous has paid off for Iranian refugee Ali Panah but those close to him say his controversial hunger strike and conversion to Christianity was no gimmick.
Mr Panah was classified as a refugee by the Refugee Status Appeals Authority yesterday after two earlier failed appeals and a 53-day hunger strike after he was imprisoned for refusing to sign deportation documents.
"Because of the publicity that was created as a result of the fast that Ali went on, it is absolutely inevitable that the Iranian authorities will know about Ali's position.
His lawyer, Grant Illingworth, revealed it was the publicity surrounding Mr Panah's hunger strike in 2007 that forced the authority's hand, as it had to accept he would have become known in Iran."
Christian converts risked being executed in Iran "and the effect of the decision that has been reached is that Ali has been released from the threat of being exposed to the death penalty," Mr Illingworth said. They will know that he has claimed to be a Christian, they will know that he has claimed to renounce Islam and they will know that they have been criticised.
The authority's report, which has not been made public, criticised Mr Panah, he said.
He also strongly rejected any suggestion that the hunger strike during which Mr Panah was taken to hospital and put on a drip was a publicity stunt or that Mr Panah's conversion of faith was simply for convenience. The authority would not comment and Mr Illingworth refused to elaborate, saying only that he disputed its findings. "Lasting for two or three days is extremely difficult and for someone to fast for 50 days is extremely rare.
Enduring more than a day of fasting was not easy, he said."
Mr Illingworth said proving a person's faith was extremely difficult. It really does show the motivation of the person concerned. But in the end the authority was only interested in the fact that he had claimed to be a Christian. But in the end the authority was only interested in the fact that he had claimed to be a Christian. But he was convinced that Mr Panah, who converted to Christianity in 2000, was a true convert."
Auckland's Anglican Archbishop, David Moxon, said he had seen false converts before they were dubbed rice Christians as they were usually seeking food.
He was happy with yesterday's decision and pledged to be "a good citizen for this country".
Mr Panah, 41, who has been living with Anglican friars in Hamilton, has both parents, three sisters and two brothers still living in Iran. "I believe that God has a purpose for everyone and I leave it to his hands for the future.
He had no job lined up but was confident of finding work."
The Iranian embassy in New Zealand could not be reached for comment. At the moment I don't know what the Lord wants for my job.
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NZers warned of hot weekend weather
Saturday, 07 February 2009
New Zealand is being warned to expect to feel the effects of the heatwave currently roasting parts of south-east Australia.
As the mercury soared well into the 40s in Melbourne and Sydney today, many parts of New Zealand are expected to climb into the high 30s tomorrow as the hot air mass moves our way.
While some forecasters are tipping Canterbury to break its all-time record of 42.
Metservice duty forecaster Oliver Druce said Canterbury would bear the brunt of the boiling conditions, but the entire east coast would be very hot. .4degC, set in Rangiora on February 7, 1973, Mr Druce said the Metservice was forecasting a high of 35degC for Christchurch tomorrow.
The entire east coast from Southland through to Gisborne should expect to reach the high 30s tomorrow before cooler, damper conditions moved in on Monday.
Very hot winds with gusts up to 100kmh were expected in Otago and Canterbury, pushing the fire risk to extreme levels, he said.
While Mr Druce did not expect the conditions to be record-breaking, he described them as "an extreme event" which people needed to prepare for.
Rain is forecast for the top half of the North Island on Monday, with a cool change moving in on Southland, Otago, and Canterbury.
Due to the rarity of such hot days, people needed to realise there were dangers.
Blue Skies Weather forecaster Tony Trewinnard said conditions tomorrow would be similar to the record-setting conditions in 1973. All sorts of things start to happen at that level of temperature .
"The tar on roads starts to melt and railway lines buckle…
Farmers and pet owners needed to ensure animals were well watered. we put out warnings for snow and wind, but high temperatures can be dangerous because they can have unexpected consequences," he told . Freezing workers walked off the job because of the heat and the Fire Service was stretched by forest and grass fires.
During the hottest day in 1973, Christchurch poultry farmers lost 26,000 birds in the heat and many secondary schools gave their pupils the afternoon off.7C in Christchurch on January 8.
Last month brought the hottest day since 1998, with the official temperature hitting 35.
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No sex please, we’re Wellingtonians
Saturday, 20 December 2008
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NEVER AGAIN: Porn king Steve Crow says this year’s Boobs on Bikes parade and sexpo was the first and the last to be held in Wellington.
Porn king Steve Crow has vented his naked anger at miserly Wellington residents, saying this year's Boobs on Bikes parade and sexpo was the first and the last in the city.
Mr Crow has ditched the sex festivities in the city after fewer than 6000 people attended the Erotica Lifestyle Expo. .
It appears the city's residents were more interested in exercising their democratic right than their libidos and bedroom fantasies the expo fell on polling day for the general election last month. It is the first time an erotica expo has ever made a loss.
"We lost a very substantial amount of money."
Up to 15,000 people were expected, and 10,000 budgeted for."
Mr Crow conceded the election may have contributed to the poor crowds. "To get under 6000 was disappointing. If $20 entry is too expensive, then it is ridiculous. But he also suspected that Wellingtonians had deep pockets and short arms:
"I had people complaining that is was too expensive. The event was "not really Wellington's scene"."
Wellington City councillor and parade opponent Celia Wade-Brown said Wellingtonians were not prudes, but had taste.
Mr Crow said 8000 people went to an erotica expo in Palmerston North, which would continue.
Mr Crow said 8000 people went to an erotica expo in Palmerston North, which would continue."
. I would rather spend $100,000 on buses for people from Wellington to go there than hold it in Wellington
. It’s grim, but we’ll be right
Kiwis' expectations for the economy are the gloomiest since 2001, but we are in denial about how it will affect us personally, an annual survey has found.
UMR Research's Christmas survey has found that 43 per cent of Kiwis rate the economy as the biggest issue facing New Zealand – the highest number for any issue since the survey began eight years ago.
While 54 per cent worried the economic downturn would affect living standards, only 24 per cent expected their own standard of living to drop. .
Infometrics economist Chris Worthington said reduced interest rates and petrol prices could be helping to ease Kiwis' fears.
Seventy-eight per cent expected unemployment to increase, but only 61 per cent worried that it would be them getting the chop."
An optimistic outlook could be a boost to the economy. "That's probably providing a boost on an individual level."
Australians are tightening their belts further, with greater numbers spending less in every sector of the economy, including household basics and Christmas presents.
"The thing you're worried about is if people suddenly stop spending all at the same time.
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Wairarapa balloon fiesta scaled back
Thursday, 18 December 2008
Tough times have deflated Wairarapa's annual balloon fiesta, forcing the event to be scaled back in both duration and size.
For more than a decade, the fiesta – one of the key drawcards on the Wairarapa events calendar – has been a five-day show, with specialty balloons and pilots being flown in from around the world.
The fiesta will now run for three days, from March 20 to 22, with about 20 local balloons and no overseas involvement.
The economic pinch had put liftoff for next year's event in jeopardy, forcing organisers back to the drawing board in a desperate scramble to try to save the event.
"The fiesta in its traditional form is a costly event to put together but we are able to continue in 2009 with a number of changes.
Wairarapa Balloon Society chairman Bob Francis said the current economic climate meant corporate sponsorship had been much more difficult to secure.
However, funding did not allow for special shaped balloons from overseas to feature next year."
Mr Francis said the scaled back fiesta was the only way to ensure its survival. .
In another cost-saving measure, the historic Solway Showgrounds had been ditched as the venue for the Night Glow, an event in which tethered balloons light up the night sky.
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Mourners farewell slain taxi driver
– Friday, 12 December 2008
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SAD FAREWELL: Family and friends pay their respects to taxi driver Abdulrahman Ikhtiari.
The family of slain taxi driver Abdolrahman Ikhtiari thanked the Canterbury community for its support in a short statement issued before his traditional Muslim burial ceremony this afternoon.
It also thanked the Iranian, Somali and Kurdish communities for their support as they deal with the loss of the 39-year-old father of five, who was found lying near his taxi with a single stab wound to his chest about 1am last Saturday. .
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Ikhtiari was buried at Bromley's memorial cemetery after a traditional ceremony which involved washing his body and wrapping it in cloth before burial