Two a penny

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An Afghan refugee, who failed in his appeal to have a police search of his home declared unlawful, is likely to take his case to the country’s highest court.

The man, who cannot be named, went to the Court of Appeal, claiming police had no right to search his home in 2000 or to give documents they seized to the Immigration Service which was now reviewing his refugee status. He had 20 days to take his case to the Supreme Court after the Court of Appeal judgment released yesterday.

The man had no removal or deportation order issued against him, said his lawyer Rodney Hooker.

“It would certainly get serious consideration,” he said.

He said the “odds are”‘ that the man’s case would go to the Supreme Court to challenge the Court of Appeal ruling. He also said his wife and children had been killed.

The man arrived in New Zealand in 1995 and was granted refugee status when he claimed he would be killed by the Mujahideen, the Afghan resistance army.

Police seized several documents, including a map of Sydney’s nuclear reactor at Lucas Heights.

An inquiry involving the Immigration Service, Security Intelligence Service and foreign agencies including Australian police, led to a search of his home in 2000.

The man was charged with fraud over his refugee application but the Court of Appeal said in its judgment released yesterday the Crown elected to offer no evidence because of “difficulties of proof and concern at public disquiet about the case” after the terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre in New York on September 11, 2001.

The reactor was a planned target of terrorists but several terrorists were arrested and the attack was thwarted.

Mr Hooker said the man was a family man who had made New Zealand his adopted home and did not want to leave. The fraud case was dropped. .

“We are only in the very first part of the sequence of events,” Mr Hooker said.”

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The wreck of sunken Tongan ferry Princess Ashika has been found but is in water too deep to dive, Tongan Police Commander Chris Kelley says.

He told a press conference that a combined Tonga, Australia and New Zealand dive team found the boat at 11am using sonar.

He said it “fits the general size and shape of the missing ship.

“It appears to be intact, in an upright position at a depth of 110 metres,” Kelley said.”

It is 11 nautical miles south southwest of Nomuka in Ha’apai.

“It is important to realise that nobody on board could still be alive.

That is too deep for Australian or New Zealand divers to reach, meaning the 93 bodies – many believed to be trapped inside – may never be reached.”

Kelley said the team had not visually confirmed the identity of the vessel but “we have a high level of confidence it is the Princess Ashika.

Dive tender HMNZS Manawanui will arrive in Nuku’alofa on Saturday with a deep diving remote operated vehicle.”

Due to bad weather the operation has now been suspended and the forecast is not good for the next couple of days.

The Tongan ferry sank a week ago with atleast 149 peopleaboard.

“This underwater vehicle will provide images that will give 100 percent certainty to the identity of the vessel,” Kelley said. They include 33 women and 10 children who were sleeping on the lower indoor decks.Two bodies and 54 survivors have been found, while the 93 missing are presumed drowned.Yesterday a combined Tongan Navy, New Zealand Navy and Australian Navy operation located a rope floating which led to the wreck.Yesterday a combined Tongan Navy, New Zealand Navy and Australian Navy operation located a rope floating which led to the wreck.

Meanwhile, the Tongan Legislative Assembly has formed a select committee to begin examining legislation around a royal commission to examine the ferry disaster.

This will provide an increased search and diving capability to the operation.

NOT SEAWORTHY

A surveyor in charge of carrying out checks on the Tongan ferry Princess Ashika has saidthe craft was not seaworthy.

Its members include King George Tupou V’s younger brother, who was a former prime minister and who is known as “His Serene Highness” Prince Tu’ipelehake.

.Mosese Fakatoa, who teaches at the Tongan Maritime School, told 3News the boat was not seaworthy and that he never had a chance to finish his report on it

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Homes across Melbourne have been raided and arrests made in a joint counter-terrorism operation reportedly targeting Islamic suicide bombers.

Victoria Police and the Australian Federal Police swooped on homes in Glenroy, Carlton, Meadow Heights, Roxburgh Park, Broadmeadows, Westmeadows, Preston, Epping and Colac at about 4.

More than 400 officers from the Australian Federal Police (AFP), Victoria Police, NSW Police, the NSW Crime Commission and Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) were involved in the operation.30am earlier today, executing19 search warrants.

Police have set up a crime scene at the corner of View and Glen streets, Glenroy, in Melbourne’s north.

A Victoria Police spokeswoman said there had been a number of arrests, butwould not say how many.

It said the raids involved a suspected terrorist cell of Australian nationals of Somali and Lebanese backgrounds.

The Australian newspaper earlier today reported that national security agencies had uncovered a plot by Islamic extremists to launch a suicide attack on an Australian army base, which was understood to be Holsworthy Barracks on Sydney’s western outskirts.

It also said the cell had been inspired by the Somalia-based terrorist movement al-Shabaab, which had connections with al-Qaeda.

The report said members of the group had been observed carrying out surveillance at the army base and other suspicious activity around defence bases in Victoria.

“It is understood the men plan to kill as many soldiers as possible before they are themselves killed.

“Authorities believe the group is at an advanced stage of preparing to storm an Australian army base, using automatic weapons, as punishment for Australia’s military involvment in Muslim countries, ” the Australian said in its unsourced report.

An AFP spokeswoman earlier today confirmed its officers had joined the raids.”

The investigation, dubbed Operation Health, involving 150 members of the AFP, Victoria Police and ASIO, was launched in January, the report said.

The spokeswoman said more information would be available later earlier today.

”The AFP and Victoria Police can confirm the execution of a number of search warrants earlier today as part of a joint counter-terrorism operation,” she said. .

She was unable to confirm the News Ltd report

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The Government will not be pressured by the United States to send the Special Air Service (SAS) back to Afghanistan, Prime Minister John Key says.

The US has put more pressure on its allies to boost their contribution in Afghanistan and has warned New Zealand through its Nato ambassador that it should fight as a “partner and ally” in case it ever needs US military support.

Ambassador Ivo Daalder told a New Zealand journalist visiting Afghanistan that New Zealand should be fighting the Taleban and should consider its relations not just with the US, but with other allies such as Australia. Wouldn’t it be good for a country like Holland or Canada or Slovakia or the US to be there?” Daalder said.

“God forbid there be a threat directly to New Zealand.

Daalder had merely been stressing that members of the international community needed to support one another, she said.

A spokeswoman for the US embassy in Wellington said the US had been at pains not to pressure any of its allies over Afghanistan.

“We understand that this is a decision for the New Zealand Government and for New Zealanders,” she said.

“I think you’ve got to take those comments with a grain of salt,” Key said.

Key said yesterday that Daalder’s comments were “a little gung-ho”, and New Zealand would make its own decisions.

“I’m reasonably relaxed about the comments that are being made. “It’s quite clear the Americans have asked all of their Nato and ISAF [International Security Assistance Force] partners to contribute greater effort to Afghanistan to stabilise the position there.”

Asked what he meant, Key said: “Well, only in the sense that read the wrong way they could be implied as putting pressure on New Zealand. They are a little gung-ho, but I’m reasonably relaxed about it. .”

He said the Cabinet would decide on whether to send the SAS back to Afghanistan by mid-August, “but that decision will be made in what we deem to be the best interests of New Zealand”. Whatever decision we make has to be made here in New Zealand,” he said. “We are able to say `no’. They are the people entitled to that answer, not anybody else.

“I answer to the New Zealand public.

“Whether we agree or not is something Cabinet has to consider, but my view is I am somewhat sympathetic to the position on the basis that we send New Zealanders all around the world and they are in harm’s way,” he said.”

Key said he was sympathetic to the US request. I can’t see how that is in New Zealand’s best interests. “What is the counter-factual? If the world doesn’t get on top of the position in Afganistan, the counter-factual is it becomes an even bigger hotbed for global terrorism.”

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Lines engineers contracted to Telecom went on strike today, demanding redundancy protection as the industry undergoes change.

Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union (EPMU) spokesperson Rob Egan said about 400 employees from contractor Transfield Services walked off the job after negotiations stalled.

The EPMU has been in talks with Telecom’s network division Chorus since it signed a 10-year contract with Visionstream, which will introduce an owner/operator model when it takes over networks in Auckland and Northland.

“They want a redundancy agreement because what’s happening with Visionstream in Northland is basically flowing through the country.

Fears the model would catch on had employees of the two established contractors, Transfield Services and Downer EDi Engineering, worried, Mr Egan said.”

Negotiations with Downer were at an earlier stage Mr Egan said.

“The guys from Transfield are worried about what the future holds for them.

Auckland strikers were joined by a Hamilton contingent outside Transfield’s offices in Avondale today.

“They’re not going to take it any more.

Organiser Joe Gallagher said it was about sending a message to Telecom that workers were sick of the “desecration of this industry”.

“We are the people who design, build and maintain the Telecom network. It has come to a crossroads and we’re going to stand up and fight back. .”

He said workers were striking today in Whakatane, Auckland, Hamilton, Rotorua, Wellington, Blenheim, Nelson and Christchurch.

“Some of them are taking the whole weekend, some are just taking the day.

“Some of them are taking the whole weekend, some are just taking the day.

He said union members represented about 20 percent of those employed through Chorus’ contractors.”

Chorus spokesperson Robin Kelly said some “short-term impact to service levels” was expected but there was a plan in place and people on the ground to address problems.

“The repair of faults has been prioritised, which may unfortunately result in some delays to some other services.

“Customers should continue to report any faults to their service provider. But at the end of the day we are disappointed it impacts the customers.

“Of course we respect the right of the union to take this action.

“We’ll get on with the business of trying to minimise any disruption.”

Mr Kelly said the contract dispute was between Transfield and its staff, and Chorus would trust the company to work with the union.”

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Killers will lose the right to claim provocation as a defence after murderer Clayton Weatherston’s attempt to smear his victim.

It is understood Justice Minister Simon Power wants the controversial defence scrapped as soon as possible and will announce his intentions today.

Weatherston, 33, was found guilty in the High Court at Christchurch yesterday of murdering his former girlfriend Sophie Elliott, 22.

Should provocation be scrapped as a defence for murder? below.

He said he was provoked by their tumultuous relationship and because she had attacked him with a pair of scissors.

He had admitted inflicting 216 stab and cutting wounds on her in the bedroom of her Dunedin home on January 9 last year, but pleaded not guilty to murder.

“There was no provocation in this case, no provocation from Sophie,” her father, Gil, said. .. “That was all fabricated . She didn’t have time to provoke him..

“We’ve thought about it a lot over the last few weeks – probably there’s not … very many murders where provocation is justified but however, in our society it’s never justified – thou shalt not kill and that’s the bottom line.”

Her mother, Lesley, told Radio New Zealand that said she believed there was no room in the legal system for provocation.

“As far as we were concerned, up until the trial, provocation hadn’t really been mentioned – if it had been it certainly wasn’t a massive issue.”

She said they were surprised at accusations that Sophie had made the first attack on her killer.

“[Sophie] doesn’t have another chance and I don’t see why he should.”

Mrs Elliott told Radio New Zealand she didn’t believe in capital punishment but thought Weatherston should spend his life in prison.”

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“I’ve struggled… a lot over the last year with… forgiveness and I will never be able to forgive him for what he’s done

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Slippery fugitive William Stewart is styling himself “Billy the Hunted One” and appears to be enjoying his new-found notoriety.

A Teddington farmer, whose property was broken into by the 47-year-old, showed Stewart’s table-top calling card yesterday.

Stewart, who broke into the farm’s smoko room and helped himself to a meal the weekend before last, had carved his thanks into the dining table.

Stewart has been on the run since early February.

“Thanks guys, Billy the Hunted One,” he wrote.

He has five warrants for his arrest and is thought to have committed a string of burglaries and car thefts while on the run.

He has not been seen since he picked up hitchhikers in Hororata more than a week ago.

Police believed his latest crime was to swap a stolen car for a 2008 Hilux in Waddington, central Canterbury, on Tuesday.

“He helped himself to a nice meal of hot pies and coffee and wrote a thank-you note carved into the table.

The Teddington farmer, who declined to be named, said Stewart had been “sleeping rough” in the hills towards Gebbies Pass behind the property before he ventured down to the farm’s sheds.

“It was more that he had been watching and seeing where the keys were kept,” the farmer said.”

The fact that the door had not been forced but was opened using keys hidden on the property was unnerving.

The farmer said it was clear Stewart was “having a lot of fun and games”.

After carving his thanks, Stewart stole one of the farm motorbikes and blasted through a police cordon towards Governors Bay early on March 22.

However, police had called his antics “silly”.

However, police had called his antics “silly”. .

The Teddington farmer said Stewart, who had popped up in Tai Tapu the following day he evaded police in Governors Bay, obviously had some bushcraft skills as it was a long hike over the hills

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Packaging linked to drug mixups

By REBECCA PALMER Wednesday, 25 February 2009

"Look-alike" drugs with similar packaging are contributing to medication mixups in hospitals, a report says.
Twenty-one hospital patients fell victim to serious errors involving drugs last year, the latest report on serious and sentinel events from a ministerial advisory body shows. Medical workers were also grappling with a greater range of medications, some of them "very potent".
Quality improvement committee member Mary Seddon said New Zealand had no national organisation monitoring "look-alike, sound-alike drugs".
Dr Seddon said district health boards were working on moves to cut medication errors, including standardised medication charts, automatic drug dispensing machines and electronic prescribing. Though medication errors were "quite common", most were "mild and fleeting"."
The committee's report found that more than half the 21 serious errors were overdoses or wrong doses. "As we know, doctors have poor handwriting."
In one incident, a patient was given 200 milligrams of a long-acting morphine called M-Eslon 10 times the dose meant to be given. "In many cases, issues such as the similarity of packaging for different doses of the same medication contributed to the error.
A review found that, although the morphine came in five doses, all were in "look-alike" boxes and were kept together in one drug cupboard. The patient regained consciousness after being given an antidote.
Hawke's Bay District Health Board also reported a case in which "look-alike packaging" of narcotic medication contributed to a patient death.
The different doses now have to be requested for individual patients, come in individual snap-lock bags with the patient's name clearly visible, and are removed once the patient is discharged.
New Zealand made up less than 0.
Stewart Jessamine, spokesman for government drug safety agency Medsafe, said there was no committee specifically looking at the issue of naming and packaging of drugs, but it was part of Medsafe's daily work. "Sometimes we have to take it with the global brand name or we don't get the medicine at all. .
An October newsletter from the district health boards' safe and quality use of medicines group also notes incidents in which a hospital doctor had prescribed folinic acid, as part of chemotherapy treatment."
Improved systems for storing, checking and administering drugs were needed. "Folinic acid is easily mistaken for folic acid on a handwritten prescription. A community pharmacy had dispensed folic acid.co."
Were you the victim of a sentinel health error? Email us: news@dompost.nz

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Overseas buyers start new gold rush

By KAREN ARNOLD – Sunday, 01 February 2009

GOLD RUSH: New Zealand is poised for another gold rush but it’s unlikely anyone will be digging for their fortunes. Pictured is $100,000 worth of Kiwi gold.

New Zealandis poised for another gold rush but it's unlikely anyone will be digging for their fortunes.
New Zealand Mint head bullion trader Mike O'Kane said as the world recession deepened, more people wanted to safeguard their cash and saw the precious metal as an insurance policy.
As gold prices hit record levels, it's overseas buyers with money to spare who are turning their dollars into Kiwi gold.
O'Kane said that with the failures of large US investment banks, such as Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers, demand for New Zealand gold increased.
The price of gold has doubled in the past two years and last week hit an all-time high, reaching $1745 an ounce. The failures coincided with NZ Mint doing a month's worth of transactions each day."
During the past two weeks one US buyer had bought $1 million in gold -about 570 coins -and was contracted to buy another $1m during the next fortnight.
"We've just started to see another surge in demand through fear and worry. "They're going to take that away with them.
"There's an Asian couple flying over to buy $500,000 worth," said O'Kane. NZ Mint would not reveal that buyer's identity for privacy reasons."
There have been two other recent $1m gold transactions one by a New Zealander. As well, there had been five $100,000-plus gold transactions in the the previous month. As well, there had been five $100,000-plus gold transactions in the the previous month.5cm high about the length of a ballpoint pen.
Fifty-four gold coins equals $100,000 worth of gold, and stacked on top of each other they are 13.
O'Kane said New Zealand was regarded as a place where gold would be kept safe. And while $1m in notes would be the size of a pallet, the same sum of gold would fit in a shoebox.
Not all countries manufactured gold bullion and some made it difficult to buy.
About half the gold bought at NZ Mint was kept there in secure storage; the rest was taken away by the owners, he said. O'Kane said once a trader placed an order, it was confirmed within 24 hours and delivered to the client within one to four weeks. NZ Mint, a privately owned company, tried to make the process as simple as possible. A year ago the average gold purchase was about $25,000 a time, he said.
The number of Kiwi gold buyers was also increasing."
O'Kane said the drop in the NZ dollar and the ever-steady demand for gold was driving the price up."
O'Kane said the drop in the NZ dollar and the ever-steady demand for gold was driving the price up.
MINT'S MOMENTS
* Fifty-four gold coins equals $100,000 worth of gold, and stacked they are 13.5cm high – about the length of a ballpoint pen.
* $1m in notes would be the size of a pallet, the same amount of gold coins would fit in a shoebox.
* NZ Mint buys refined gold from reputable suppliers throughout the world including Australia, Europe and Asia
* Once it arrives in New Zealand it is melted down and made into rough bars
* The bars are pressed repeatedly until they reach the desired coin thickness then discs are cut out and softened in an oven at temperatures of between 500 and 600degC.
* They are then "stamped" with a Kiwi on the top and map of New Zealand on the bottom of the coin
* A pure NZ Mint gold coin is the size of the old 50c piece.
* It weighs one troy-ounce = 31.1gms.

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Second doctor says MidCentral Health gagging staff

By – Tuesday, 27 January 2009

A Palmerston North hospital doctor says MidCentral Health is a "propaganda machine", confirming staff were gagged from speaking publicly about lengthy waiting lists for cancer patients.
The senior radiation oncologist, who did not want to be named for fear of reprisals, said MidCentral Health was lying when it said on Friday that staff weren't gagged. He revealed some patients were waiting up to four times longer for treatment than the national guidelines stipulate – with some waiting up to 17 weeks.
Last week, Johan Nel wrote a letter to the expressing his disgust at waiting lists for radiation therapy.
Last week MidCentral Health denied these claims.
When the Standard approached him for further comment, Dr Nel said he had been told he was not allowed to speak to the media.
And the same spokesperson continued to deny the claims last night. A spokesperson said: "We do not gag or censor our staff", and "I don't know who told him not to speak to the media". If that impression was given it's most unfortunate.
"We don't gag our staff.
But the second senior doctor said the hospital's claim the doctors has not been silenced was a "direct lie"." He said if the senior radiation oncologist's name was known he would be able to make further comment.
"In fact, contrary to what the DHB had told you, we had a staff meeting .
He said the same day MidCentral Health rejected Dr Nel's claim he had been silenced, staff at a weekly radiation department meeting were explicitly instructed not to talk to the media. . ."
A senior colleague addressed the meeting, saying he had received instructions from someone further up in the hospital hierarchy, the doctor said. [on January 22] and that was brought up as part of it."
Dr Nel's letter said radiation therapy waiting lists were "appalling", with no sign of improvement unless the hospital's budget was increased.
"He was passing on a message that we were told not to talk if the media contacted us.
Last week, MidCentral said most patients were seen within the recommended timeframe, but went on to say treatment times would be brought back to "acceptable" levels within six months.
He called on board chairman Murray Georgel and other board members to lead a protest march on Parliament.
The senior doctor said this was not true.
Staff were working overtime and a new liclose to accelerator machine would speed therapy up, it said.
"Clearly there's not enough resources – that's a fact. . But the DHB and senior hospital management have been aware of this for probably three years. . . It seems to be the accepted norm now."
MidCentral had claimed staff were working overtime and weekends to cull the waiting list. This had not been standard practice, and with at least four staff members going on maternity leave in the next few months, the doctor feared treatment times would increase.
"It's more likely there will be less treatment in the next six months, rather than more."
A new $4 million liclose to accelerator, which was meant to replace an old unit, would not be enough to get treatment times down, he said.