Two a penny

.European leaders at a summit in Brussels have agreed to provide further measures to fight the global financial crisis.
They will pump $145 million into the International Monetary Fund, provided that the US and China also contribute, and they will provide another $50 billion to double the EU emergency fund for struggling member states in eastern Europe.
“We need both a coordinated global stimulus and reform of financial markets to restore confidence, because without the stimulus we will not have a recovery, but without reform of the financial market recovery will not be sustainable,” he said.
The president of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, says they are agreed that stimulus measures have to be accompanied by financial reform.
It sets the scene for a difference of opinion at the London summit between the United States and most of the European Union, with the French and Germans getting a lot of support for their demand for tough new financial rules.
The leaders were united in rejecting US demands for a big injection of money into their own ailing economies, expressing fears that budget deficits would spiral out of control. .
The suspicion is that Britain and America would rather a lighter touch than many continental countries who see the crisis as caused by an Ango-Saxon addiction to risk-taking and greed.
– BBC

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Almost 800 getting redundancy benefit

Tuesday, 24 February 2009

Nearly 800 families are already claiming support under a redundancy rescue package rushed through before Christmas – evidence that the recession is hurting people as the Government prepares to host a top-level jobs summit.
The package is expected to ease the financial pain for as many as 70,000 workers over two years.
Social Development Minister Paula Bennett said yesterday there were 771 people getting some form of assistance under the package.
Low-income workers with families can get as much as $160 a week, on top of the unemployment or domestic-purposes benefit, under the scheme, introduced to help families cope with mortgage payments and other costs after redundancy. Ms Bennett said the payments were designed to give families "breathing space".
But the payments run out after 16 weeks, and the outlook for new jobs could be bleak, as unemployment continues to rise.
Papers prepared ahead of Friday's summit paint a bleak picture saying numbers on the unemployment benefit are likely to rise to 50,000 by October up from fewer than 20,000 early last year. . The Government is fielding a big contingent of ministers, including Mr Key and Finance Minister Bill English.
Nearly 200 of the country's top business leaders have so far signed up for the jobs summit in Auckland from companies including Telecom, Air New Zealand, Foodstuffs, Fletcher Building, Lion Nathan, Icebreaker, SkyCity, Fonterra and the major banks.

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Trio building up Wellington fan base

The Monday, 09 February 2009

MAARTEN HOLL/The
PHYSICAL GRAFFITI: Terence Turner (top) and Harley Durst are watched by Tiago Miranda as they bounce around buildings in Wellington’s Civic Centre in an exhibition of the French discipline of parkour.

They run up walls, bounce off balustrades, leap across roofs and all but defy gravity.
Spiderman-like exponents of the French discipline of parkour Harley Durst, Terence Turner and Tiago Miranda ran and bounced around the architectural features in Wellington's Civic Centre on Saturday.
They were the star act in New Zealand's first national parkour meet – a showcase for a sport that combines balance, speed, agility and strength in an athletic mix of running and climbing obstacles in the quickest way possible. .
Tutoring was provided by a top Australian exponent.
Shahir Daud, the group's cameraman, said more than 50 young people interested in the sport turned up to get tips on how it was done, starting with instructions on how to jump safely as well as jumping and rolling on hard surfaces without suffering injuries.
"I've been filming them for a year and they're very safety-conscious and I've not seen one injury."
The sport, which originated in France more than a decade ago, has become popular through films such as The Bourne Identity, Casino Royale and Die Hard 4. The whole point is training the body to absorb impact and fall correctly.

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Nazi collectible sales ‘abhorrent’

By KEITH LYNCH – Saturday, 07 February 2009

The continued sale of Nazi memorabilia in New Zealand is "disgraceful", Jewish leaders say.
A search of online auction site Zillion this week found several Third Reich collectibles up for sale, including medals, pins and armbands, most adorned with swastikas.
Despite bans in many European countries, the sale of Nazi artefacts is legal in New Zealand.
"It is disgraceful when people make a profit from the sale of items that commemorate the crimes committed by others.
New Zealand Jewish Council president Stephen Goodman said the sale of the items was disgraceful, but stopped short of calling for a ban.
"In many ways, we'd like it to be made illegal, but that said, doing so might give it publicity that would only encourage certain elements. There is, of course, a balance between the freedom of choice and censorship, but profiting from the sale of these items is abhorrent."
Wellington Regional Jewish Council chairman David Zwartz said the sale of Nazi items was deeply offensive.
"After media publicity last year, the prominent auction house Dunbar Sloane changed their policy and now will not handle Nazi material.
"The publicised sale of Nazi memorabilia is offensive to Holocaust survivors and returned servicemen and women from World War II," he said.
Trade Me business manager Mike O'Donnell said the history associated with Nazism made banning the sale of the items an easy decision. . We ban items that relate to anti-semitism, extermination and racial dominance.
"Nazism is a school of thought and there is hate literature associated with it. It's a no-go area for us. It's a no-go area for us.
"That said, we support consumers' freedom and right to do as they please within the law and do not feel that it is Zillion's place to act as a moral censor.
"Firstly and most importantly, Zillion in no way endorses the Nazi regime or those who continue to espouse its rhetoric," he said.
"In the case of Zillion, we simply provide a mechanism for New Zealanders to buy and sell items that are legally tradeable in an open and efficient online auction environment," the spokesman said.
"These same objects, like wartime memorabilia from many nations, are common collector's items and can be purchased in antique and second-hand shops across New Zealand.

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Cervical cancer vaccine for boys

Tuesday, 03 February 2009

The cervical cancer vaccine should be given to boys as well as girls, to protect them and their future partners from genital warts and cancer, public health experts say.
The main introduction of the $177 million vaccination programme, which aims to immunise 300,000 Kiwi schoolgirls over five years, begins this week.
About 20,000 teenage girls have already had the three doses necessary to protect them against four strains of human papilloma virus (HPV), the main cause of genital warts and cervical cancer.
The vaccine, Gardasil, has been available free to 17 and 18-year-olds since September.
Immunisation Advisory Centre director Nikki Turner said extending the vaccine to boys would be more expensive but could have major health benefits.
The vaccine's maker, Merck Sharp & Dohme, says it plans to apply to have Gardasil licensed for boys and men up to the age of 26 after new research showing it prevents 90 per cent of genital warts and pre-cancerous lesions in males.
"HPV is implicated in 40 per cent of penile cancer.
"It could benefit the individual by protecting them against genital warts and cancers."
Gardasil is at present licensed for boys aged nine to 15 in New Zealand as in Australia and the European Union but is not publicly funded. From a population perspective, vaccinating boys could also reduce the carriage of HPV in the community, though we don't yet have the evidence for that.
Gardasil product manager Joanna Hayward-Slattery said the pharmaceutical company planned to lodge an application with the New Zealand Health Ministry this year to extend coverage to men up to the age of 26.
Merck has filed an application with the United States Food and Drug Administration to license it for use in males aged nine to 26."
Medsafe spokesman Stewart Jessamine said the Health Ministry was monitoring the US application.
"Hopefully we will get approval by the end of next year. . There were no plans to extend the vaccine to boys for free.
A SHOT IN THE ARM:
Gardasil protects against common strains of the sexually transmitted HPV human papilloma virus responsible for resulting in more than 70 per cent of cervical cancers.
Since Gardasil was licensed in New Zealand in July 2006, Otago University's monitoring centre for adverse reactions had received 30 reports of adverse effects, including fatigue, vomiting, diarrhoea and arm pain. Parental consent is required for girls under 16.
It is free to girls aged 12 to 18.
There are 160 new cases of cervical cancer in New Zealand each year and 65 deaths.
Vaccinated women still need regular smears to check for pre-cancerous changes caused by other strains of HPV.

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Family wins second Madagascar trip

The Thursday, 22 January 2009

PATRICK HAMILTON/
WHAT ARE THE CHANCES: Chrystiana, 8, and Chase, 5, Wright are old enough this time to accompany parents David and Shelley after the family won a trip to South Africa for the second time in a Madagascar movie promotion.

The lucky dip gods might soon start examining twice at a Stoke family. They will soon pack their bags for a second trip to South Africa as winners once more of a national competition run in conjunction with the launch of a movie.
The Wright family has won national competition draws more times than the odds would normally allow.
Last week, they learned they had won again, after entering a competition to promote the sequel, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa.
Four years ago, their names were drawn from the barrel of entrants in a nationwide competition run through the TV Guide to promote the animated movie Madagascar. The family then sent in a couple of entries, tempted by the smaller prizes available, Shelley Wright said.
The competition involved counting the number of times the logo of the movie's character Alex the Lion featured during a recent television screening of Madagascar."
Last week they got a call from the movie's distribution company, Paramount Productions, announcing them as winners.
"I thought it would be a waste of time entering, but they had such great runner-up prizes, and the kids love the movie.
Paramount Productions spokesperson Matt Andree Wiltens said the competition, run with TVNZ (TV2) and the TV Guide, had a great response, with thousands of entries.
"Never in our wildest dreams did we expect to win again," said her husband, David Wright, operations manager at the Nelson City Council. I know they put in more than one entry to the competition, and I guess it goes to prove the adage that you've got to be in to win.
"The Wright family were the lucky winners drawn out of the barrel.
He said that while there were many memorable highlights from their first trip to South Africa, sharing a picnic with other winners from around the world, who were then gatecrashed by a mob of 20-30 hungry baboons, stood out."
The Wrights' two children, Chrystiana, 8, and Chace, 5, were too young to travel the first time, so the second opportunity was a rare blessing, Mr Wright said. They attacked the van, and the authentic African barbecue we were having.
"They came charging over the sand dunes. . One baboon grabbed the bag of an Irish lady, but she held on and screamed loudest and the baboon let go," Mr Wright said. I had four because no one else was eating anything," Mr Wright said.
"That day we went to an ostrich farm and got offered steaks for lunch. The couple also won their honeymoon to Sydney in 1995, and then a competition in December 1999 to meet American actor and comedian Robin Williams while he was in Auckland promoting his movie Bicentennial Man.
Mrs Wright has the lucky hand and regularly enters competitions.
The family plans to take up their latest prize during the April school holidays.
The family plans to take up their latest prize during the April school holidays.

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Family wins second Madagascar trip

The Thursday, 22 January 2009

PATRICK HAMILTON/
WHAT ARE THE CHANCES: Chrystiana, 8, and Chase, 5, Wright are old enough this time to accompany parents David and Shelley after the family won a trip to South Africa for the second time in a Madagascar movie promotion.

The lucky dip gods might soon start examining twice at a Stoke family. They will soon pack their bags for a second trip to South Africa as winners once more of a national competition run in conjunction with the launch of a movie.
The Wright family has won national competition draws more times than the odds would normally allow.
Last week, they learned they had won again, after entering a competition to promote the sequel, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa.
Four years ago, their names were drawn from the barrel of entrants in a nationwide competition run through the TV Guide to promote the animated movie Madagascar. The family then sent in a couple of entries, tempted by the smaller prizes available, Shelley Wright said.
The competition involved counting the number of times the logo of the movie's character Alex the Lion featured during a recent television screening of Madagascar."
Last week they got a call from the movie's distribution company, Paramount Productions, announcing them as winners.
"I thought it would be a waste of time entering, but they had such great runner-up prizes, and the kids love the movie.
Paramount Productions spokesperson Matt Andree Wiltens said the competition, run with TVNZ (TV2) and the TV Guide, had a great response, with thousands of entries.
"Never in our wildest dreams did we expect to win again," said her husband, David Wright, operations manager at the Nelson City Council. I know they put in more than one entry to the competition, and I guess it goes to prove the adage that you've got to be in to win.
"The Wright family were the lucky winners drawn out of the barrel.
He said that while there were many memorable highlights from their first trip to South Africa, sharing a picnic with other winners from around the world, who were then gatecrashed by a mob of 20-30 hungry baboons, stood out."
The Wrights' two children, Chrystiana, 8, and Chace, 5, were too young to travel the first time, so the second opportunity was a rare blessing, Mr Wright said. They attacked the van, and the authentic African barbecue we were having.
"They came charging over the sand dunes. . One baboon grabbed the bag of an Irish lady, but she held on and screamed loudest and the baboon let go," Mr Wright said. I had four because no one else was eating anything," Mr Wright said.
"That day we went to an ostrich farm and got offered steaks for lunch. The couple also won their honeymoon to Sydney in 1995, and then a competition in December 1999 to meet American actor and comedian Robin Williams while he was in Auckland promoting his movie Bicentennial Man.
Mrs Wright has the lucky hand and regularly enters competitions.
The family plans to take up their latest prize during the April school holidays.
The family plans to take up their latest prize during the April school holidays.

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Edgeware inquiry backs police action

By CLIO FRANCIS – Thursday, 18 December 2008

POLICE PRAISED: The actions of police who attempted to control the party at which Hannah Rossiter and Jane Young died last year has been praised by the Independent Police Conduct Authority. Lipine Sila is in prison for their murders.

The Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) review has found no fault in the police response to the Edgeware Road party in Christchurch at which two schoolgirls were killed.
Lipine Sila was sentenced to 17 years in jail for their deaths in June this year.
Hannah Rossiter and Jane Young, both 16, died from injuries they suffered when a car was driven into them at the out-of-control party on May 5 last year.
"There was no relationship between those actions and the timing of the police decision to close down the party.
Justice Goddard, who led the IPCA inquiry, said police could not have predicted Mr Sila's actions. .
"No doubt the release of the IPCA report will bring back all the emotions and memories for those involved, including police and emergency services staff who were involved in the aftermath of this incident," he said
He said his heart went out to all those involved and their families.
Canterbury District Commander Dave Cliff said nothing could ever bring back the two young women or change the life long consequences suffered by some of those injured."
He said the report has gone further to commend the conduct of two Sergeants.
"For my staff involved and the Canterbury Police District, this independent report has validated the approach taken.

.China has said that it is entirely up to France to repair relations between the two countries after French President Nicolas Sarkozy met the Dalai Lama at the weekend.
“The …
“We urge the French side to take responsibility and concrete measures to correct its erroneous practice, and create favourable conditions . responsibility is not on the Chinese side, it is fully on the French side,” foreign ministry spokesperson Liu Jianchao told reporters. ..”
Mr Jianchao would not specify what sort of measures China wanted France to take to mend ties. for the development of China-France relations.
China is strongly opposed to any foreign leaders meeting the Dalai Lama, Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader whom Beijing accuses of seeking independence for his Himalayan homeland.
“This is precisely the issue for the French side to study and discuss,” he said.
Mr Sarkozy on Monday defended his meeting with the Nobel Peace Prize laureate, saying it was his duty as French head of state to meet all winners of the award.
The Dalai Lama has repeatedly denied the charge, insisting he only wants greater autonomy for the region, which has been under Chinese rule since 1951.
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REUTERS – Armed robbers stole millions of euros worth of gems in a raid on the luxury Harry Winston jewellers off the Champs Elysees, police said on Friday.

Three men entered the shop on Thursday evening and forced staff to hand over almost all the jewels on display before making their getaway.

French media estimated the value of the haul at anywhere between 47 million euros and 62 million euros ($60 million-$80 million), but police said it was too early to be sure of the exact sum. The estimates change, said a police spokesperson.

The haul is worth several million euros. On that occasion masked robbers forced staff to empty the store’s safes during a morning heist, taking at least $16 million worth of gems.

The attack came almost a year to the following day another raid on the same store.

Investigators believe the robbers this week were very well informed about their target.

crime – France
. Apparently they knew the names of some of the staff, the spokesperson said