Two a penny

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A French embassy employee detained in Tehran on espionage charges has been released from prison but she will still face prosecution, a statement from the office of French President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Tuesday.

Sarkozy office greeted the release of French-Iranian national Nazak Afshar with great joy and relief.

&raquo Focus: Is Iran using Reiss as a pawn?

Afshar, employed at the French embassy cultural section, will face prosecution at a mass trial in connection with widespread public protests that erupted in the weeks following the disputed June 12 re-election of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

France has dismissed the charges as baseless and has called for both women release .

A second French national, 24-year-old teaching assistant Clotilde Reiss, remains behind bars, accused of spying and involvement in a Western plot to destabilise the Iranian regime. France criticised Iran for failing to inform its embassy in advance that either woman would be appearing in court, which French authorities say flouted international regulations and the rules of consular protection.

The two women appeared in court on Saturday along with several other detainees.

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A diplomatic source told on Saturday that it was surprising to know Reiss was in the court, saying he had learned it from television only that morning.

Reiss was initially accused of spying for taking a photograph of a demonstration in Isfahan and emailing it to a friend in Tehran. We were not informed previously, he said.

Iran ambassador to France, Seyed Mehdi Miraboutalebi, told French radio station RFI on Tuesday that the Iranian authorities had offered to let Reiss stay in the French embassy pending her trial if the French government promised she would remain there, but that Paris had declined to respond to the offer. According to Iran state-run IRNA news agency, Reiss admitted in court that she had filed a report on protests in the city of Isfahan at the cultural department of the French embassy in Tehran. We refute them categorically, the ministry said in a statement.

The French foreign ministry denied the allegation, saying that Miraboutalebi comments suggesting the French authorities were not doing everything they could for Reiss release were incorrect.

Presumption of innocence

Miraboutalebi said that France had been told not to publicise Reiss case in the media, and warned against jumping to conclusions before her trial.

Presumption of innocence

Miraboutalebi said that France had been told not to publicise Reiss case in the media, and warned against jumping to conclusions before her trial.

As in France, the Iranian judiciary is totally independent, he added. In other words, they took the place of the Iranian judges.

The EU presidency said the prosecution of the three was an act against the whole European Union .

The EU presidency had joined Britain and France in calling upon the Iranian authorities to release Afshar, Reiss and Hossein Rassam, an Iranian political analyst employed by the British embassy who has been detained since late June. .

Tehran has responded strongly to Western criticism of the mass trial of the detained protesters, vowing to resist what it called foreign intervention in its domestic affairs

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Snow and rain were resulting in problems for motorists in the North Island this morning.

The Desert Road on State Highway 1 was closed around 8am because of snow while police warned that heavy rain was threatening to flood roads in the Gisborne region.

Water was already covering a 30 metre stretch of Matawai Road, approximately 2km north of the intersection of Matawai and Waihuka Roads.

Police advised that Matawai Road near Te Karaka, northwest of Gisborne, was likely to be closed in the next few hours due to the rising Waikohu River. .

Roading contractors and Gisborne District Council were assessing the situation, although there were no houses in the immediate vicinity of the flooded area.

Streams and rivers in the high country could rise quickly and there could be road slips as between 80mm and 120mm was forecast for the hills and high country.

Gale force winds could damage trees and powerlines in exposed places around Gisborne.

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About 500 residents of a tiny East Coast community are expected to be isolated tonight as rivers continue to rise and heavy rain continues to pound the region.

Do you have photos of the wild weather on the East Coast? Click here to send us your feedback

Gisborne’s Civil Defence emergency operation was activated about 9.

The rising Waipaoa River at Te Karaka, 32km northwest of Gisborne, was expected to reach 9.30am today as rivers around the Poverty Bay and Uawa catchments rose past warning levels, in the face of continuing south-easterly rain.

About 500 people at Te Karaka were expected to be isolated tonight, she said.5m this evening, and was expected to cut off the two access roads into the community, Gisborne District Council spokeswoman Toni Lexmond said.

Nine residents from Mangatuna, 65km northeast of Gisborne, were evacuated earlier today as the Hikuwai/Uawa River ran high.

While there was no danger to houses or people, residents who wanted to get out of the area should do so before 4pm, Ms Lexmond said.

Tolaga Bay, Whangara, Ngatapa, Waerenga-o-Kuri and Mangatuna schools were closed, and school buses were sent out to pick up rural children from city schools and get them home before more roads closed.

Rainfall totals reached the 180mm mark in both the Waipaoa and Uawa catchments, with a further heavy rain warning for another 150mm-200mm in the hills around Gisborne and Tolaga Bay from 8am today until 2pm tomorrow.

A Civil Defence emergency had not been declared at this stage, she said.

The rain was expected to create a number of road closures through slips and flooding and areas of surface flooding over the next few days, Ms Lexmond said.

Yesterday’s storm brought more than 1000 bolts of forked lightning to Auckland and Northland, while heavy rain caused slips and flooding, resulting in road closures in the central North Island and Manawatu.

Heavy rain warnings were earlier lifted for the Coromandel Peninsula as severe weather that brought slips and flooding yesterday moved away.

The MetService said today the vigorous low that had caused the storm was now sitting north of the Bay of Plenty and was predicted to move slowly east or southeast.

Rain also caused slips in the Manawatu Gorge and contractors were called in to keep the road open.

Snow warnings were also issued for the Desert Road in the central North Island and Porters Pass in central Canterbury. .

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Police and ambulance staff have attended a serious assault incident in the north Auckland suburb of Paremoremo today.

Do you know anything more about the incident? Do you have photos? Email

Police spokesman Kevin O’Loughlin said a seriously injured man had been discovered in the mudflats near Lucas Creek.

He was airlifted to hospital with serious injuries, including severe cuts to the head.

The second man was taken by ambulance to Middlemore Hospital where he is receiving treatment for a broken hand.

An injured woman and man were also found nearby.

Police spokeswoman Inspector Jacqui Whittaker said police were speaking with witnesses.

The woman – who was taken to hospital initially, has since been discharged.

Police were guarding two scenes, 100m apart located near Paremoremo Prison.

WITNESS SPEAKS

Local resident Ian Bradley said he had heard someone arrive at an address “in a hell of a hurry”.

A St John ambulance spokesman said two ambulances as well as the helicopter had been sent to the scene.”

“So I came out and asked what was going on.

“Later…I wandered up to the road and there’s a bloody helicopter and squadron of police cars and armed police.”

“It went on for about two hours. . They told me there had been an assault. They told me there had been an assault

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India were 349 for five in the second innings when bad light forced an early end to the third day of the third and final cricket test against New Zealand at the Basin Reserve.

Stumps were drawn 8. .1 overs before the scheduled close with India leading by 531 runs.
New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori took two for 2-88 and seamer Iain O’Brien two for 77.
Opener Gautam Gambhir topscored with 167, his sixth test century.
India have an unbeatable 1-0 lead in the series after winning the first test in Hamilton by 10 wickets before the second test in Napier was drawn.
New Zealand conceded an initial 182-run deficit yesterday after being dismissed for 197 in reply to India’s first innings of 379.5 overs) 349 Fall: 14 (Sehwag), 184 (Dravid), 208 (Tendulkar), 314 (Gambhir), 319 (Laxman).
Scoreboard at stumps on the third day:
India : First innings 379
New Zealand: First innings 197
India Second innings (overnight 51-1)G Gambhir lbw b O’Brien 167V Sehwag c Taylor b Martin 12R Dravid c McCullum b Vettori 60S Tendulkar c Taylor b Vettori 9VVS Laxman b O’Brien 61Yuvraj Singh not out 15MS Dhoni not out 16Extras (5lb, 4nb) 9 Total (for 5 wkts, 97.5-5-50-1 (2nb), I O’Brien 22-6-77-2, J Franklin 13-3-50-0, J Ryder 6-1-21-0 (1nb), D Vettori 29-4-88-2 (1nb).Bowling: T Southee 12-2-58-0, C Martin 15.
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A doctor faces a charge of having a sexual relationship with a woman while treating her and her family more than 20 years ago.

The GP, who has interim name suppression, also faces a charge before the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal that he encouraged the woman not to provide information to a health watchdog investigating complaints against him. The tribunal is holding a three-day disciplinary hearing in Christchurch this week.

Details of the woman and other witnesses in the case are suppressed.

The first charge relates to an alleged sexual relationship between the doctor and a female patient living in the same town.

The second charge relates to the doctor’s alleged attempts to get the woman to hide information from the commission’s inquiry.

The woman’s former husband laid a complaint with the Health and Disability Commissioner in 2005 after learning the doctor was in line for a position in the public spotlight.

The woman, who gave evidence at the tribunal hearing yesterday, said she and the GP flirted together and fell in love. .

Their first sexual encounter was in the surgery where the doctor worked after staff had gone home, she said.. “I mainly met him at the surgery when he finished work and his nurse . had gone.. Sometimes we would go for a drive. Sometimes we would go for a drive.”

The affair ended in 1988 after about 18 months, not long before the woman and her husband left the town, the tribunal heard. We did not ever have sex in the course of a consultation or immediately after one.

The medical records from the time were not available or had been destroyed, and the woman said she was relying on memory. The doctor and the woman had told their spouses about the affair by this time.

The woman said that in 2005 her former GP rang to tell her he was seeking nomination for a public role.

She told the tribunal the doctor was her family GP and treated her and some of her immediate family members during the course of their affair.

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In cross-examination, defence counsel Harry Waalkens, QC, told the woman that the doctor’s recollection of events differed from hers on several issues.

In a subsequent telephone conversation, the woman said the doctor encouraged her not to send any information to the Health and Disability Commission for its inquiry. Waalkens said the doctor would give evidence to the tribunal that he hardly saw the woman or her family as patients.

These included the season in which one of their first sexual encounters occurred, what happened on a drive home after their first kiss and whether she made an appointment the day after this encounter to get a breast examination.

The former nurse said she had always respected the GP and found him to be honest, popular and a good doctor.

The former nurse said she had always respected the GP and found him to be honest, popular and a good doctor.

The hearing is expected to finish tomorrow.

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LATEST

Brumbies forward Shawn Mackay is in a coma in a Durban hospital after being hit by a car in the South African city in the wake of the team’s loss to the Sharks.

Mackay was apparently struck by the vehicle while trying to get into a taxi early yesteday morning.
The 26-year-old is in an induced coma in St Augustine’s Hospital after being admitted to the intensive care unit with serious head and leg injuries.
Sharks team doctor, Dr Craig Springate, said Mackay underwent emergency surgery.
South African website News24 reported there are fears that Mackay may be paralysed after suffering a vertebra injury along with multiple face and leg fractures.
“There is some concern about paralysis, but we will only know when he recovers from the anaesthetic.
“He has suffered multiple injuries and fractures which can be classified as serious,”Springate said. The spinal cord is intact but there is some swelling.
Mackay was leaving the Clapham Grand Night Club in Morningside with the rest of his team mates at 4.”
The hospital listed his condition as “serious but stable”.
Emergency response spokesperson Derrick Banks said: “When paramedics arrived on the scene, they found him lying on the side on the road.15amyesterday (local time), when he was hit by a car which drove away and returned to the scene 10 minutes later.. . he had suffered massive injuries and had to have advanced life support intervention. he had suffered massive injuries and had to have advanced life support intervention.”While we are still gathering details our primary concern is for Shawn’s health and safety.
“Shawn is a popular member of the playing group and obviously our thoughts are with him,” Brumbies spokesperson Nick Smith said.Mackay, an Australian sevens representative, joined the Brumbies this year from the Waratahs.”
Durban police have opened a case of reckless and negligent driving.
He can play lock or loose forward and has also played junior league for the Sydney Roosters. He came off the bench in the loss to the Sharks.

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The Brumbies play the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein this weekend

.Workers at a factory operated by the US firm 3M have released the French manager they had held hostage for more than 24 hours after reaching a deal on conditions for laid-off staff.
The industrial director of the group, Luc Rousselet, was barricaded in an office and workers had refused to let him out until he agreed to more favourable terms for the 110 employees who face the axe.
Rousselet left his office early on Thursday morning (local time) to boos from around 20 workers.
“A framework of an agreement allowing for the end of the current crisis on the 3M site in Pithiviers was signed today,” a union representative said.
Earlier this month employees at a Sony factory in south-west France detained overnight the chief executive and human resources director of the Japanese group’s French arm and eventually secured better terms for workers facing dismissal.
Locking up managers is becoming a tradition in French labour disputes, with police unwilling to intervene to avoid violence.
“In the framework, the managers of 3M have committed to take into account all the social consequences of the restructuring project,” the union representative said.
Unions at the 3M plant in Pithiviers, near Orleans, south of Paris, were demanding more money for departing staff, guarantees for those remaining and payment of salaries for those who went on strike over the redundancy plan. France is its sixth largest market and it employs 2,800 staff at eight sites, according to the group’s website. .
Social tensions are rising in France because of the economic crisis.
The company has said it needs to cut jobs at Pithiviers to reduce overcapacity because of falling demand.
Unemployment jumped by 79,900 in February, a 19 per cent rise on the year, new figures showed this week.
More than two million people are already unemployed and hundreds of thousands more are expected to lose their jobs this year as the recession deepens.
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GPs next to admit their mistakes

By REBECCA PALMER, EMILY WATT Tuesday, 24 February 2009

Blunders by private hospitals and family doctors are likely to be made public in future as the number of fatal errors and mishaps revealed by public hospitals climbs.
Seventy-six patients died after being involved in serious hospital incidents last year, a government report made public yesterday reveals.
The number of deaths reported is nearly twice that of the previous year.
The deaths were among 258 "serious and sentinel events" potentially preventable incidents that cause or could cause serious harm or death. Not all the deaths were caused by errors some patients died of other causes. Last year 182 events, including 40 deaths, were reported.
It is only the second time such events have been published nationally.
Reporting is voluntary.
"It's highly likely that the number of events will continue to rise for a period," said quality improvement committee chairman Patrick Snedden, who also chairs Auckland District Health Board. District health boards say the increased number is as a result of better reporting systems and more transparency. Overall, the number involved in serious and sentinel events equates to about three in every 10,000 hospital patients.
Nearly 900,000 people were treated in hospitals over the same period as the 76 deaths, he said. He had discussed the issue with representatives of both groups and they had responded positively.
Mr Snedden would hope to see the same standards of reporting introduced in the primary health sector, which includes GPs, and in private hospitals.
He hoped the country's 1000 GPs could be included within two years.
He hoped the country's 1000 GPs could be included within two years. He expected the rest to be finished by June, which would further increase the consistency of reporting.
Training in incident management procedures had been completed at about half the country's district health boards.
"I think we do need to widen the net .
Health and Disability Commissioner Ron Paterson said it was "very common indeed" for his office to receive complaints relating to care outside the public hospital system, including complaints about pharmacists, GPs, rest homes and midwives… But I can see the sense that we, like other countries, have started our focus with what happens in our hospitals. I know GPs are keen to be included in this and private hospitals are too. He expected the number of cases to rise again next year."
Health Minister Tony Ryall, who said last year that the standard of reporting was "hopeless", said yesterday that it had improved, but could be improved further.
Green MP Sue Kedgley said the report might only be "scratching the surface" because rest homes were not included.
Green MP Sue Kedgley said the report might only be "scratching the surface" because rest homes were not included.

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Army to run teens’ boot camps

By MARTIN KAY Tuesday, 17 February 2009

The army will run boot camps to keep the worst teenage offenders on the straight and narrow under youth justice provisions to go before Parliament tomorrow.
Forty of the most serious repeat offenders each year will undergo three months' military training as part of 18 months' intensive supervision under the plans.
National promised the boot camps before the election, but it was not revealed till yesterday that they would be run by the army.
Social Development Minister Paula Bennett said the boot camps would follow six-month residential programmes and be followed by a further nine months' supervision.
Ms Bennett said she wanted them to include mentoring and self-esteem building as well as physical activity. .
However, those schemes would be provided by community groups, such as iwi, and would not be run by the army.
Prime Minister John Key said a further 175 young offenders a year would be subjected to supervision orders that included an element of military-style training.
In all, 1000 of the worst young offenders would be subjected to tougher youth justice measures, including doubling the maximum residential custody sentence to six months, followed by up to a year's supervision.
None of the military training would include firearms.
Maximum supervision with activity orders which can include drug and alcohol treatment will double to six months, with supervision for a further six months. The changes would cost $35 million a year.
The offences for which 12- and 13-year-olds can be sent to the Youth Court will be widened to include robbery, assault and firearms offences, and other serious crimes.
Young offenders serving community-based sentences, or on bail, could also be subjected to electronic monitoring through ankle bracelets.
The move to introduce boot camps was criticised by Labour leader Phil Goff and Kim Workman, the project director of lobby group Rethinking Crime and Punishment.
The court will also be given powers to order parents of serious young offenders to undergo parenting courses. Mr Goff said he scrapped correctional training when justice mnister in 2000 because it had a more than 90 per cent recidivism rate.
Mr Workman branded them "correctional quackery" and said they were motivated by revenge rather than rehabilitation."
But Mr Key said National would tie the boot camps to intensive programmes and supervision over many months. "The main problem with boot camps is you tend to turn out faster, fitter young criminals with the same bad attitudes. We don't accept that where it's part of a much more comprehensive approach.
"The standard view about a boot camp being unsuccessful, we accept that where it's in isolation for a short period of time."