Two a penny

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A strong earthquake shook Bali today, injuring at least seven people and sending panicked tourists and residents fleeing out of homes and hotels.

No tsunami warning was issued and there were no immediate reports of major damage.

The magnitude 5.

Indonesia’s Meteorological and Geophysics Agency put the quake at a more powerful 6.8 quake hit just after 6am local time (0900 AEST), 75 kilometres south of Denpasar, the island’s capital, the US Geological Survey said.

Seven people were treated for head injuries and broken bones at Sanglah Hospital in Denpasar, said Dr Ken Wirasandi, adding that women and children had run from their homes screaming when the ground began to rattle.4 magnitude.

“I was frightened because it was strong,” said Ernst Raynaldo, a tourist from the Netherlands who was staying at the Kuta beach strip. .

“I ran out immediately as I saw many others rushing into the swimming pool,” which was the closest open space.

A huge quake off western Indonesia caused a powerful tsunami in December 2004 that killed about 230,000 people in a dozen countries, half of them in Indonesia’s Aceh province.

Indonesia, a vast archipelago, straddles continental plates and is prone to seismic activity.

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Dame Kiri Te Kanawa breezed into Sydney and made two things clear. Don’t mention John Farnham, or retirement.

Ironically the two are scheduled to perform in Sydney tomorrow night; Dame Kiri at the Opera House and Farnham at the Star City Casino as he kicks off a 31-date farewell tour.

New Zealand’s world famous soprano, scheduled to sing in two concerts with the Sydney Symphony this week, wasn’t best pleased when the Aussie pop icon’s name was raised.48) million lawsuit by promoter Leading Edge Events in the New South Wales Supreme Court after she withdrew from three scheduled concerts with Farnham – because she was uncomfortable at the prospect of female fans throwing knickers at him.

Two years ago, Dame Kiri beat a A$2 (NZ$2.

“This is about music and that’s not.

“Can we just drop that subject, thank you,” Dame Kiri told The Australian newspaper.

“I was concerned about the knickers or underpants and underwear apparel being thrown at him and him collecting it and obviously holding it in his hands as some sort of trophy.”

Dame Kiri – whose company Mattase was ordered to pay $A128,000 to Leading Edge in expenses incurred – told the court in 2007 she withdrew after watching footage of Farnham’s previous concerts.

Dame Kiri, 65, was quoted by London’s Daily Telegraph last month as saying a concert in the German city of Cologne next April “will be my last”.”

Asked about the coincidence of the pair performing on the same night in the same city tomorrow, Dame Kiri said: “Good luck, can we move on?”

Meanwhile, British reports of her impending retirement were also given the short shrift.

But she told reporters in Sydney: “No, I have not announced it (retirement).

She cited an exhausting schedule and was quoted as saying opera was “mainly for young people”. I didn’t say a thing.

“The press might have announced it. I’m not retiring. I don’t know why they’re trying to retire me.

“You don’t retire. . But retiring means you don’t do it any more. You just move on to something else if you want.. I’m working morning, noon, and. I mean, I do 20 concerts a year, I do charity. I mean, I do 20 concerts a year, I do charity… how can I retire?”

She said the door was open to more operatic roles, beyond her performance in Richard Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier in Cologne.

Dame Kiri said she was kept busy through her work developing young New Zealand opera talent.

She planned to bring three of her students from the Solti Academy and Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation to London to perform alongside her at the Tower of London in September.

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A seriously ill man accused of sending MP Sue Bradford death threats says his Twitter account was hacked and he never sent the MP threatening messages.

Henk van Helmond, who suffers from multiple sclerosis and a heart condition, says his life has been made “hell” since Ms Bradford told media outlets of death threats made against her on the internet. .

Mr van Helmond says his Twitter account was hacked and the message had been sent to Ms Bradford without his knowledge. I’m a pacifist, I don’t believe in violence, I have MS and a heart condidtion, why would I make a comment like that?”

Mr van Helmond says his account was “picked on” because he hosts website CYFSwatch and is “absolutely anti her bill.

“Someone got into my account and made these death threats, I know it wasn’t me.

“I apologised to her because it came from my account, even though I didn’t say it, I caused it to be said.”

He said he had already apologised to Mrs Bradford on the website and sent out a tweet explaining the situation.

“If Sue had allowed police to do their job, this whole thing could have been sorted out straight away and the media wouldn’t have been involved.”

Mr van Helmond said he had not been contacted by the police.”

Mr van Helmond says he has no idea who would hack into his account, but has changed his passwords to prevent it occuring again.

“Sue is too keen on publicity of any kind, she’s a media hound.

He said he had not received such threats himself but had been the recipient of obscene and threatening emails.

Kiwi Party leader and pro-smacking advocate Larry Baldock told Radio New Zealand earlier today he did “certainly not condone” the threats Ms Bradford had received.

KEY SLAMS THREAT

Prime Minister John Key today said there was “no place” for threats to politicians in New Zealand politics.

Ms Bradford said she had not spoken with police about the tweet from Mr van Helmond’s account and was unsure of further action.

“People write stupid comments on social networking sites, so I don’t know whether there’s anything really sinister behind it, but there’s no place for it in our political debate,” he told Newstalk ZB.

Mr Key said New Zealand prided itself on having “fierce debates”, but “we don’t resort to political assassination”.

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French seamen on a New Zealand-bound warship have rescued one of Auckland’s top medical specialists and his family from their dismasted yacht 375 kilometres north of North Cape. .

On a medical website Dr Bradfield lists his interests as “Sailing, Sailing, Sailing, Sailing, making children.

The yacht ran into the storm that caused foul weather across the North Island last weekend and knocked three yachts out of the Auckland to Noumea yacht race.”

The family left Auckland in May and stayed in Tonga before setting sail for home last week.

The New Caledonia based 55-metre patrol boat La Glorieuse, which was on the way to Auckland, was guided to the scene by the Hercules.

Dr Bradfield activated his distress beacon yesterday afternoon and an RNZAF Hercules flew to the scene, reporting the yacht had dismasted.

Sailors onboard the 55-metre patrol boat La Glorieuse found their 12.

The yacht had become dismasted, its rigging tangling around the rudder and keel while travelling from Tonga to New Zealand.6m sloop Carenza at 10pm yesterday, about five hours after the yacht’s captain had activated an emergency beacon.

No-one had been injured, Rescue Co-ordination Centre New Zealand search and rescue officer Christine Wilson said.

Surviving yachts in the Noumea yacht race were alerted to be aware of La Glorieuse cross the fleet’s path.

La Glorieuse rescued the family and was ordered to sink Carenza because it was a hazard to shipping.

The warship stayed alongside the yacht overnight, evacuating the New Zealand-resident family about 7am today.

La Glorieuse is due in Auckland on a scheduled visit tomorrow morning.

La Glorieuse is due in Auckland on a scheduled visit tomorrow morning.

“It’s a long way.

“We’ve had a reasonable day with a few showers -somehow this time the trip feels a lot slower and we are keen to be home,” Dr Bradfield said.

“This dead downwind sailing under head sail – although easy – has an unpleasant motion, and the kids have spent most of the day sleeping with the lethargy that comes with a bit of sea illness.

“We are looking forward to a more northerly wind shift tomorrow and an increase in boat speed.

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Josh added on the blog that time was going slowly: “only 3 things to do on board, sleep, stare aimlessly at the empty horizon or cough up your guts overboard

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The winner of Lotto’s record $36. .

Do you know who won the $36.co.1m prize? Email newstips@stuff.

The district’s mayor already has one piece of advice: don’t park your new Porsche and Audi in the same street.nz

The Big Wednesday winning ticket will be verified today by the Lotteries Commission as the region’s 22,623 inhabitants scramble to work out who the country’s newest multi-millionaire is.

The ticket was bought at Masterton’s Kuripuni Take Note Lotto and Post Shop and netted the lone first division winner $34,453,401 in cash, plus a slew of luxury prizes. Last night’s win follows a $5.

The first division winner also won the second divison prize of $696,795.

In an unprecedented move, the Lotteries Commission set up an 0800 phone number so last night’s winner could claim the prize in “total secrecy”.5m Powerball win just 12 days ago in Masterton.

“The winner’s privacy is very important.

Spokeswoman Karen Jones said the number was set up so the winner could sidestep the usual process of turning up to the Lotteries Commission in Wellington. We don’t want them rocking up to a store or to our offices, because there is intense interest. We don’t want them rocking up to a store or to our offices, because there is intense interest.

Local residents Doug and Liz Wishart said the excitement last night had been “almost too much to bear”.

Speculation as to their identity is intense today.”It’s not something they are going to be able to keep quiet for long.Though not the holders of the winning ticket, like everyone they wanted to know who the newly-minted multi-millionaire was.

So far this morning, dozens of punters have flooded through the doorsat the store where the winning ticket was sold. Masterton is just too small and there are too many tongues that wag,” said Liz Wishart.Shop owner Maureen Taute believed the winner was local. Media crews have staked out the shop since 6am, hoping to catch of the big winner.”Most people who come in here are regulars and live locally. The shop is tucked away in a small shopping village and away from the beaten track of visitors.5 million from a ticket bought here recently came in ten days later to say very privately and quietly, thank you.5 million from a ticket bought here recently came in ten days later to say very privately and quietly, thank you.”

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Taito Phillip Field arranged a series of fictitious statements and documents to hide the fact that Thai workers he was helping with immigration matters were working on his property for little or no money, a jury has been told.

Crown prosecutor Simon Moore said the former MP arranged for the false statements and document creations to put a government inquiry and police investigators on the wrong scent.

Mr Moore was making his opening address at the trial of Field in the High Court in Auckland on 35 criminal charges.

Today Mr Moore began outlining the 23 charges of wilfully attempting to obstruct or pervert the course of justice, alleging Field took numerous steps to create a false impression of what happened at his properties.

Yesterday he outlined most of the 12 charges of bribery and corruption charges as an MP laid against Field, alleging that Thai nationals carried out tens of thousands of dollars worth of work on five of his properties in return for help with their immigration issues.

A few days before the election, Prime Minister Helen Clark ordered an inquiry into Field’s conduct, primarily over tiling work carried out at a house of Field’s in Samoa, to be undertaken by Auckland barrister Dr Noel Ingram.

Mr Moore told the jury how the allegations against Field broke in media in September 2005, during the general election campaign.

Mr Moore said there was also media coverage suggesting police were considering an investigation of their own.

They were to arrange false receipts or invoices to be created in relation to the work on the properties, arranging for witnesses to make false statements, and making false statements himself, Mr Moore said.

He said Field then took a series of steps which led to false or misleading information being presented to the Ingram inquiry.

“Mr Field embarked on this course in an attempt to conceal and hide what the true position was, and he did it for the purpose of preventing charges being laid against him.

Once the Ingram inquiry report had been released, Mr Field then arranged to have further false statements made to police and further false documents created once a police investigation had been formally announced, Mr Moore said.

“The circumstances that have given rise to the decision I do not propose to divulge,” he told the remaining jurors.”

Mr Moore was making today’s remarks to a jury of 11 after a man appointed jury foreman yesterday was discharged by Justice Rodney Hansen today.

“But what I do want to emphasise is that it involves no personal reflection in any way at all on the character of your foreman.

“But what I do want to emphasise is that it involves no personal reflection in any way at all on the character of your foreman. A further seven jurors, including the man discharged today, were empanelled yesterday and heard half of Mr Moore’s opening address yesterday.

Today’s development came after seven of the jurors originally empanelled on Monday were discharged the following day. .

The trial is expected to last 12 weeks

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Thieves have broken into the Invercargill pound in what has been described as a planned commando attack, and stolen two mastiff dogs who mauled an elderly woman last week.

The 68-year-old victim, Noeline Shaw, said she was horrified the dogs had been broken out of the pound and were back in the community.
Mrs Shaw had been delivering pamphlets in Holloway St last week when the two large mastiff dogs got out of their property and lunged at her, biting her arm and pulling on her clothing, she said. She feared someone else would be attacked. She was still feeling shaken by the attack.
Her bite wounds had since become infected and she was put on antibiotics.
“They should have been onto the job and shot them there and then.
The dogs should have been destroyed immediately, she said. That breed shouldn’t be allowed in the town boundary. Why should they have still been in the pound? They nearly killed me.
The owner of the two dogs, Renee Bartlett, said she had no idea who had stolen her dogs or where they were. They are vicious,” she said.
“People have been after those dogs for a long, long time . She blamed for the thefts as the paper had named her as the dogs’ owner, which had alerted people to the identity of the dogs in the pound, she said… . I feel maybe they are going to use them to breed…
It is understood the thieves cut through a wire fence to gain access to the city dog pound on Saturday night.”
She did not believe the dogs were a threat to the public, adding she had received hate mail since it was revealed they had attacked Mrs Shaw.
The council’s environmental and services director William Watt said it was a “planned commando attack”. They then used boltcutters to gain access to the locked main enclosure and locked cages holding the dogs. “I think security is a problem. “I think security is a problem. It’s a facility that’s been there for a number of years.”
Responding to claims the dogs should have been destroyed immediately, Mr Watt said the council had been unable to do so because the owner had not given permission. The dogs were being held in the pound pending court action to get them destroyed, Mr Watt said.

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Trade Minister Tim Groser said last night that he had just discovered he still held shares in a company he resigned from in February to avoid any possibility of conflict of interest.

Mr Groser was a director of Indian Overseas Group Ltd and resigned as a director after he was appointed trade minister.
The Labour Party has previously raised questions about the gap between his appointment in November and his resignation as a director on February 15, which was a few days before Mr Groser announced New Zealand was going to negotiate a free trade agreement with India.
“I discovered that I had 2000 shares in Indian Overseas Group Ltd, representing my initial start-up capital contribution,” he said.
Mr Groser said tonight that after receiving a media call he checked the companies register.
“I have taken immediate steps to divest myself of this shareholding.
“I was unaware that when I resigned as a director on February 15 2009 that I had a continuing financial interest, given that I believed the shareholding had no value because the company is inactive and there is no prospect of it becoming active. .
Mr Groser was once a director of New Zealand Aviation as well, but he resigned from it in January.
Mr Worth was reprimanded by Prime Minister John Key for going to India on a private trip and then speaking in his capacity as a minister while he promoted an aviation company he had an interest in.
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Body identified as missing Alaskan

Tuesday, 24 February 2009

Oamaru Police have confirmed the body found close to the Kakanui River mouth earlier today is that of a missing Alaskan man.
Sergeant Tony Woodbridge said the dead man had been identified as 20-year-old Sean Francis Lawson of Alaska.
His body was found on the south beach close to the mouth of the Kakanui River around 7am earlier today.
Mr Lawson's family wished to thank the search and rescue volunteers and the Kakanui community for their help in locating their son, he said.
"The matter has now been handed on to the Coroner's Office and police will be assisting with any ongoing enquiries," he said. .
"The matter has now been handed on to the Coroner's Office and police will be assisting with any ongoing enquiries.

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Neighbours see woman stabbed to death

– Tuesday, 27 January 2009

A woman has died from stab wounds and her partner is in hospital under police guard after a domestic incident in Dunedin witnessed by horrified neighbours.
Police said the 21-year-old woman died from stab wounds following an incident in suburban St Kilda last night. A man, who police say was her partner, was in a stable condition in Dunedin hospital and under police guard.
Mr McGregor said there had been five 111 calls and police were particularly interested in speaking with those callers.
No-one else was being sought in relation to the stabbing, however, police were seeking further witnesses to help with their inquiry.
Detective Senior Sergeant Steve McGregor said 36 detectives and police staff were working on the case.
"While we have already spoken with a number of people and are continuing to do so today, we are also keen to hear from anybody else who may have witnessed the events surrounding this incident, which involved an argument and physical altercation on Bay View Road shortly after 9pm last evening," he said.
It is understood that the stabbing was sparked by a domestic incident and the man's wounds were self-inflicted.
"She was covered in blood.
A neighbour described seeing a woman running down a road covered in blood with a man chasing her. . .
"Another guy from the house tried to stop him .I saw a guy chasing the girl down the middle of the road," he told The Otago Daily Times. . ."
The witness said the man stabbed himself three or four times in the chest, collapsed, then got to his feet before stabbing himself again. then he just started to stab himself.
The woman was understood to have gone to a neighbouring house to seek help.
Another neighbour said the woman had blood pouring from her arm as she ran along the road.
No-one else was being sought in relation to the incident.
When police arrived they moved crowds away from the scene and set up a cordon.
Members of the public with any information should contact them, he said.
Mr McGregor said police were setting up a caravan near the address at the Kings High School end of Bay View Road.
– with

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A post mortem was due to be carried out today