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An 18-year-old woman has been arrested after the body of a premature baby was found naked on a concrete path outside a west Auckland house.

The baby was found on Monday afternoon at a house in Barron Drive, Green Bay.

She will appear in the Waitakere District Court today where she will be charged with concealing the dead body of a child, Ms Hegarty said. .

Waitemata police spokesperson Kevin Loughlin said the post mortem examination was completed yesterday, but police would not reveal the cause of death while the investigation continued.

The New Zealand Herald reported today that the boy, born four to 10 weeks early, was discovered at the home of two Indian women – a mother and daughter – who had moved into the house a few weeks ago.

The house, opposite a playground and close to a primary school, has been cordoned off by police.

Mr Loughlin said police were not seeking anybody else other than those already assisting police with their inquiries.

“They asked us if we’d seen anything suspicious, did we see any behaviour that made us think something weird was going on,” she told the Herald.

Neighbour Donna Muru was told by police they were investigating the suspicious death of a baby.

Detective Sergeant Sean Hyland-Mills of Waitakere CIB said police had examined the scene and spoken to medical professionals and the child’s relatives.

Ms Muru said she had seen nothing suspicious.

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Finance Minister Bill English says he appreciates the support he gets from taxpayers, which saw him claim close toly $1000 a week to live in his family house in Wellington.

Mr English today defended the payments, saying it was within the rules and was the same as other ministers were getting.The English’s family trust owns the $1. He had made the best option for his family and the cheapest for taxpayers.Mr English, the MP for Clutha-Southland, is entitled as an out-of-Wellington minister to either a crown-owned house or an accommodation allowance.2 million house in Karori.Other costs are also covered – including power and cleaning – which saw Mr English claim more than $23,000 for living in the house for the six months to June 30.He has six children and his wife works as a GP in WellingtonHe said Prime Minister John Key had capped the accommodation rate at $700 a week for rent, which was previously unlimited.He said most people thought politicians were paid too much, their cars were too big and their travel costs too extravagant. As deputy prime minister he earns $276,700 a year.”I get the same deal as everyone else. .”Mr English has come under attack for the claim at the same time as he has called for “permanent restraint” in the public sector. This isn’t about the money this is about the support I get which I appreciate that enables our family to be together.Meanwhile, at the National Party caucus in Christchurch today high profile delegate Wira Gardiner’s bid for the presidency fell at the first hurdle, when he failed to secure a seat on the party’s governing board.But he said the Government had shown leadership including a cap on the amount that could be claimed, and a cap on the number of staff in the Beehive. The front-runner is Auckland businessman Peter Goodfellow.The board will select a president tomorrow to replace Judy Kirk who is stepping down after seven years.He told reporters he did not rule out a capital gains tax, though he said it would be hard to persuade a National Government a capital gains tax was a good idea.In his speech to the conference Bill English warned the party it must be prepared for possible tax changes that they would be uncomfortable with.Prime Minister John Key’s speech to the conference tomorrow will include a package of youth employment initiatives, likely to include details of its youth guarantee policy.The Government needed to get as much revenue in over the next five years without raising the tax burden.

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About a dozen protesters faced the rain today to stick a summons on Social Development Minister Paula Bennett’s door.

The protest, organised by Socialist Aotearoa was over National’s cutting of the Training Incentive Allowance (TIA) and Ms Bennett’s revealing of beneficiaries’ private information.

The mothers said without it they would not be able to continue courses which would help them get jobs.

Ms Bennett has been under fire this week for revealing the welfare payment details of two solo mothers, on benefits, who complained about the Government’s decision to scrap the TIA.

“We think it’s disgraceful that people are trying to scapegoat on the poor and the unemployed and single mothers for the problems in society,” said Socialist Aotearoa member Joe Carolan.

The protesting group, a coalition of community, disabled and trade union groups, was at Ms Bennett’s West Auckland office today. .

“We are in a huge economic crisis at the moment where 50,000 people are going to lose their jobs so we need more support and more training for the unemployed in this period. We need all the help we can get, not to be yet again discriminated against by the Government.

“As a single parent and a student myself I know how hard it is to try and complete some training.

“It’s going to significantly affect my ability to keep studying.”

She said the cut would mean she would not have money for travel, text books and it would affect her ability to afford childcare.”

The summons, stuck on to Ms Bennett’s door, called for her to attend a hearing of “the people’s court” to defend her actions in cutting the TIA and revealing the personal information of the two beneficiaries.”

Ms Ferguson said she would keep studying regardless, but it would be “incredibly difficult.

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The hearing is set for next Saturday, at her office

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A case involving an HIV-positive man charged with infecting others with the disease has aroused plenty of fear, the New Zealand Aids Foundation said today.

Glenn Richard Albert Mills, 40, now faces 28 charges including wounding or attempted wounding with reckless disregard, infecting with a disease and attempting to infect with a disease. .

Fourteen of those charges were added today as a result of publicity arising from his earlier appearances in Auckland District Court and the lifting of name suppression the previous month.

She said the numbers coming to the foundation to have HIV tests had gone up by 40 per cent since Mills’ name was released.

Aids foundation executive director Rachael Le Mesurier said she knew it was “a scary time for many people”.

“We’re also aware that a lot of people have realised that they might have put themselves at risk with somebody else.

“We’re very aware that some of these people may have had contact with the accused,” she said.

While Mills is alleged to have knowingly infected, or tried to infect others, it was far more likely for people to get HIV from partners who didn’t know they had the disease.”

Ms Le Mesurier said the Mills case was unusual.

“The best answer is to use condoms and to get yourself tested as regularly as you can,” she said.

Ms Le Mesurier said everyone who was concerned about the possibility that he or she might have contracted HIV should get tested, either by the foundation or by a GP.

The new counts concerned offending that was alleged to have occurred between April last year to May this year.

The latest complainants against Mills include two females aged 23 and 28 and five men aged between 18 and 28.

The new charges arose after publicity about the case and the lifting the previous month of suppression of Mills’ name and photo.

The offences were alleged to have happened in Auckland and Wellington and, in relation to one male complainant, on the “high seas”.

He is accused of attempting to infect the others with the virus and with attempting to cause them grievous bodily harm.

Of the new complainants, Mills is accused of infecting two of them with HIV and resulting in them grievous bodily harm.

On the previous charges, which were laid before the law change, he was remanded until November 24 for a depositions hearing, which is expected to take four days.

He was remanded in custody to reappear on September 23 for a pre-committal hearing under the new trial process that came into effect the previous month and did away with oral depositions.

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Seven months ago Owen Franks had never played a Super 14 match.

Now the 21-year-old tighthead prop is preparing to start against the Springboks in Sunday morning’s Tri Nations test at Absa Stadium, having been picked to replace Neemia Tialata who suffered a knee injury in last weekend’s 22-16 defeat to the ‘Boks in Bloemfontein.

All Blacks coach Graham Henry has made just one other change to his starting side, bringing Jimmy Cowan back in for Brendon Leonard at halfback.

Although Tialata has played 36 tests, the introduction of in the inexperienced Franks, who has made three appearances as a substitute for the All Blacks this season, should not be viewed as a risky selection. . Later in the season Owen then leapfrogged Bronson Murray as the starting tighthead.

A technically sound scrummager, he also possesses a high work-rate around the field and rose to prominence with the Crusaders earlier this year when his older brother, Ben, who made one appearance against Munster for the All Blacks on last year’s end of year tour, was forced to sit a large chunk of the season with a broken foot.

If Franks continues to improve under the tutelage of All Blacks scrum coach Mike Cron he will be targeting a place in the 2011 World Cup squad as the management continue to seek replacements for Carl Hayman and Greg Somerville.

Linwood, a club that produced prominent All Blacks Fergie McCormick and Tane Norton, is proving a fertile environment for grooming brothers that have represented their country.

Franks, who was born in Motueka before moving to Christchurch as a youngster where he attended Christchurch Boys’ High School, is a member of the Linwood club and worked his way through the national secondary schools and under-21 teams before earning his Crusaders stripes.

Franks made his provincial debut against North Harbour as a 19-year-old in 2007 but battled to get starts with Canterbury behind Somerville and Campbell Johnstone. The Bachop brothers, Graeme and Stephen, and Aaron and Nathan Mauger, are also former All Blacks that represented the east Christchurch club. Cron is understood to be enthusiastic about the young man’s ability to scrum so well at such a young age.

Recently All Blacks forwards coach Steve Hansen revealed that Owen, who weighs around 116kg was several kilos heavier than Ben, who returned to the Crusaders squad late in the season after his rehabilitation.

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A woman has told of hearing Lesley Elliott’s “blood-curdling” scream when she saw her daughter being stabbed.

Shelley Ann Jones, who took Lesley Elliott’s 111 emergency phone call on January 9 last year, told the High Court in Christchurch that she was sent home to recover after taking the call.

Elliott dialled emergency services when she heard her daughter screaming as Clayton Weatherston attacked her in the bedroom at Elliott’s Dunedin home.

Clayton Robert Weatherston is on trial, accused of Sophie Elliott’s murder in Dunedin.

Jones said she heard a “very unpleasant” scream from Elliott when she saw her daughter on the ground.

Weatherston denies murdering Elliott, but accepts he is guilty of her manslaughter. It was a real scream when you know that it’s really happened.

“[It was] blood-curdling.. It was just . unsettling,” Jones said..”

It then said: “Inft can’t get in,” and noted the caller, Lesley Elliott, said she heard a “thumping” noise.

Jones’ computer entry about the telephone call stated: “Daughter attacked by partner. Female screaming .

Jones recorded: “Door opened. ..’

‘Killed her. ‘He’s killed her.’”

After the call was terminated, Jones said she took a break.’ ‘Blood everywhere.”

Sophie Elliott’s university supervisor Robert Alexander, is now giving evidence.

“I was quite pale and shaking so they told me to take the rest of the day.

“There was a lot of abuse.

“There was a lot of abuse. There were a lot of put-downs in the relationship,” Alexander said.

He described seeing Elliott the day before she was killed.

She had come to thank him and farewell him before she moved to Wellington to start a job at the Treasury later in the week. Elliott had ended up talking to him about Weatherston for almost two hours.

“She said to me, well, you don’t want to know about the other stuff, do you?” Alexander said.

Elliott talked about rumours being spread about her by Weatherston at the Treasury, in Wellington.

“She was aware that he was telling people that she was crazy,” Alexander said.

Cross-examination of Alexander by defence counsel Greg King is now under way.

MOTHER GIVES EVIDENCE

Earlier the court heard how Sophie Elliott “lost it” and “went at” her former boyfriend two days before he allegedly murdered her.

Sophie Elliott’s mother Lesley was giving evidence at the Christchurch High Court earlier today.

Lesley Elliott said her daughter was very upset about how she had become aggressive towards Weatherston in his Otago University office on January 7 last year.

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State prosecution in Toulouse requested on Wednesday a maximum fine of 225,000 euros for Total subsidiary Grande Paroisse over an explosion in 2001 at its AZF plant in Toulouse, southwestern France, that killed 31 people.

Patrice Michel, one of the prosecutors in the case, also recommended a maximum sentence of three years in prison and a 45,000-euro fine for the former manager of the chemical fertiliser plant, Serge Biechelin, on trial for manslaughter and involuntary injury.

However, French prosecutors recommended oil company Total and former head Thierry Desmarest should not be sentenced over the accident. As well as 31 dead, more than 2,000 people were injured in the explosion, which damaged 30,000 homes and hundreds of businesses within a radius of about six kilometers.

The gigantic explosion at the AZF plant in September 2001 was one of the worst industrial accidents in western Europe in recent years.

Judges have ruled that an accident was the most likely cause of the explosion, and investigators have accused AZF of negligence in stocking volatile ammonium nitrate, a chemical used in its fertilisers.

In February, a French court decided Total and Desmarest should appear alongside the subsidiary at the request of lawyers representing around 15 of the victims. .

France – justice – Total
.8 billion) in compensation but has denied any wrongdoing and said the payout did not in any way constitute an acknowledgement of criminal responsibility