New Zealand

Thousands turn out to honour New Zealand's war dead

Thousands turn out to honour New Zealand's war dead Wellington  - Thousands of New Zealanders turned out to honour the country's war dead at dawn services throughout the country on Saturday, the 94th anniversary of a disastrous First World War landing by troops at Gallipoli in Turkey.

The troops were part of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) and April 25 is a public holiday of remembrance in both countries.

Kiwi PM enters the Twitter world

Kiwi PM enters the Twitter worldWellington, Apr 24: After Oprah Winfrey, the latest celebrity to join in the craze of microblogging on Twitter is New Zealand Prime Minister John Key.

Till date, the NZ premier has posted five links to speeches and press releases, talking of things like the Government''s Job Support Scheme and an address to Grey Power.

"We''re still in the set-up phase, but I already have over 600 "followers". I''ll get more involved in future," The Press quoted Key as saying.

Top New Zealand climate scientist sacked for talking to media

Top New Zealand climate scientist sacked for talking to media Wellington - Jim Salinger, New Zealand's most prominent climate scientist, has been sacked by the state-owned National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) for talking to the media without permission, he said on Friday.

Salinger, who is internationally known as a lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), said he was summarily dismissed this week after working for NIWA for 25 years.

Top New Zealand climate scientist sacked for talking to media

Top New Zealand climate scientist sacked for talking to media Wellington - Jim Salinger, New Zealand's most prominent climate scientist, has been sacked by the state-owned National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) for talking to the media without permission, he said on Friday.

Salinger, who is internationally known as a lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), said he was summarily dismissed this week after working for NIWA for 25 years.

New Zealand customs steps up fight against fake goods

New Zealand customs steps up fight against fake goods Wellington - The New Zealand Customs Service said Friday that it had signed a cooperation agreement with multinational manufacturer Procter & Gamble Co (P&G) to step up a drive aimed at stopping fake goods coming into the country. A statement said customs officers had intercepted 5,400 counterfeit P&G products, including toothpaste, shampoo, conditioners, creams, perfumes, anti-bacterial soaps and laundry detergents from entering New Zealand last year.

New Zealand opera star Kiri te Kanawa defrauded by bank manager

New Zealand opera star Kiri te Kanawa defrauded by bank manager Wellington - New Zealand opera diva Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, 65, suffered the theft of more than 650,000 US dollars by a bank manager who handled her retirement account in California, news reports said Friday. The manager, Sokvoeun "Cindy" Sou, 27, admitted embezzlement and five fraud charges when she appeared in court Thursday, police detective Greg Ella, of Alameda, in San Francisco Bay, told Radio New Zealand.

He said that Sou was remanded in custody until a bail hearing before being sentenced.

Pages