tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016056584207900342023-11-16T02:06:38.319+13:00Kiwi Kids Newsdaily news for young kiwisShem Banburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12958331886351095289noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501605658420790034.post-45753064117856762842010-04-22T20:35:00.000+12:002010-04-22T20:35:08.672+12:00ANZAC DAY SPECIAL<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://images.tvnz.co.nz/tvnz_images/news2009/anzac/poppy_hat_160409_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://images.tvnz.co.nz/tvnz_images/news2009/anzac/poppy_hat_160409_3.jpg" width="200" wt="true" /></a></div>Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand, and is commemorated by both countries on 25 April every year to honour members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) who fought at Gallipoli in Turkey during World War I. It now more broadly commemorates all those who died and served in military operations for their countries. Anzac Day is also observed in the Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa and Tonga.<br />
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WEBLINKS<br />
<a href="http://anzac%20day%20is%20a%20national%20day%20of%20remembrance%20in%20australia%20and%20new%20zealand,%20and%20is%20commemorated%20by%20both%20countries%20on%2025%20april%20every%20year%20to%20honour%20members%20of%20the%20australian%20and%20new%20zealand%20army%20corps%20(anzac)%20who%20fought%20at%20gallipoli%20in%20turkey%20during%20world%20war%20i.%20it%20now%20more%20broadly%20commemorates%20all%20those%20who%20died%20and%20served%20in%20military%20operations%20for%20their%20countries.%20anzac%20day%20is%20also%20observed%20in%20the%20cook%20islands,%20niue,%20samoa%20and%20tonga./">TVNZ</a><br />
<a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/anzac-day-2010">STUFF</a>Shem Banburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12958331886351095289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501605658420790034.post-66283378252096262022010-04-22T19:24:00.000+12:002010-04-22T19:24:18.054+12:00STORM STRIPPED OF TITLES<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.nrlnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/melbourne-storm-2007-premiers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://www.nrlnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/melbourne-storm-2007-premiers.jpg" width="200" wt="true" /></a></div><br />
The Melbourne Storm have been stripped of two National Rugby League championship titles and fined $A1.5 million ($NZ1.96 million) after being found guilty of long-term salary cap breaches. <br />
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NRL chief executive David Gallop also said today that Melbourne would not accrue any competition points in the 2010 season. <br />
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Gallop said the Storm had been found to have exceeded the salary cap by at least $A1.7m ($NZ2.21m) over five years. <br />
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Melbourne were stripped of their titles from the 2007 and 2009 seasons, but losing grand finalists Manly and Parramatta would not assume those titles. <br />
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The Storm were also stripped of three minor premierships for finishing first in the regular season. <br />
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"They had a long-term system of effectively two sets of books and the elaborate lengths they have gone through to cover this up has been extraordinary," said Gallop. <br />
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"The club has furthermore been fined $A500,000 ($NZ651,000) and will be forced to return $A1.1 million ($NZ1.45m) in prizemoney, with the prizemoney being distributed evenly among the other 15 clubs." <br />
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The club last month opened its books to salary cap auditor Ian Schubert after it emerged the NRL was concerned with several issues regarding player payments, including a third-party television deal involving skipper Cameron Smith. <br />
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Gallop said the Storm confirmed that undeclared promises of extra payments were stored in a secret file. <br />
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<a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/league/3612541/Melbourne-Storm-stripped-of-titles-fined">NEWS LINK</a>Shem Banburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12958331886351095289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501605658420790034.post-72486578927743289072010-04-20T20:47:00.000+12:002010-04-20T20:47:18.493+12:00CHILD SINKS HOLE IN ONE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://l.yimg.com/ao/i/sp/nz/golfkidsphoto257.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://l.yimg.com/ao/i/sp/nz/golfkidsphoto257.jpg" width="200" wt="true" /></a></div><br />
A five-year-old will be the envy of all golfers after sinking a hole in one during a juniors tournament.<br />
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England's Eleanor Gamble pulled off the ace on a 78-metre par three, avoiding a lake and several bunkers and sinking the shot on just one bounce.<br />
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Eurosport reports that Eleanor was playing with her 10-year-old brother at the time as part of a juniors tournament at the Cambridge Lakes Golf Course. She said: "I was very excited. I am going to keep playing golf, and see if I will be better than my brother.<br />
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Her father is now seeking entry into the Guinness Book of Records for the youngest person to sink a hole in one.<br />
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"She keeps saying: 'I can't believe I got a hole-in-one'," he said. "We had her great grandparents over from Ireland and we took them to the course to show off our son Jacob, who is 10.<br />
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"He is really quite good but Eleanor has stolen his limelight. There were about 15 people on the tee watching.<br />
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"She got the ball over the water and then it hopped over a bunker and someone shouted that she had got it in. We were all quite speechless really.<br />
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"I think she might have broken a record because the youngest female hole-in-one golfer listed on the Guinness World Records website is by an eight-year-old from America.<br />
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"Eleanor has smashed the record by three years. We submitted an application and now we're waiting to hear back from them."<br />
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The owner of the nine-hole course did admit that the course records a lot of aces because all of the holes are par threes within short distance of the tee.<br />
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<a href="http://nz.sports.yahoo.com/golf/news/article/-/7084741/fiveyearold-sinks-hole">NEWS LINK</a>Shem Banburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12958331886351095289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501605658420790034.post-43427978290662584852010-04-20T20:43:00.000+12:002010-04-20T20:43:21.848+12:00PHEONIX EXTEND CONTRACT<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://media.nzherald.co.nz/webcontent/image/jpg/phoenix220.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://media.nzherald.co.nz/webcontent/image/jpg/phoenix220.jpg" width="200" wt="true" /></a></div><br />
The Wellington Phoenix has been granted a five-year license extension to play in Australian football's A-League until at least the end of the 2015-2016 season.<br />
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Today's announcement by Football Federation Australia ended speculation over the future of the Phoenix, caused by the Asian Football Confederation's apparent reluctance to have a team from the Oceania Confederation continue in the Australian-based league.<br />
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The FFA, which governs the 10-team A-League, became a member of the Asian Football Confederation in 2006, while New Zealand remained part of the Oceania Confederation. AFC president Mohamed bin Hammam said in November he could not see an Oceania-based side continuing in the A-League beyond 2011.<br />
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The AFC's position apparently softened after a recent meeting between bin Hammam and OFC head Raynald Temarii, leading to the license extension announced Tuesday.<br />
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<a href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10639673">NEWS LINK</a>Shem Banburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12958331886351095289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501605658420790034.post-16615678785602464542010-04-20T12:58:00.000+12:002010-04-20T12:58:16.089+12:00WORLD CUP VILLAGE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://media.nzherald.co.nz/webcontent/image/jpg/wharf_featured.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://media.nzherald.co.nz/webcontent/image/jpg/wharf_featured.jpg" width="200" wt="true" /></a></div>A temporary facility will be built on Auckland's Queens wharf to host 'party central' for the Rugby World Cup, Murray McCully confirmed today.<br />
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The Rugby World Cup Minister announced the plans at a media conference in downtown Auckland this morning.<br />
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Mr McCully said the structure was "most assuredly not a tent" and would be built out of steel and glass.<br />
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The Government would pay $9 million for the "cost-effective building" and Auckland regional ratepayers would pay $10 million for the upgrade of the wharf, Mr McCully said.<br />
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He said the Queens Wharf development would feature a fanzone with an international media lounge providing backdrops of the harbour and downtown Auckland. It would also act as a cruise terminal.<br />
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The structure would take up between 5.5 and 6 acres on the site - about 20 per cent of the wharf.<br />
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Mr Mccully said earlier temporary options involving two 98-year-old cargo sheds on the wharf were "prohibitively expensive".<br />
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Auckland Regional Council (ARC) chairman Mike Lee confirmed both of the sheds were going, subject to consultation with the New Zealand Historic Places Trust.<br />
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<a href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10639586">NEWS LINK</a>Shem Banburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12958331886351095289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501605658420790034.post-4530948711157883082010-04-19T21:41:00.000+12:002010-04-19T21:41:56.378+12:00RESCUED FROM RUBBLE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://static.stuff.co.nz/1271668887/987/3598987.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="116" src="http://static.stuff.co.nz/1271668887/987/3598987.jpg" width="200" wt="true" /></a></div><strong>Woman, girl rescued from rubble after 5 days</strong><br />
Rescuers pulled out a four-year-old girl and a Tibetan woman alive from the rubble of an earthquake more than five days after they were trapped, as trucks carrying aid and equipment rolled into this shattered town in western China. <br />
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China Central Television said the pair had been trapped under a bed in a collapsed mud-built house in a village about 20 kilometers from the hardest-hit town of Jiegu, until rescuers dug them out Monday morning. <br />
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Relatives kept Wujian Cuomao, 68, and Cairen Baji alive by sending them food and water through gaps in the rubble with the help of bamboo poles, state broadcaster CCTV said. The report showed the white-haired woman waving her arms as she was lifted onto a stretcher and put in an ambulance. <br />
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She was in critical condition, CCTV said, while the child was suffering from heart problems due to trauma. <br />
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The death toll from the quake in Qinghai province rose to 1,944, the official Xinhua News Agency said Monday. More than 12,100 people were hurt. At least 1100 bodies were cremated or buried by Saturday, according to the provincial civil affairs department. <br />
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In Jiegu, work mostly shifted from rescue to rebuilding Monday as many search teams left. Thousands of Tibetan Buddhist monks stayed, however, picking at rubble with shovels, performing funeral rites and throwing food from the backs of trucks. <br />
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Convoys of military supply trucks were at a standstill, backed up for miles on the main road headed into town. At a supply depot set up on the town's edge, huge stacks of bottled water were piled up outside a warehouse. More relief goods rumbled past mountainside hamlets where residents pitched government-provided tents along a two-lane highway that is the only connection between Jiegu and the provincial capital of Xining. <br />
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Bedraggled survivors streamed from their tents and chased the trucks, the women scooping bread rolls and packets of instant noodles into the aprons of their traditional fur-lined robes. <br />
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Army trucks sprayed water on roads to reduce dust, and mobile toilets arrived - just in time as the spread of diseases was becoming a concern after more than five days without running water. <br />
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<a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/asia/3598981/Woman-girl-rescued-from-rubble-after-5-days">NEWS LINK</a>Shem Banburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12958331886351095289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501605658420790034.post-42704276988739856862010-04-18T19:47:00.000+12:002010-04-18T19:47:28.798+12:00INDIAN BOMBINGS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44866000/jpg/_44866536_21c7571f-10ee-487b-8bd7-cc6d40a9548e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44866000/jpg/_44866536_21c7571f-10ee-487b-8bd7-cc6d40a9548e.jpg" width="200" wt="true" /></a></div>The safety of New Zealand sportsmen and women in India is again in the spotlight after two bombs exploded at an IPL cricket match in Bangalore.<br />
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Ten people are believed injured, but it could have much worse and there are now fresh concerns about the Commonwealth Games later this year.<br />
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The explosions were powerful enough to blast a hole in a brick wall, injuring several police officers and security guards. <br />
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They exploded outside Chinniswamy Stadium as thousands of cricket fans packed in to watch the Mumbai Indians play the Bangalore Royal Challengers, featuring Black Caps star Ross Taylor.<br />
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Two small bombs detonated while a third on the roof of the ticket office failed to explode.<br />
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The match went ahead after a delayed start, but the blasts sent shockwaves through the Black Caps as they prepared to fly to Australia for 20/20 World Cup warm up matches.<br />
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And there are renewed fears for the New Delhi Commonwealth Games in October, with the New Zealand Olympic Committee saying it is talking to government security experts about the potential danger.<br />
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<a href="http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/safety-concerns-nz-sportspeople-3470919">NEWS LINK</a>Shem Banburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12958331886351095289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501605658420790034.post-90365526167199332212010-04-18T19:38:00.000+12:002010-04-18T19:38:10.437+12:00ASH COVERS EUROPE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://l.yimg.com/fv/xp/aap/20100418/13/3780956304.jpg?x=292&sig=kFtSTe1KgyHdjOMBhZ4x9g--" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://l.yimg.com/fv/xp/aap/20100418/13/3780956304.jpg?x=292&sig=kFtSTe1KgyHdjOMBhZ4x9g--" width="200" wt="true" /></a></div><br />
Millions of people face worsening travel chaos as a volcanic ash cloud from Iceland moves further south and east, forcing European countries to extend flight bans.<br />
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<a href="http://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/world/7075403/flight-bans-extend-as-ash-cloud-spreads/">NEWS LINK with VIDEO</a><br />
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Britain has extended a ban on most flights in its airspace until at least 7pm on Sunday (0400 AEST Monday) due to the volcanic ash cloud, air authorities announced.<br />
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"The volcanic ash cloud from Iceland shows continued and extensive cover of the UK," the National Air Traffic Services said in a statement on Sunday.<br />
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"Based on the latest information from the Met Office, NATS advises that the restrictions currently in place across UK controlled airspace will remain in place until at least 1900 (UK time) today."<br />
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NATS said it would continue to provide information from the Met Office national weather service and would provide a further update about 9am on Sunday (1800 AEST).<br />
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The Met Office said it had detected evidence of ash dust over Britain and had reports of it reaching the ground.<br />
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"We continue to look for weather windows that will allow air space restrictions to be lifted," it said.<br />
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A research flight on Friday found "three distinct layers of ash, from fine particles at low levels to large particles around 8,000 feet (2,400 metres)," it said.<br />
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"All these observations are consistent with our forecast plumes for where the ash cloud would spread and how it would mix through the atmosphere."<br />
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France has decided to shut the three airports in the Paris area and others in the north of the country until 8am (1600 AEST) on Monday due to the ash cloud that has caused the biggest airspace shutdown since World War II.<br />
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German airspace will remain closed until 8pm on Sunday (0400 AEST Monday) because of the volcanic dust cloud from Iceland, a spokeswoman for the national air safety agency DFS announced.<br />
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Europe's biggest airline Lufthansa announced earlier that it was cancelling all its flights until the same time.<br />
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German Chancellor Angela Merkel will be unable to attend the funeral later on Sunday of president Lech Kacynski in Poland because of the travel turmoil, a government spokesman said late on Saturday.<br />
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Merkel had been due back in Berlin on Friday afternoon from a trip to the United States, but was diverted to Lisbon because German airspace was closed.<br />
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She spent the night to Saturday in the Portuguese capital and then flew to Rome from where she was due to travel to Germany by car.<br />
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Italy also says it won't allow any flights until 0600 GMT (1600 AEST) on Monday, Ireland has shut its airspace until 1200 GMT (2200 AEST) on Sunday and Britain and Germany have lengthened bans on most flights in their airspace until 0600 GMT (1600 AEST) on Sunday.<br />
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Winds blowing the massive cloud eastward from Iceland to Russia will continue in the same direction for at least two days and could go on until the middle of the week, the Icelandic Meteorological Office said on Saturday.<br />
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"The ash will continue to be directed towards Britain and Scandinavia," Teitur Arason, a meteorologist at the Icelandic Meteorological Office, told AFP.<br />
"That's the general situation for the coming days... more or less for the next two days or maybe the next four or five days," he said.<br />
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The volcanic ash cloud is heading towards Greece as it moves further south as well as east into Russia, Britain's meteorological group the Met Office said on Saturday.<br />
Other European nations have also moved to extend their flight bans, including Austria to 0000 GMT (1000 AEST) on Sunday and Belgium to 1200 GMT (2200 AEST) on Sunday.<br />
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Poland says it's shutting its airspace "until further notice".Shem Banburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12958331886351095289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501605658420790034.post-63165284760870736282010-04-17T13:36:00.003+12:002010-04-17T13:39:23.060+12:00VOLCANO PICTURES<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://media.nzherald.co.nz/webcontent/image/jpg/feature18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://media.nzherald.co.nz/webcontent/image/jpg/feature18.jpg" width="200" wt="true" /></a></div>See the latest images from Iceland's Volcano. Thousands of passengers are stuck as ash covers most of Europe. <br />
Click here for the latest pictures from Iceland's Volcano<br />
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<a href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/image.cfm?c_id=2&gal_cid=1502728&gallery_id=110586#6894553">NEWS LINK</a>Shem Banburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12958331886351095289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501605658420790034.post-78939155969613729062010-04-17T13:32:00.000+12:002010-04-17T13:32:43.048+12:00CYCLE FOR YOUR FOOD<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.thisislondon.co.uk/i/pix/2009/03/helmets-415x499.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://i.thisislondon.co.uk/i/pix/2009/03/helmets-415x499.jpg" width="166" wt="true" /></a></div>A Danish hotel is pioneering a pedal-power electricity generation scheme it hopes will catch on in other countries.<br />
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The Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers, 15 minutes from the centre of the Danish capital and five minutes from Scandinavia's main airport, is installing two exercise bicycles hooked up to generators.<br />
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Guests will be invited to jump on and start pedalling -- and if they produce enough electricity they will be given a free meal.<br />
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From June, they will be able to race against the 366-room hotel's solar panel system in a bid to produce the most electricity.<br />
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"Anyone producing 10 watt hours of electricity or more for the hotel will be given a locally produced complimentary meal encouraging guests to not only get fit but also reduce their carbon footprint and save electricity and money," the hotel said in a statement.<br />
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Hotel spokeswoman Frederikke Tommergaard said the free meal offer applied only to paying guests, not passers-by.<br />
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The value of the meal -- any one of the main courses on the hotel restaurant or lobby bar's menu -- is about 240 Danish crowns (28.50 pounds), she told Reuters.<br />
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The electric bikes will be up and running from April 19 and the plan is to test the idea for a year with a view to expanding it to more Crowne Plaza hotels, part of the InterContinental Hotels Group.<br />
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<a href="http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE63D2E520100414">NEWS LINK</a>Shem Banburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12958331886351095289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501605658420790034.post-88299889020778402882010-04-17T13:20:00.001+12:002010-04-17T13:34:57.613+12:00THIEVING OCTOPUS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.paranormalknowledge.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/octopus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="153" src="http://www.paranormalknowledge.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/octopus.jpg" width="200" wt="true" /></a></div>A diver chased a thieving octopus underwater off the Wellington coast for more than five minutes to retrieve his new digital camera.<br />
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Wellington man Victor Huang was diving near the Wahine Memorial between Breaker Bay and Moa Point on Wednesday when he spotted the octopus.<br />
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The Weta digital animator swam closer to get a better picture of the octopus when it suddenly grabbed his camera with one of its tentacles and swam off, Fairfax media reported.<br />
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Mr Huang gave chase and caught up with the thief while the camera was still recording.<br />
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With the help of a speargun placed beneath the octopus, he managed to wrench the camera free from the creature's mouth.<br />
However, the octopus grabbed the speargun and refused to let go, Mr Huang said.<br />
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He swum around a bit with the octopus in tow and as he neared the shore, the octopus let go.<br />
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Mr Huang moved to Wellington from San Francisco six years ago to work on animation in the King Kong movie, and said he had fallen in love with the lifestyle in New Zealand.<br />
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<a href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10638974&ref=emailfriend">NEWS LINK</a>Shem Banburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12958331886351095289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501605658420790034.post-41047421382720834282010-04-16T14:37:00.000+12:002010-04-16T14:37:02.314+12:00SHREK IN 3D<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/47651000/jpg/_47651223_shrek1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="95" src="http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/47651000/jpg/_47651223_shrek1.jpg" width="200" wt="true" /></a></div>Fans of Shrek will be pleased to hear that all of the films are going to be converted into 3D.<br />
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Shrek, Shrek 2 and Shrek the Third will all be made into 3D Blu-ray to watch at home. <br />
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And the fourth Shrek movie, called Shrek Forever After, will be released in 3D at the cinema when it comes out in July this year. Dreamworks Studios, which makes Shrek, said it's confident the 3D films will look good and please fans. <br />
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The final film sees Shrek get conned into signing a contract which puts him into a different version of Far Far Away, where lots of things have changed. <br />
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All of the favourite characters are back for the last instalment, including Shrek, Donkey, Fiona and Puss in Boots. <br />
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The film-makers hope they'll make more money by releasing the fourth movie on DVD, as film companies are losing money because people are buying pirate copies. <br />
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The Shrek films have made more than £1.3 billion since the first release in 2001.Shem Banburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12958331886351095289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501605658420790034.post-83265542687674387162010-04-16T09:42:00.001+12:002010-04-16T09:45:42.687+12:00EUROPE'S ASH CLOUD<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://static.stuff.co.nz/1271359920/123/3589123.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://static.stuff.co.nz/1271359920/123/3589123.jpg" width="200" wt="true" /></a></div>LONDON (Reuters) - A huge ash cloud from an Icelandic volcano turned the skies of northern Europe into a no-fly zone on Thursday, stranding hundreds of thousands of passengers.<br />
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The European air safety organization said the disruption, the biggest seen in the region, could last another two days and a leading volcano expert said the ash could present intermittent problems to air traffic for 6 months if the eruption continued.<br />
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Even if the disruption is short lived, the financial impact on airlines could be significant, a consultant said. The International Air Transport Association had said only days ago airlines were slowly coming out of recession.<br />
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The volcano began erupting on Wednesday for the second time in a month from below the Eyjafjallajokull glacier. It hurled a plume of ash six to 11 kilometers (3.8 to 7 miles) into the atmosphere, and this spread south east overnight.<br />
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Volcanic ash contains tiny particles of glass and pulverized rock which can damage engines and airframes and an Icelandic volcanologist said on Thursday the eruption was growing more intense.<br />
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Britain barred flights in its air space, except in emergencies, until at least 0600 GMT on Friday, with a flight returning soldiers from Afghanistan having to be held in Cyprus.<br />
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It was the first time within living memory that a natural disaster had caused such a halt, a spokeswoman for Britain's National Air Traffic Service (NATS) said. Even after the September 11, 2001 attacks, Britain did not close its air space.<br />
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John Strickland, director of air transport consultancy JLS Consulting, saw possible broader hazards.<br />
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"Iceland sits right on one of the key routes between Europe and the USA and... depending on meteorological conditions it could also affect flights from Europe to Asia so there are two big international flows which could be affected by this."<br />
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<a href="http://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/world/7068435/volcanic-ash-turns-north-europe-into-no-fly-zone/">NEWS LINK WITH VIDEO</a>Shem Banburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12958331886351095289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501605658420790034.post-61375594095370622182010-04-15T12:14:00.000+12:002010-04-15T12:14:10.092+12:00OBAMA INVITED TO NZ<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://static.stuff.co.nz/1271284189/212/3585212.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://static.stuff.co.nz/1271284189/212/3585212.jpg" width="166" wt="true" /></a></div>Prime Minister John Key wants United States President Barack Obama to carve off part of a day from his upcoming trip to Australia and spend it in New Zealand. <br />
He had told Mr Obama that he could easily divert to New Zealand en route to Australia from Indonesia and spend three-quarters of a day in Auckland without losing any time. <br />
"I said to him, 'It would be great if you could come to New Zealand."' <br />
Mr Obama was forced to postpone a visit to Australia in March for a crucial vote on healthcare reforms. <br />
Mr Key said yesterday that he thought it unlikely Mr Obama would take up his offer to visit New Zealand while Down Under – and there appears to be some concern that the president's schedule might push back a visit by Mr Key to the White House. <br />
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With the US facing crucial mid-term elections in November, a delay much beyond June might force a postponement till next year. <br />
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Last night Mr Key wrapped up the Washington leg of his North American visit, joining the leaders of 47 other countries represented at Mr Obama's two-day nuclear security summit in pledging to act in support of measures to prevent nuclear terrorism. <br />
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<a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/3583571/Call-in-while-Down-Under-Obama-told">NEWS LINK</a>Shem Banburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12958331886351095289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501605658420790034.post-70255026891499282592010-04-15T12:11:00.000+12:002010-04-15T12:11:38.909+12:00KIWI SURFER WINS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://l.yimg.com/fv/xp/aap/20100415/09/67115001.jpg?x=250&sig=8bpkxg73MgV9LihOnzA04A--" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://l.yimg.com/fv/xp/aap/20100415/09/67115001.jpg?x=250&sig=8bpkxg73MgV9LihOnzA04A--" width="200" wt="true" /></a></div>New Zealand's 15-year-old Sarah Mason pulled off a colossal upset by eliminating Australian world champion Stephanie Gilmore from the women's world surfing championship tour event off Taranaki on Thursday.<br />
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Mason and compatriot Paige Hareb both advanced to the quarterfinals, where they will meet, but it was the last-gasp performance of Mason that drew hoots and screams from a sizeable crowd at New Plymouth's Fitzroy Beach.<br />
Needing a score of 6.56 on her final wave with two minutes remaining to catch three-time world champion Gilmore, tour debutant Mason managed 7.10 off a long ride that included two inside moves and finished with a sharp hook where she did well to remain on the board.<br />
That pushed Mason's total to 14.03, pipping Gilmore's 13.66 and recording one of the biggest imaginable boilovers on the Dream Tour.<br />
Mason received a wildcard invitation on the eve of the event and finished a fighting last in her first round heat on Tuesday.<br />
She survived the subsequent elimination round to advance to Thursday's third round where few gave her a chance against Gilmore.<br />
Quality waves deserted her until the final six minutes of the 30min heat, where she recorded her two scoring rides.<br />
Gilmore did all her scoring early in the inconsistent 1-1.5m waves.<br />
Hareb was less stressed in beating Australian Rebecca Woods, scoring 13.83 to 8.07 in a heat which the Taranaki local always led.<br />
It sets up a home town quarterfinal featuring Hareb, in her second year on the Dream Tour, against national champion Mason, who grew up in Taranaki but is now based in Queensland.<br />
Other early third-round winners on Thursday were Hawaii pair Carissa Moore and Melanie Bartels, with Moore winning with a particularly impressive score of 17.00.<br />
Earlier, organisers were happy to move the event's location to the No.1 beach at Fitzroy after being forced to use an isolated location south of New Plymouth for the first two rounds. Competition on Sunday, Monday and Wednesday was postponed because of inadequate conditions.<br />
The event is scheduled to finish on Friday.<br />
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<a href="http://nz.sports.yahoo.com/news/article/-/7063870/giantkiller-mason-eliminates-gilmore">NEWS LINK</a>Shem Banburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12958331886351095289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501605658420790034.post-12874734374016107472010-04-15T12:08:00.000+12:002010-04-15T12:08:58.162+12:00DRIVING AGE INCREASEThe driving age looks certain to be raised to 16 following Cabinet approval of the move.<br />
Transport Minister Steven Joyce announced today Cabinet had approved the rise as a first step in implementing the Safer Journeys: New Zealand's Road Safety Strategy 2010-2020.<br />
The move requires a law change and the Government was talking to its support partners, ACT and the Maori Party.<br />
New Zealand had one of the lowest driving ages in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and raising the driving age supports a "lifetime of safe driving", Mr Joyce said.<br />
Other planned changes include making the restricted licence test more difficult to encourage 120 hours of supervised driving practice, improving the quality and accessibility of road safety education for young people, allowing approved courses to be taken in the learner licence phase, and raising public awareness of the crash risk for young drivers.<br />
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The Government will also investigate having vehicle power restrictions for young drivers and tougher penalties for breaches of restricted licences.<br />
A second package of initiatives to be released by Cabinet shortly will include plans to reduce the youth blood alcohol limit to zero.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://l.yimg.com/fv/xp/nzpa/20100415/09/1752932937.jpg?x=292&sig=B95ZlKhSsCymqLnpvgIX1Q--" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://l.yimg.com/fv/xp/nzpa/20100415/09/1752932937.jpg?x=292&sig=B95ZlKhSsCymqLnpvgIX1Q--" width="200" wt="true" /></a></div>Mr Joyce said young New Zealanders have a 60 percent higher fatality rate than in Australia and the Government looked at Australian measures.<br />
New Zealand learner drivers do an average 50 hours of supervised practice. Research shows the crash risk is significantly lower for drivers who do 120 hours of supervised practice, Mr Joyce said.<br />
The Automobile Association has said increasing the age was not going to make roads safer. The association supported enforcing 120 hours of supervised driving before a learner can drive alone.<br />
Federated Farmers have said raising the driving age would affect farming families who had limited travel options.<br />
In January, a survey of 2300 people reported 74 percent would like the driving age raised to at least 18, though when given the option, 20 was even more popular, with 80.5 percent opting for that.Shem Banburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12958331886351095289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501605658420790034.post-53638221668930278362010-04-14T18:49:00.000+12:002010-04-14T18:49:34.869+12:00CHINA EARTHQUAKE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://static.stuff.co.nz/1271225532/376/3582376.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://static.stuff.co.nz/1271225532/376/3582376.jpg" width="166" wt="true" /></a></div><br />
A series of earthquakes has struck China, with a magnitude 6.9 quake killing at least 300 people and injuring another 8000 in Qinghai province, on the mountainous Tibetan plateau. <br />
A series of quakes and aftershocks caused low, brick buildings in Qinghai province's Yushu region to collapse, residents and state media said. Troops have been dispatched to the area. <br />
"Certainly there have been people hurt. Rescuers are trying to pull them out," resident Talen Tashi told Reuters. <br />
"A lot of one-storey houses have collapsed. Taller buildings have held up, but there are big cracks in them." <br />
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People from the Yushu prefecture highway department were frantically trying to dig out colleagues trapped in a collapsed building, department official Ji Guodong said by telephone. <br />
Most of the low residential buildings had fallen, Huang Limin, a government official in Yushu told state television. <br />
"Casualties are unclear. Maybe dozens were injured, maybe more. It's hard to say," said Zhuo De, an ethnic Tibetan resident of Yushu, who spoke by phone from the capital of Qinghai province after contacting his family in Yushu. <br />
"The homes are built with thick walls and are strong, but if they collapsed they could hurt many people inside." <br />
The quake was centred in the mountains that divide Qinghai province from the Tibet Autonomous Region. <br />
The foothills to the south and east of the area are home to herders and Tibetan monasteries of Yushu county, known for its horse festival, while the area to the north and west is arid and desolate. <br />
The quake was centred 240 km north northwest of Qamdo in Tibet and 375 km south southeast of the mining town of Golmud in Qinghai, and had a depth of 10 km, it said. <br />
A magnitude 5.0 quake struck the same region late on Tuesday night, and aftershocks of magnitude-6 and over rattled the town Wednesday morning, sending fearful residents into the streets. <br />
The Tibetan plateau is regularly shaken by earthquakes, but casualties are usually minimal because so few people live there. The exception was the magnitude-8 quake that hit the Sichuan foothills in May 2008, killing 80,000 people. <br />
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<a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/asia/3581274/300-dead-after-quake-strikes-China">news link</a>Shem Banburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12958331886351095289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501605658420790034.post-75378154900106337212010-04-14T12:30:00.000+12:002010-04-14T12:30:38.807+12:00COMA PATIENT AMAZES<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.quasarvideo.com/dev/newsimages/questionandanswer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.quasarvideo.com/dev/newsimages/questionandanswer.jpg" width="176" wt="true" /></a></div>Doctors in Croatia are baffled by a coma patient who woke up fluent in another language.<br />
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Medics are scratching their heads over the 13-year-old who now speaks perfect German - but can't converse in Croatian.<br />
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The girl's parents, who hail from the southern town of Knin, say their daughter had only just started to learn German before she lapsed into the coma.<br />
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Her unconscious spell only lasted 24 hours but it has left her able to speak German to a far higher level than before her illness, reports the Daily Mail.<br />
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Her parents claim she had been trying to watch German television shows and read books in German but wasn't very proficient in the language.<br />
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She is still being cared for at Split's KB Hospital as she has apparently forgotten how to speak Croatian.<br />
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Doctors are still trying to discover what caused her coma, which may have been prompted by extremely high body temperature, and why it affected her language skills.<br />
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"You never know when recovering from such a trauma how the brain will react," says the hospital's director Dujomir Marasovic. "Obviously we have some theories although at the moment we are limited in what we can say because we have to respect the privacy of the patient."Shem Banburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12958331886351095289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501605658420790034.post-87930912207393793422010-04-14T12:27:00.000+12:002010-04-14T12:27:01.685+12:00TENT FOR WORLD CUP??<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/council/documents/cbdwaterfront/images/lk1wfday1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/council/documents/cbdwaterfront/images/lk1wfday1.jpg" width="200" wt="true" /></a></div>Planning has started for a giant tent to be erected on Queens Wharf for the Rugby World Cup on the site of one of two 98-year-old cargo sheds, both of which will be demolished.<br />
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The Government and the Auckland Regional Council, which took ownership of the wharf this month, have hired architectural firm Jasmax to design a temporary tent as "party central" for the cup tournament.<br />
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One source said the tent would be about 25m by 100m. It would be 12m tall at the highest point and would be on the site of Shed 10, on the eastern side of the wharf.<br />
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Plans for showcasing Auckland to the world next year have shrunk a long way from the $500 million waterfront stadium dreamed up by then-World Cup Minister Trevor Mallard in 2006.<br />
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Under that plan, Eden Park would have been dropped in favour of the new project as the city's premier stadium.<br />
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But the proposal was abandoned after a majority of Aucklanders rejected it.<br />
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Several proposals to open up the waterfront have since been put forward, but each has failed to satisfy all interests.<br />
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Heart of the City chief executive Alex Swney said that this year, 82 per cent of Aucklanders spoke out against a rushed $100 million plan for a hybrid cruise ship terminal and party centre.<br />
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"Today we learn that we are lurching towards the other end of the spectrum - an entirely temporary tent structure," he said.<br />
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"It had always been our hope that the legacy of the Rugby World Cup was going to be an interim step that would activate our waterfront by enabling us to get behind the Red Fence and experience it while we develop a masterplan for our waterfront."<br />
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The latest plan for Queens Wharf has alarmed interested parties, who believe the 1912 cargo sheds should remain until the Super City council developed a new masterplan for the Auckland waterfront.<br />
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A second source said demolition of the two cargo sheds would enable Rugby World Cup Minister Murray McCully to pursue the cruise ship terminal that Auckland mayors in February decided against because of the economic climate.<br />
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Mr McCully is overseas, and his office did not return calls yesterday.<br />
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But Auckland Regional Council chairman Mike Lee said Jasmax - which was part of last year's cancelled contest-winning design for Queens Wharf and a second cancelled cruise ship terminal design this year - had come up with an attractive temporary covered space for the cup tournament.Shem Banburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12958331886351095289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501605658420790034.post-72659345185150101962010-04-14T12:22:00.002+12:002010-04-14T12:22:51.084+12:00EARTHQUAKES HIT NZ<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://images.tvnz.co.nz/tvnz_images/news2009/asia/taiwan_seismo_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://images.tvnz.co.nz/tvnz_images/news2009/asia/taiwan_seismo_2.jpg" width="200" wt="true" /></a></div><br />
A string of earthquakes have struck off the North Island's east coast between Gisborne and Tolaga Bay since Tuesday morning.<br />
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Ranging from 3.9 to 4.5 in strength, five quakes struck in the same area between 10.29am Tuesday and 2.48am Wednesday, GNS Science reported.<br />
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The quakes were all at a focal depth of 33km and likely to have been felt further south in Hawke's Bay.<br />
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<a href="http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/string-quakes-rattle-nth-island-s-east-coast-3462287">news link</a>Shem Banburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12958331886351095289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501605658420790034.post-51348652284520076692010-04-12T20:55:00.004+12:002010-04-14T16:36:51.165+12:00FREE TRADE FOR NZPrime Minister John Key was tonight preparing to present New Zealand's case for a free trade agreement at meetings with United States Vice-President Joe Biden and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on the eve of a 47-nation nuclear security summit in Washington. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://newzeelend.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/john-key.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://newzeelend.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/john-key.jpg" width="166" wt="true" /></a></div>Mr Key was due to meet Mr Biden in the White House about midnight (NZT) followed by a formal lunch with Mr Vilsack. <br />
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Acting Prime Minister Bill English today described the meetings as "a pretty special opportunity" to advance New Zealand's trade interests. <br />
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"The practical negotiations have just got started and of course negotiating any trade deal with the US is going to be a complex job requiring persistence, so the prime minister is taking the opportunity to push our case every chance he can," Mr English said. <br />
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Talks started last month in Melbourne on a Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) which would extend the previously negotiated P4 trade agreement between New Zealand, Brunei, Chile and Singapore to include the US, Australia, Peru and Vietnam.Shem Banburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12958331886351095289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501605658420790034.post-40862641802074071962010-04-11T20:38:00.002+12:002010-04-12T21:31:31.762+12:00PLANES IN DOGFIGHT<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://l.yimg.com/fv/xp/nzpa/20100411/17/2537315944.jpg?x=292&sig=12Vf9Ugz_4O_gnkjKkMCCA--" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://l.yimg.com/fv/xp/nzpa/20100411/17/2537315944.jpg?x=292&sig=12Vf9Ugz_4O_gnkjKkMCCA--" width="200" wt="true" /></a></div>Thousands of people flocked to Auckland's Mission Bay today to watch a number of mock explosions in a re-enactment of a World War 2 dogfight.<br />
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Crowds lined the streets and the beach to watch two Japanese fighter planes take on a New Zealand Kittyhawk. The sky was clear for the many people snapping photographs below.<br />
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The dogfight was staged to promote TV One's new mini-series The Pacific, which screens tomorrow at 8.30pm.<br />
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Appropriate authorities had been involved in the planning of the explosions, said TVNZ spokeswoman Megan Richards.<br />
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The dogfight has been organised by the same people who manage the Warbirds over Wanaka air show, she said.<br />
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<a href="http://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/newshome/7047232/mission-bay-dogfight-draws-thousands/">News Link</a>Shem Banburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12958331886351095289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501605658420790034.post-7859849686561433002010-04-11T20:34:00.002+12:002010-04-12T21:31:56.000+12:00ARTIC BALLOON CROSSING<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://l.yimg.com/fv/xp/aap/20100411/07/251852945.jpg?x=292&sig=KQatWcEPs1HJWZtaWBwa5g--" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://l.yimg.com/fv/xp/aap/20100411/07/251852945.jpg?x=292&sig=KQatWcEPs1HJWZtaWBwa5g--" width="200" wt="true" /></a></div><br />
A French explorer's team says he has made the first Arctic crossing by balloon, landing in the tundra of eastern Siberia five days after taking off in Norway. <br />
Jean-Louis Etienne travelled 3,130km in his special balloon, sailing over the Arctic Circle.<br />
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The 63-year-old radioed his team after landing on Saturday, expressing relief "because there were difficult moments and I was starting to lose sleep". The landing had been set for Alaska, but Etienne had to change course after a snowstorm on Wednesday near the North Pole hindered the recharging of batteries via solar panels.<br />
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Etienne measured the atmosphere for C02 during his trip and did other tests. In 1986, the explorer became the first person to reach the North Pole alone.<br />
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<a href="http://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/world/7046610/explorer-makes-arctic-balloon-crossing/">News Link</a>Shem Banburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12958331886351095289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501605658420790034.post-16758098601581509732010-04-11T20:23:00.001+12:002010-04-12T21:30:39.064+12:00BLUR IS BACK<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://static.stuff.co.nz/1270853561/425/3569425.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="116" src="http://static.stuff.co.nz/1270853561/425/3569425.jpg" width="200" wt="true" /></a></div>British band Blur will release its first single for seven years later this month, although only 1,000 copies of the limited edition vinyl record will go on sale, NME music magazine reported. <br />
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The two songs, recorded two weeks ago, follow the band's reunion shows last summer and are part of an initiative to support Record Store Day on April 17. <br />
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The annual event is designed to highlight the plight of independent record stores which have struggled to survive in the digital download age. <br />
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"We want independent record stores to continue, they're an important part of our musical culture," said Blur frontman Damon Albarn. "Music is a simple way for Blur to show our support and we hope people like it." <br />
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The release is likely to heighten expectations of a full Blur reunion. Last summer the popular group played major shows at London's Hyde Park and the Glastonbury and T in the Park festivals. <br />
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The new Blur release is part of a series of limited edition seven-inch singles being released by the band's label to mark the day, with The Beatles and Lily Allen also among EMI's releases limited to 1,000 copies each. <br />
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<a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/3569421/Blur-to-release-new-single">News Link</a>Shem Banburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12958331886351095289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501605658420790034.post-71679083367856233282010-04-11T20:20:00.001+12:002010-04-12T21:29:55.202+12:00DOCHERTY WINS TRIATHLON<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://static.stuff.co.nz/1270968841/603/3570603.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://static.stuff.co.nz/1270968841/603/3570603.jpg" width="166" wt="true" /></a></div>Bevan Docherty's forgettable post-Olympic year is already a distant memory after New Zealand's leading triathlete left his world championship series rivals in his wake at Sydney's harbour front today. <br />
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Docherty powered to victory in the opening race of the seven-leg world championship series having cleared out by six seconds when the run leg climaxed on the steps of the Sydney Opera House - a location that resonates with the 33-year-old. <br />
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Docherty, a two-time Olympic medallist, watched the sport's inaugural men's gold awarded to Canadian Simon Whitfield a decade ago and was overjoyed to break the tape as elite triathlon returned to the city for the first time since 2000. <br />
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"I watched Simon cross the finish line here in 2000 and I said to myself I wanted to be there one day," he said. <br />
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"To do it in the exact same place is an awesome feeling." <br />
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New Zealand's leading female triathlete Andrea Hewitt was also delighted after claiming second in a tense three-way sprint to the finish of the women's race - a result in keeping with her current status as the world No 3. <br />
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Docherty's triumph has already matched his success rate in 2009, a win in South Korea the sole highpoint of a season that saw him languish 13th on the world rankings. <br />
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"I'm pumped. This is so much better than last year," said Docherty, a silver medallist at Athens Olympics in 2004 and third at Beijing two years ago. <br />
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"I felt like I had control all the way through the race. To break away on the bike just meant I could set myself up for the first half of the run and then bring it on home." <br />
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Docherty was 31st out of the harbour and was fifth at the final transition after crucially latching on to a breakaway group behind early pacesetters Hunter Kemper and Russian Anton Chuchko. <br />
He gave the duo a 47sec head start in the 10km run before reeling them in. <br />
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<a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/other-sports/3570458/Docherty-surges-to-triathlon-win-in-Sydney/">News Link</a>Shem Banburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12958331886351095289noreply@blogger.com