New Zealand

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.

Police chase 160 kilometres after 75-year-old shoplifter

Police chase 160 kilometres after 75-year-old shoplifter

New Zealand opera star Kiri te Kanawa defrauded by bank manager

New Zealand opera star Kiri te Kanawa defrauded by bank managerWellington - 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.

Pitcairn Island's last prisoner out of jail

Pitcairn Island's last prisoner out of jailWellington  - The last prisoner on remote Pitcairn Island - where descendants of the famous mutiny on the Bounty were convicted of historic sex charges - has been released from the jail he helped to build, a newspaper reported Thursday.

Brian Young, 54, received the longest sentence of any of the 10 men convicted on charges of rape, incest and assaults against women and girls, committed over three decades on the British island in the Pacific.

''Turbo-booster'' for heart patients may make transplants a thing of the past

Heart transplants Wellington, Apr 22 : Heart transplants may soon be history following the creation of a device that helps the heart pump blood more effectively.

William Peters, 43, calls the C-Pulse heart assist system a "turbo-booster" for people who have severe problems with their ticker.

"It''s for people whose pacemakers have failed them but they still have symptoms of heart failure," he told NZPA.

The heart surgeon started designing the device about 10-years ago, tinkering with a prototype in his garage.

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