Peters dodges trust, cash and where it went
Serious credibility questions remain for Foreign Minister Winston Peters after he failed yesterday to throw any light on what happened to a $25,000 donation given by Sir Robert Jones in 2005 for Mr Peters' NZ First Party. Sir Robert...

Editorial : This one is not a game, Mr Peters
Winston Peters returned yesterday to face some very serious questions. What is this Spencer Trust, run by his brother, for which Sir Robert Jones says he wrote a cheque at the request of Winston Peters? What political purpose, if...

CIA was told interrogations 'safe'
WASHINGTON - The US Justice Department in 2002 told the CIA that its interrogators would be safe from prosecution for violations of anti-torture laws if they believed "in good faith" that harsh techniques used to break prisoners'...

Lesbian mothers lose IVF lawsuit
The lesbian mothers of IVF twin girls have lost a legal bid to sue their doctor for the cost of raising one of the toddlers. The women, whose names are suppressed, sued Canberra obstetrician Dr Robert Armellin for more than A$400,000...

Era of abuse at Marylands over as final brother walks free
The sorry saga of abuse at Christchurch's Marylands special school has been brought to a close with the decision not to proceed with the case against the last of five Catholic brothers accused of sexually abusing disabled boys there. Father...

Peters home - but avoids media
Foreign Minister Winston Peters arrived home today but slipped through Auckland Airport without speaking to waiting media. He arrived from Singapore at about 10.25am but did not appear through international arrivals. A New Zealand...

Pitt threatens paps with legal action
Lawyers for Brad Pitt threatened legal action against anyone publishing recent photographs taken by paparazzi of the actor and his newly enlarged family at their French estate. Pictures of Pitt and his family in France were "surreptitiously"...

Leaky home law firm looking for investment firm victims
A law firm specialising in leaky home cases is switching its attention to helping victims of failed investment schemes take group legal action. Grimshaw & Co has invited those who've lost money in collapses such as Hanover, Bridgecorp...

Jim Hopkins: More drops in my anonymous bucket
To Whom It May Concern (but especially Mr Owen Glenn, Sir Robert Jones and the influential Vela family), Dear Sirs and Madams, I write with hope in my heart and fluff in my wallet. Quite a lot of fluff, actually, a little fluff...

Octaviar secures temporary reprieve
Embattled fund manager Octaviar has won a brief reprieve against legal efforts to wind up the firm. The Public Trustee of Queensland (PTQ) applied to the Queensland Supreme Court last month to have the financial services company,...

Semantics spare Peters ... for now
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters looks set to escape censure under one set of rules guiding the conduct of ministers after the Prime Minister said she was likely to allow him to keep the $100,000 Owen Glenn gave towards his...

Sect head charged with abuse
A Texas grand jury yesterday indicted polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs and four of his followers on charges of felony sexual assault of a child. Another was indicted for failing to report child abuse. Attorney-General Greg Abbott...

Case may be NZ's last before Privy Council
A long tradition of appeals to the Privy Council in London looks to be ending, with convicted killer john barlow's case the last one scheduled to be heard by the London-based judges. Barlow - sentenced to a minimum 14 years in...

Judge bars 'coercive' evidence
The judge in the first American war crimes trial since World War II yesterday barred evidence that interrogators obtained from Osama bin Laden's driver after his capture in Afghanistan. Prosecutors are considering whether to appeal...

Brian Rudman: Peters blind to inconvenient truth
At his pre-election rally on Sunday, New Zealand First leader Winston Peters tried to inspire his followers to cast off their walking sticks and "act today" by borrowing Brutus's famous call to arms. "There comes a tide in the affairs...

Mark Keating: Taxing issue of $100,000 donation
The $100,000 donation by expatriate billionaire Owen Glenn towards Winston Peters' legal expenses is under heavy scrutiny. Two of the many unanswered questions are: what are the tax implications for Mr Peters regarding receipt of...

PM cautious as Peters backlash continues
The Prime Minister gave cautious support to Winston Peters last night as fallout from his about-face on his $100,000 donation continued. Helen Clark also risked a backlash from the volatile New Zealand First leader and Foreign...

Did he breach the rules?
Since 2006 all MPs have had to declare assets and gifts. Before that, only Cabinet ministers needed to do so. If Owen Glenn's donation to Winston Peters' legal bill is considered a "debt" or a "gift" it should have been declared. ...

Lawyer joins fight to save old houses
Top planning lawyer Richard Brabant has joined the fight to stop demolition controls being lifted on thousands of heritage homes in Auckland City. Mr Brabant is taking the Auckland City Council to task for a "radical departure"...

Peters - no apologies, no regrets, but feeling the heat
Winston Peters' lawyer says a tip-off led him to approach billionaire Owen Glenn for a large donation to the NZ First leader's legal bills. Brian Henry said last night he asked the Monaco-based businessman for help after another...

Consensus grows on financial advisers bill
MPs and the finance sector appear to be reaching a consensus on regulation of financial advisers. Parliament's finance select committee heard submissions on the finance advisers' bill yesterday. The bill was sparked by people...

Tamsyn Parker: Payments are out there - somewhere
Reports of delays in employer contributions coming into KiwiSaver schemes has some questioning whether money is being lost in the system. Matt Baker, associate director in the tax department of Staples Rodway, which runs a KiwiSaver...

Wedding couple denied compensation over fire
A Hamilton couple has lost a battle for compensation over the fatal Icepak Coolstore explosion, near Hamilton, which brought their wedding reception to an abrupt end. Leanne and Grant Bradley sued wedding venue host Gail Jones...

UBS prosecuted for selling securities it knew were in trouble
NEW YORK - New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo sued UBS AG on Thursday, accusing the Swiss banking giant of fraudulently promoting tens of billions of dollars of auction-rate securities as safe when it knew a crisis was brewing. The...

Facebook fake victim awarded damages
LONDON - A businessman won damages against an old friend who put libellous and unauthorised information about him on the social networking website Facebook. Mathew Firsht won 22,000 pounds ($58,900) in damages against his school...

Supreme court rejects NZX Access Brokerage appeal
The Supreme Court has rejected stock exchange operator New Zealand Exchange's (NZX's) appeal to overturn a Court of Appeal ruling in favour of the Bank of New Zealand and Access Brokerage. In September 2006, the High Court struck...

Giuliani's son removed from golf team
RALEIGH, N.C. - The son of former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani is suing Duke University, claiming his golf coach manufactured accusations against him to justify kicking him off the team to whittle the squad. Andrew Giuliani,...

50 Cent sues fast food chain over use of his name
NEW YORK - Rapper 50 Cent has sued Taco Bell, claiming the fast food restaurant chain is using his name without permission in advertising that asks him to call himself 99 Cent. The rapper says in a federal lawsuit filed on Wednesday...

Vestar investors advised to wait for Brisbane case
The number of people hoping to take legal action against troubled financial advice firm Vestar is growing but one lawyer says disgruntled investors should wait for the outcome of a court case in Australia against former Vestar owner...

Prisoners seeking compo over lost documents
A group of high-risk inmates wants tens of thousands of dollars for the "distress and humiliation" they suffered when Corrections Department documents containing their personal details were found on an Auckland street. The compensation...