SYDNEY (AFP) – An 11-year-old girl was restrained, injected with anti-psychotic drugs and placed on a mental health ward after New Zealand police mistook her for a missing woman, a report found yesterday.
Health officials and police have scrambled to explain the mix-up, which has appalled political leaders and stoked outrage across the country.
The girl – who displayed “limited verbal ability” – was crossing a bridge in northern Hamilton city when a passing police car mistakenly identified her as a missing 20-year-old female hospital patient, the review said.
Police drove the girl to hospital, where she was admitted to an “intensive psychiatric care unit” despite one nurse suggesting she “resembled a child”.
“Patient A lives with a disability that means she was not able to tell people about herself,” said a review by the Ministry of Health, referring to the girl.
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After refusing to take drugs offered by staff, the girl was restrained and injected with anti-psychotic medication that is “rarely administered to children”. “Staff were working on the assumption that they were administering medication to an adult, not a child,” read the damning review of the March 9 incident.
The girl spent more than 12 hours in hospital until police realised their mistake and called her family to pick her up.
“I just wish to start by apologising to this young person and her family for the trauma and distress that was caused,” said senior health official Richard Sullivan. “This report is a frank read. But it is necessary to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon launched an investigation last week when the incident came to light. “That is incredibly distressing and incredibly concerning,” he said.
“As a parent you identify with what is a horrific set of circumstances. I have massive amounts of empathy for her and her family.”
BOSTON (AP) – A box truck crashed into a building in Boston’s Chinatown neighbourhood and hit several pedestrians before flipping onto its side, city officials said. The driver and five others were injured in what authorities said appears to have been an accident.
“At least at this preliminary juncture, we don’t have any reason to believe that this was an intentional act,” Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden said at a news conference. “It may very well end up being a tragic accident.”
Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox said four people were hospitalised. The driver and one pedestrian were in critical condition early on, but several hours later the driver’s condition had improved.
Two others declined medical treatment at the scene.
Cox and others noted that the outcome could have been far worse given the location.
“This is such a busy part of the city, right on the middle of the day, people going back and forth on their way to get lunch and support our small businesses,” Mayor Michelle Wu said.
“And so it’s quite shocking to see the scene as it stands right now.” The Boston Fire Department, on social media, said the Penske truck struck multiple poles and was wedged between a pole and the building.
A box truck on a sidewalk following a crash in the Chinatown neighbourhood of Boston, United States. PHOTO: AP
NEW YORK (AP) – A fire burned down a cat shelter in suburban New York, killing its founder and more than 100 of the felines he rescued and sparking a rescue operation for dozens of cats still roaming the destroyed property.
As many as 150 cats are believed to have survived the blaze at Happy Cat Sanctuary on Long Island, according to Chief of the Suffolk County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Roy Gross, who was helping coordinate the recovery effort.
Some of the surviving animals suffered burns and smoke inhalation and have been taken to local animal hospitals for treatment, he said.
Many of those in the house perished and others with significant injuries have been euthanised while volunteers work to collect the survivors. “The whole place is burned down and there’s cats right there on the debris,” Gross said.
In the coming days, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) plans to deploy its mobile animal surgical hospital, which it used to treat search-and-rescue dogs at ground zero following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, to help triage rescued cats close to the fire site, he said.
Firefighters at a home destroyed in a fire in New York, United States. PHOTO: AP
“This is going to be an ongoing situation to get all of these cats cared for and placed in a proper facility,” said Gross. “Just a major undertaking after a tragic situation.”
Owner Christopher Arsenault was found in a back room of the shelter, which was located in the hamlet of Medford, more than 80 kilometres east of Manhattan. The property, which included outdoor buildings where cats were also housed, remained cordoned off as police and fire officials returned to the charred site.
Suffolk County police said the cause of the blaze remains under investigation.
Arsenault, 65, founded Happy Cat in 2006 after the death of his 24-year-old son, Eric, in a motorcycle accident, according to the sanctuary’s website.
He described finding his calling when he came across a colony of 30 sick kittens and nursed them back to health.
Gross said Arsenault gave over much of the house to the cats, living simply in a room with a bed, microwave and a small refrigerator.
NEW YORK (AP) – A federal judge has ruled that the legal battle over Mahmoud Khalil’s deportation should continue to play out in New Jersey, rejecting the Trump administration’s bid to transfer the Columbia University protester’s case to Louisiana.
In a written decision, United States (US) District Judge Michael Farbiarz in Newark said jurisdiction over the case should remain in New Jersey since Khalil was being held there at the time his lawyers filed their habeas corpus petition demanding his release.
“The Court’s jurisdiction is not defeated by the Petitioner having been moved to Louisiana,” the judge wrote, describing the government’s argument otherwise as “unpersuasive”.
The ruling does not guarantee that Khalil will be moved out of a detention facility in Louisiana, where he is being held as the government seeks his deportation for his role in campus protests against Israel.
Protesters attend a demonstration in support of Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil in New York, United States. PHOTO: AP
NEW YORK (AFP) – Prolific American actor Val Kilmer, who was propelled to fame with Top Gun and went on to starring roles as Batman and Jim Morrison, died at age 65, theNew York Times reported.
The cause of death was pneumonia, his daughter Mercedes Kilmer told the Times.
He had battled throat cancer following a 2014 diagnosis, but later recovered, she said.
Originally a stage actor, Kilmer burst onto the big screen full of charisma, cast as a rock star in Cold War spoof Top Secret! in 1984.
Two years later, he gained fame as the cocky, if mostly silent fighter pilot in training Tom ‘Iceman’ Kazansky in box office smash hit Top Gun, playing a rival to Tom Cruise’s ‘Maverick’.
A versatile character actor whose career spanned decades, Kilmer toggled between blockbusters and smaller-budget independent films. He got a shot at leading man status in Oliver Stone’s The Doors, depicting Jim Morrison’s journey from a psychedelics-loving Los Angeles film student to 60s rock frontman.
LONDON (AFP) – European visitors to the United Kingdom (UK) need a new online entry permit from yesterday onwards as the British government shakes up long-standing travel rules.
Travellers from Europe will now need a digital Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) permit, which UK officials said they were rolling out to boost security and streamline entry processes.
There will be a buffer period which could last several months.
The permit can be bought online in the next few days for GBP10, but the price is rising swiftly from April 9 to GBP16. The ETA has already been introduced for American, Canadian and other visa-exempt nationals visiting the UK, which left the European Union in 2020. The head of the UK’s border force Phil Douglas said the latest rollout was part of a wider plan to bring in the ETA for visitors from around the world.
“This scheme is essentially a border security measure,” he said, adding that he did not expect the launch to cause disruption. The permit would speed up entry times and allow officials to check information including a traveller’s immigration history or criminal record, he said.
Director General of Border Force at the Home Office in the United Kingdom Phil Douglas. PHOTO: AFP
“The quid pro quo for the individual, though, is that we are building a contactless border, so if they’re cleared for entry, they’ll be able to use our new eGates and they’ll be able to go through the border much more quickly,” he added. “People will still be able to get on planes and trains while this introductory period takes place,” he said, referring to the buffer period, adding that it was expected to last several months, until “September or October.” The permit allows visits of up to six months. It is digitally linked to the applicant’s passport and is valid for two years.
The application, which can be made on a smartphone app or through the government website, has been open to Europeans since the start of March. It applies to nationals of some 30 European countries, including all those in the European Union except Ireland. The applicant will need to provide a photo of their passport and their face. The process takes around 10 minutes, according to the UK’s Home Office. In most cases, an application decision is made within minutes but the government recommends allowing up to three working days.
It will be required for babies and children, but flight passengers transiting without crossing the UK border are exempt from the scheme after pressure from Heathrow which feared a loss of passenger footfall connecting through Europe’s busiest airport.
Almost 84 million passengers passed through Heathrow in 2024 – a third from the neighbouring EU. The scheme was first launched in 2023 for Qatar, before being extended to five regional Gulf neighbours.
In January, it was expanded to nationals of around another 50 countries and territories, including Argentina, South Korea and New Zealand.
ATHENS (AFP) – NATO member Greece is set to unveil a massive modernisation of its armed forces following the lead of several of its European allies.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is expected to present the timeline to Parliament, headlined with an eye-catching new anti-aircraft defence set-up called “Achilles’s Shield”.
It now plans to invest approximately USD28 billion on new weapons systems by 2036, according to ministerial sources.
The Greek government has called it “the most significant reform ever undertaken in the history of the Greek state in terms of national defence.”
“Our country is protecting itself, arming itself, and strengthening itself,” government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said last week.
Alongside Poland, Estonia and Latvia, Greece is one of the few NATO member states that allocates more than three per cent of output to defence. And this year the nation of 10.5 million has doubled its military budget to USD6.6 billion.
A Belharra-class digital frigate warship. PHOTO: AFP
“Historically, Greece has served and will continue to serve as an outpost for Europe, which is currently seeking to re-organise its defence in a difficult international setting,” said Professor of International Law at the University of Athens Maria Gavouneli.
A key part of the shake-up is an upgrade to its anti-missile and anti-aircraft systems called “Achilles’s Shield”, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Greek media reports suggest Athens is in negotiations with Israel to acquire the shield, which also includes enhancing anti-drone systems. France, Italy and Norway have been also cited as possible suppliers of the new weapons, which include unmanned vessels (USVs), drones and radars. Greece has sought to strengthen its position on the EU’s Eastern Mediterranean border, close to the conflict zones of the Middle East.
A dutiful buyer of European military equipment, especially from France and Germany, Greece has always justified its arms spending by pointing to territorial disputes and security.
“This re-organisation was necessary for Greece because during the economic crisis of the last decade and the freeze on public spending, the country fell behind in terms of modernising (its arsenal),” said Director General of the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy think-tank Gavouneli.
Greece has signed a military cooperation agreement with France, ordering 24 Rafale fighter jets and three Belharra-class defence and intervention frigates (FDI) for a total of more than USD5.9 billion.
A fourth frigate will be built in Greek shipyards, offering added value to strengthen the Greek defence industry. Athens has also signed a deal for the acquisition of 20 United States-made (US) F-35 fighter jets.
Last November, Defence Minister Nikos Dendias said Greece would order four different drone systems and overhaul its armed forces by merging military units.
Athens must cope with a “different reality” and modernise its forces quickly to meet the challenges of the 21st century and those in its relationship with Ankara, Dendias said at the time.
France, Germany, and Poland have lately announced plans to bolster their militaries at a time of faltering confidence in the US military umbrella.
PARIS (AFP) – Dozens of conservation groups called on nations to commit to banning new offshore fossil fuel exploration and phasing out existing drilling at an upcoming United Nations (UN) oceans summit.
Such a commitment should be included in any final declaration reached at the UN Oceans Conference (UNOC) in France in June, more than 100 environmental groups wrote in an open letter to governments.
Fossil fuels are the main contributor to climate change, which is altering the chemistry of oceans, driving record-high sea temperatures, and risking the survival of tropical coral reefs and the life and economies they support.
“If we truly want to protect the ocean, we must end the destructive practice of oil and gas exploration in marine environments immediately,” Director of International Relations at OceanCare Nicolas Entrup said in a statement. “The third UN Ocean Conference must be a moment of action, not just of empty phrases.”
Governments at UNOC should secure the adoption of a “state-level prohibition on all fossil fuel exploration activities” across the world’s oceans and the “phase out of existing fossil fuel extraction”, the letter said. A first draft of the declaration already in circulation makes no mention at all of fossil fuels.
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Such a ban would be difficult to secure, as decisions made at UNOC are by consensus and require broad approval, including from oil- and gas-producing nations.
Governments and businesses make conservation pledges at UN environment summits, but such declarations are voluntary and not legally binding.
At the UN COP28 climate summit in 2023, nearly 200 nations agreed to “transition away” from fossil fuels toward less polluting forms of energy. But many countries – such as the United States under President Donald Trump, and Brazil, which is hosting this year’s COP30 climate conference – are seeking to expand fossil fuel production.
Dozens of heads of state are expected to attend UNOC between June 9 and 13 in the city of Nice on the French Riviera, which is co-hosting the conference with Costa Rica. Stronger rules for ocean governance, overfishing and deep-sea mining, as well as a global treaty on plastic pollution, are among issues on the agenda.
JERUSALEM (AFP) – Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz announced yesterday a major expansion of military operations in Hamas-run Gaza, saying the army would seize “large areas” of the Palestinian territory.
Katz said Israel would bolster its presence in the Gaza Strip to “destroy and clear the area of terrorists and terrorist infrastructure”.
The operation would “seize large areas that will be incorporated into Israeli security zones”, he said in a statement, without specifying how much territory.
A group representing families of hostages held in Gaza said they were “horrified” by Katz’s announcement, fearing the goal of freeing the captives had been “pushed to the bottom of the priority list”.
“Has it been decided to sacrifice the hostages for the sake of ‘territorial gains?’” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement.
“Instead of freeing the hostages through a deal and putting an end to the war, the Israeli government is sending more soldiers to Gaza, to fight in the same areas where they have fought again and again.”
Palestinians wait for donated food at a distribution centre in Beit Lahiya, northern Gaza Strip. PHOTO: AP
Katz last week warned the military would soon “operate with full force” in more parts of Gaza.
In February, he announced plans for an agency to oversee the “voluntary departure” of Palestinians from Gaza.
That followed Israel’s backing of a proposal from United States (US) President Donald Trump for the US to take over the territory after relocating its 2.4 million Palestinian inhabitants.
Israel resumed intense bombing of Gaza on March 18 before launching a new ground offensive, ending a nearly two-month ceasefire.
Gaza’s civil defence agency said Israeli air strikes killed at least 15 people, including children, in Khan Yunis and the Nuseirat refugee camp at dawn yesterday.
The Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said on Tuesday that 1,042 people had been killed in the territory since Israel resumed military operations, bringing the overall toll since the war began on October 7, 2023 to at least 50,399 people, the majority of them civilians.
Hunger loomed in Gaza City as bakeries were shut due to severe shortages of flour and sugar.
“I’ve been going from bakery to bakery all morning, but none of them are operating, they’re all closed,” Amina al-Sayed told AFP.
Mahmud Sheikh Khalil said he couldn’t find bread for his children.
“The situation is very difficult in Gaza, there is no flour, no bread, no food or water,” he said.
On March 2, Israel blocked all aid from entering Gaza and later cut power to one of its main desalination plants.
The idea of forcing Gazans to leave for neighbouring countries including Egypt and Jordan, first floated by Trump, has been backed by right-wing Israeli politicians, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
On Sunday, Netanyahu offered to let Hamas leaders leave Gaza but demanded the group abandon its arms.
The Israeli leader has rejected domestic criticism that his government – one of the most right-wing in Israel’s history – was not doing enough to secure the hostages’ release.
“We are negotiating under fire… We can see cracks beginning to appear” in Hamas’ positions during ceasefire talks, he told his Cabinet.
In the “final stage”, Netanyahu said “Hamas will lay down its weapons. Its leaders will be allowed to leave”.
Hamas has signalled willingness to step down from ruling Gaza but calls disarmament a “red line”.
Egypt, Qatar and the US are attempting to again broker a ceasefire and secure the release of Israeli hostages still held in Gaza.
A senior Hamas official said on Saturday the group had approved a new ceasefire proposal and urged Israel to back it.
Netanyahu’s office confirmed receiving the proposal and said Israel had submitted a counteroffer. The details remain undisclosed.
The United Nations (UN) on Tuesday condemned an Israeli army attack on an emergency convoy that killed 15 aid workers and medical personnel and demanded an investigation.
“I condemn the attack by the Israeli army on a medical and emergency convoy on March 23 resulting in the killing of 15 medical personnel and humanitarian workers in Gaza,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said.
DOHUK (AFP) – Two people were injured in a cleaver attack on an Assyrian celebration in northern Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region, officials said, pointing to the Islamic State (IS) extremist group.
The region’s Asayesh police force said it was investigating the attack in the city of Dohuk.
The region’s autonomous Kurdish authorities said the attacker was Syrian and influenced “by terrorist ideology affiliated to Daesh”, using the Arabic acronym for IS.
Kurdish media said the attacker used a cleaver.
According to a police source, the attack took place in a market and targeted the Akitu springtime celebrations observed by members of the Assyrian community to mark the first day of their calendar year.
A scouts marching band performs during Akitu in Dohuk, Iraq. PHOTO: AP
“A 65-year-old woman was hit on the head” and suffered a haemorrhage that did not require surgery, Dohuk medical authorities said, adding that her condition was “stable”.
Another 25-year-old man suffered a minor scalp wound, the authorities added.
Dohuk governor Ali Tatar told a press conference that “our security forces arrested the suspect… the investigation is ongoing”.
Extremist cells are still active in Iraq, sporadically attacking the army and police, particularly in rural and remote areas. A recent United Nations report said government-led counter-terrorism operations have resulted in the deaths of nearly half of IS’ senior leaders in Iraq.
However, it warned the group could use the unstable situation in Syria following the overthrow of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad, a member of the Alawite minority, to reinforce its position.
