NZTONIGHT WORLD SPORT TECH Accused killer Canada’s baby Spend it on The Jewel takes stand bottle ban Beckham of Medina BANNER PAGE 3 PAGE 9 PAGE 12 PAGE 15 NZ TONIGHT Accused killer takes stand, page 3 TGIFEDITION.TV Auckland Hamilton Wellington Christchurch Queenstown Dunedin WORLD Sat: 18°/11° Sun: 16°/10° Sat: 18°/9° Sun: 17°/6° Sat: 14°/7° Sun: 13°/7° Sat: 15°/4° Sun: 12°/7° Sat: 12°/0° Sun: 12°/5° Sat: 11°/7° Sun: 12°/8° Canada’s baby bottle ban, page 9 SPORT Spend it on Beckham, page 12 FREE MOVIE TICKETS WITH TGIF SUBSCRIPTIONS, SUBSCRIBE TODAY, BOOKS ONLY $3 PER MONTH The Jewel of Medina, page 15 SEE PAGE 21 FOR DETAILS www.tgifedition.com EDITION ISSN 1172-4153 | Volume 1 | Issue 12 | | 24 October 2008 ON THE INSIDE on the Gotcha! INSIDE Labour donor is Asian organised crime boss By Ian Wishart BOY RACER Editor, TGIF Edition ‘Vigilante’ fined He’s at the centre of a growing political scandal, and Page 4 tonight TGIF Edition can reveal Chinese million- aire Yang Liu is not who he claims to be – his New Zealand passport, political donations, expensive properties, bank accounts, immigration status and company directorships were all obtained using a false name and identification. Liu, whose political donations to the Labour Party were linked by Department of Internal Affairs staff in TGIF last week to his obtaining BODY HEAT NZ citizenship via direct ministerial intervention, X-rated scanners is wanted in China for trial on charges of embezzling Page 10 quarter of a billion New Zealand dollars. His real name, confirmed for the first time in this country by TGIF Edition, is indeed Yongming Yan to various ministers and delegates indi- (referred to from here in as Yan Yongming in the rectly through secret anonymous accounts Chinese reverse style where the surname is used including to Mr [Labour MP’s name deleted for evi- explicitly states that first) – the identity on a second passport published dential purposes] – some of these are ‘worked’ by Bill Liu (Yan)“has paid substantial cash on the front page of last week’s newspaper. [Yan] to have drunken dinners and then enticed to to wealthy associates to provide referrals to the Even worse, an informant resource report to frequent some Chinese prostitutes with this per- Immigration Depart to support his arguments for the Immigration Service last year, but appar- son. Chinese have been practicing corruption for remaining and having residence in NZ…has con- ‘HEROES’ ently ignored by Associate Immigration Minister decades. New Zealand is new to it. [Yan] then uses nections to the underworld…launder[s] cash”, and Shane Jones, provides detailed information on this ‘secret prostitution conduct’ to force corruption it provided names, phone numbers and details. The The giveaway Yan’s involvement at the head of an Asian organ- and manipulation.” big question for Associate Immigration Minister Page 13 ised crime syndicate, which “paid large cash sums The report to the Immigration Service also Shane Jones tonight is why – knowing all this - he Continue reading The ties that blind By Ian Wishart and his brother Daniel Phillips works in the office collect donations from ‘Liu’ for the campaigns of Zealand’s minister of Internal Affairs turned out of Associate Immigration Minister Shane Jones Labour MP Dover Samuels and also Internal Affairs to have a major conflict of interest – he knew ‘Bill Prime Minister Helen Clark’s efforts to defuse a – the man who gave ‘Bill Liu’ citizenship against minister Rick Barker. Liu’ personally – and he had to call on Shane Jones ‘cash for passports’ timebomb has failed – amid the recommendations of officials who’d investigated Shane’s brother, Daniel Phillips, currently works to officiate as an “independent” cabinet minister in new revelations of the links between an accused his background. as an advisor to Associate Immigration minister making the final decision. Except that with the Asian organised crime boss and the Labour MPs That perceived conflict of interest was not dis- Shane Jones but had previously been Labour MP brother of one of Bill Liu’s assistants working in his who helped give him New Zealand citizenship closed by Prime Minister Helen Clark when she Dover Samuel’s private secretary at parliament. office, there are now major questions about whether As our lead story above confirms, the man named attempted to take the heat out of TGIF Edition’s Samuels was effectively the sponsor of ‘Bill Liu’s Shane Jones should have declared a conflict of inter- last week as Yang (Bill) Liu, and given a kiwi pass- story last weekend, by announcing an inquiry and citizenship bid, writing strident letters to Internal est as well. port in that name, is in fact Yan Yongming, wanted revealing ‘Liu’ had donated $5,000 to Labour MP Affairs minister Rick Barker urging his colleague This week, with Associate Immigration minister for a quarter billion dollar fraud in China. Tonight, Chris Carter. to ignore allegations about Liu’s alleged criminal Shane Jones now refusing to answer his cellphone TGIF Edition can also reveal that one of Yong- Shane Phillips, also known as Shane Te Pou, began activities, and give him NZ citizenship by ministe- to numbers he didn’t recognise, TGIF Edition ming’s former associates in this country – Shane working with ‘Liu’, real name Yan Yongming, in rial prerogative. instead put questions straight to Daniel Phillips, Phillips – was a Labour Party campaign manager, 2005, and is alleged by witnesses to have helped But, as TGIF Edition revealed last week, New in his office. Continue reading Before and after... trust Olympus The new E-410 from Olympus For more information contact H.E. Perry Ltd.phone: 0800 10 33 88 | email: [email protected] | www.olympus.com NEW ZEALAND 2 24 October 2008 off Government pushing light bulb ban, regardless Labour is bulldozing ahead with its plans to ban ordinary light bulbs, and may also pass laws restrict- BEAT ing the number of lights allowed in a house. National’s energy spokesman Gerry Brownlee has BEAST FEAST PROBLEM released details of an Electricity Commission plan London (DPA) – About half the dogs and a third of all to spend $3.5 million of taxpayer money in the cur- cats in Britain are too fat, a veterinary charity warned rent economic climate to ‘re-educate’ New Zealanders today. Worse: most pet owners don’t notice that their about the benefits of using mercury vapour CFL eco four-legged friends are packing too many kilos. Accord- lamps in homes, despite the known health dangers. ing to the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals, only a The Commission has drafted a Request For Pro- fifth of cat owners are aware that their pet has a weight posal document that cites “misrepresentations and problem. That applied to only a third of dog owners. misconceptions in the market” about the dangers of Since so many dogs and cats are overweight, pet own- CFL energy saver eco-bulbs as the reason for a new ers have unrealistic perceptions of the ideal weight and taxpayer-funded propaganda campaign to “educate shape for their pet, said veterinarian Sean Wensley.He advises pet owners to check their pet’s weight by hand. the market” and give the impression of “independ- If you can no longer feel your pet’s ribs or spine, the ence…to increase the credibility and acceptance” of animal is overweight. the Government’s line that the light bulbs are safe. The new spin is likely to be centralised to one A MINTIES MOMENT ON VIDEO particular PR agency, according to the Electricity Johannesburg (DPA) – South Africans are splitting their Commission documents. sides over a video showing a po-faced politician disap- The Fire Service’s Peter Wilding last month con- pearing into thin air with a loud crack when his chair firmed toTGIF Edition after checking callout files broke during a TV interview. The chairman of parlia- that the service has had more incidents linked to ment’s portfolio committee on finance, Nhlanhla Nene, mercury vapour light bulbs in the past five years was giving an interview to SABC public television on than it has to ordinary bulbs, and those incidents the morning of Finance Minister Trevor Manuel’s budget range up to energy saver lights catching fire. policy statement Tuesday when the mishap occurred. A MORE EVIDENCE that THE ENERGY saver BULBS ARE splitting sound heralds the demise of the chair but the More evidence that the energy saver bulbs are bespectacled Nene, dressed in a natty pin-striped suit, a fire hazard has come from the US this month, A FIRE HAZARD HAS COME FROM THE US THIS MONTH, merely winces and continues chatting with the female where Fox News TV anchor Geraldo Rivera’s garage WHERE FOX NEWS TV ANCHOR GERALDO RIVERA’S GARAGE host about finance. Then suddenly, in a classic “candid caught fire when a CFL bulb melted and set ablaze, camera” moment, the chair breaks beneath him and he destroying two expensive vintage Jaguar cars inside CAUGHT FIRE WHEN A CFL BULB melted AND SET ABLAZE falls from view, behind a desk, arms waving in the air. and nearly spreading to the adjoining house where The presenter somehow manages to keep her compo- residents were sleeping. soaring in homes, sometimes hundreds of times and how big your hot water cylinder can be. sure and continues with the programme. The interview Rivera told Fox News viewers fire investigators higher than recommended safe limits. “In tough economic times, kiwi bill payers will with Nene resumed later. Two days later, the video on had traced the blaze to the light, and he would be Gerry Brownlee says National will overturn the be questioning Labour’s priorities.” Youtube.com had been viewed over 28,000 times, with pursuing the lighting manufacturers under Ameri- light bulb ban if elected, and calls Labour’s $3.5 The Electricity Commission report also signals a one cheeky viewer wondering if Nene’s response typified his approach to politics.