by Selwyn Manning

Auckland’s District and High Courts will partially close down over the next two weeks, but that people apprehended during this time must still appear before the judiciary.

Fears had arisen that those arrested and taken into police custody would not be able to appear before the courts until the APEC leader’s meetings had ended.

But the Department of Courts has said while Auckland’s courts will be closed to non essential services, if someone is arrested during the two weeks of partial closure, they can still expect to appear in court the day following their arrest.

Tracy Brown, District court manager, says criminal court sittings have been reduced because police court staff have been re-assigned to APEC duties. There will be no criminal jury trials or hearings during the APEC period.

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>