NZ anchor under fire for slur on Sheila quits

Oct 11, 2010 - Age Corespondent |

New Delhi

New Zealand television anchor Paul Henry, accused of a racial slur against Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit, has resigned. Henry said he recognised he “crossed the line” and did not want to continue “being used as a lightning rod for racial disharmony”. TVNZ chief executive Rick Ellis accepted his resignation, accepting that his comments had damaged New Zealand’s international relationships. New Zealand PM John Key hoped the resignation would bring closure.
Henry’s resignation comes four days after India summoned that country’s high commissioner and asked the New Zealand government to take “demonstrative action” against him. Henry, already under suspension due to a race row involving New Zealand’s Indian-origin governor-general Anand Satyanand, said it was “no longer practical” for him to continue.
In Australia, the authorities continued investigations into racist emails in which Victorian police officers joked about the electrocution of an Indian. An Australian news agency reported Sunday that more police officers were sacked.

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