Checkpoint. 2004-10-27

1700 to 1707 NEWS
A sentence of life imprisonment, with a minimum non-parole period of 17 years, has been handed down to two Christchurch teenagers for the murder of a homeless man earlier this year. Pakanui Morice and Kevin Green who are both 18 years old, were found guilty of killing 29-year-old Shannon McComb in February. Judge Venning said that the pair had gone back as many as three times after the intial assault on Mr McComb - chasing and cornering him during the final attack, which resulted in his death. Detective Inspector Peter Read says the sentence is a fair one. PREREC
The police have just revealed that a small boy snatched by his father this morning has now been found after a stake-out at a Northland property. The man took the sleeping two-year-old from his estranged partner's bed, after a violent struggle in Kawakawa this morning, sparking a day long armed offenders squad operation. The police believed the man could have a rifle in his car and were warning people not to approach him. Detective Sergeant Mike Foster joins me now. LIVE
The former chair of the Pipi Foundation has told the Auckland District Court that she had no control over the publicly funded education trust despite being the Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer. The MP Donna Awatere Huata and her husband, Wi Huata, face 19 charges of cashing foundation cheques for personal gain and attempting to pervert the course of justice by creating fake financial documents. Katherine Skipworth told a depositions hearing she took her instructions from Mrs Huata. CUT Our court reporter David Venables is with us now Q&A
The government is widening its skilled migrant category only a year after [illegible] up the rules. Now it says the old points system is far too rigid to [illegible] changing industry needs at a time of four per cent unemployment and a skilled labour shortage. The Immigration Minister Paul Swain says workers are now being actively recruited from countries including Britain and the United States. I asked him who would be affected by the new policy? PREREC
An investigation is underway into a fire onboard a fishing boat which led to the dramatic rescue of three crewmen earlier today. The crew of the San Rochelle - a 70 foot tuna fishing boat - were winched from their lifeboat after fleeing their burning vessel northwest of Cape Reinga. The Director of the Maritime Safety Authority, Russell Kilvington says the investigation will start by talking to the crew. CUT He says the recovery of the boat is the responsibility of the owner, however it has put a warning out which alerts passing ships of the danger. We're joined now by Herby Barnes, from the Westpac trust Rescue Helicopter, - who was a crewman during the rescue. LIVE
1720 BUSINESS NEWS WITH PATRICK O'MEARA
1730 HEADLINES
SPORTS NEWS WITH STEPHEN HEWSON
A Muslim woman wearing a burqa, has told an Auckland court she would kill herself if she was forced to show her face in public. Fouzya (foe-z-ya sa-leem) Salim is one of two Afghani women fighting for the right to remain veiled while giving evidence in an insurance fraud case. Brad Markham is covering the case in the Auckland District Court and joins me now LIVE
An unidentified Japanese man has become the latest kidnap victim in Iraq. In a now all too familiar scenario, the militant group lead by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is threatening to behead the hostage if Japanese forces do not leave Iraq within 48 hours. Japan has about 550 non-combat troops working on humanitarian and reconstruction projects in southern Iraq. ABC Correspondent Mark Simkin in Japan, described the latest kidnapping video to me. PREREC
The Corrections Department is investigating the death of a 25-year old inmate at Hawkes Bay prison early this morning. Peter Grant, the Regional Manager for the Midland Public Prisons Region says the death is now the subject of an investigation by the Department's Inspectorate. The National Organiser for the Corrections Union, Brian Davies is with us now. LIVE
Health officials will be looking into claims from child health specialists that a Government initiative to reduce family violence may be faltering in some [illegible] health boards. The Paediatric Society says its latest annual survey of dhbs' approach to child health shows the service appears to have been retracted in a couple of areas. Here's our health correspondent, Rae Lamb. PKG
And the other dhb without a family violence co-ordinator, Southland, says it is actively recruiting and hopes to have one soon.
The political turmoil continues in French Polynesia, with the new government saying it will take legal action against members of the ousted government who are on a hunger strike at the presidential palace in Papeete. A controversial session of the Territorial Assembly elected the former president, Gaston Flosse, as the territory's new president, after pro-independence leader Oscar Temaru and his four month old government narrowly lost a confidence vote. Mr Temaru is demanding fresh general elections. Our reporter Walter Zweifal is at the Presidential Palace in Papeete. PREREC
CUT That was the birthday celebration on Wellington's waterfront today, for Captain James Cook, who would be turning 276. It's become a tradition for the Maritime Friends of the Museum of Wellington City and Sea, to pay homage to the skills of a brilliant navigator. Up to 80 people turned up for a feast, which as Cook enthusiast Ken Scadden explains, includes the crucial ingredients of ale and sauerkraut sandwiches. PREREC Ken Scadden - A James Cook enthusiasist and former director of the Maritime Museum - he's been celebrating Cook's birthday which is today back in 1728.
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