Checkpoint. 2004-04-01

1700 to 1707 NEWS
Attempts to assist a seriously ill man stranded on a yacht off the South Island West Coast have struck difficulties this afternoon. The National Rescue Co-ordination Centre says the man, who is in his 50s, is in extreme pain and a plane from Wellington dropped morphine to the 13 metre vessel, Sea Fever, earlier today. Paul Harrison from the centre is on the line LIVE
A phone call from a distressed family in China sparked an intensive kidnap investigation in Auckland, with police this morning, arresting a 20 year old man accused of holding another Chinese national at gunpoint for 48 hours. Police are not giving many details but say they're still looking for three to four more people believed to be connected to the abduction. The accused was not arrested until the victim was released, and Detective Senior Sergeant John Sutton won't say if a ransom was paid. He says the victim - a 25 year old student - agreed to go to an addresss on the North Shore early on Tuesday [illegible] after striking up a friendship on the internet. PRE-REC
Washington is vowing to stay the course in Iraq after four U.S. contractors were killed, mutilated and dragged through the Iraqi town of Fullujah. Witnesses say adults and children hacked the men to pieces and hung two of bodies from a bridge. As our Washington correspondent Laura Liyama (ee-yah-mah) reports the four were set upon by a mob as they drove through Fullujah. PKG
The case of the independent MP Donna Awatere-Huata versus her former party ACT has been back in the courts today. She's appealing against the High Court decision that allows ACT to invoke the so-called party hopping law against her. The controversy began more than a year ago, when allegations of mis-spending public money meant for a child literacy programme were levelled against the MP. Our political reporter, Jane Patterson, was at the Court of Appeal in Wellington. PKG
A Child and Youth Law conference in Auckland is being told that children of methamphetamine users should automatically be considered at high to extreme [illegible] and in need of care and protection. One of the co-authors, Whangarei lawyer Noel Cocurullo says when evidence is presented during Family Court hearings that parents are using the drugs, children must be considered at risk. PRE-REC
Two American tourists are recovering after being attacked on the first day of their holiday in New Zealand. The two men, in their early twenties arrived in the country yesterday, picked up a hire car and drove to Whangarei - Where they stopped for a sleep at a popular visitor spot, the Whangarei Falls. Detective Constable Dave Hamilton says the tourists awoke to find people interfering with the car. PRE-REC
1720 BUSINESS NEWS WITH Patrick O'Meara
The Health Minister says there will be NO programme to screen men for prostate cancer, but the issue will be reviewed as more evidence emerges from overseas. This follows recommendations from a group of independent advisers to the Minister, the National Health Committee, who say the most commonly used test, a blood test, is not accurate enough. Here's our health correspondent, Rae Lamb. PKG
1730 HEADLINES
SPORTS NEWS WITH RICHARD CROWLEY
Statistics out today show the number of people aged over 65 has doubled in the last 50 years, and it is expected to double again by the middle of the century. A new Statistics New Zealand report says by 2051, there will be more than one million older people in the population, accounting for one in every four New Zealanders. Lucy Taylor reports. PKG
A government appointed working group is calling for the Broadcasting Standards Authority to be revamped to help combat television violence. The working group, made up of industry, academics and community groups has released a new study today which shows television violence in New Zealand is at a similar level to that screened in the United States and Britain. Our political reporter, Mark Torley reports. PKG
One of the working group members, Dr Geoff Bridgman says they are particularly concerned about the increase in the amount of violence in television promos. A medical practitioner's disciplinary tribunal has heard that questions had been asked about a doctor's clinical skills well before that doctor released a patient who then killed his mother.
Doctor Tom O'Flynn is charged with professional misconduct for allegedly not vetting or supervising Dr Peter Fisher who released Mark Burton from Southland hospital in March 2001. Mark Burton then killed his mother the next day. At the hearing today, Christie McDonald QC read extracts from letters concerning Dr Fisher's conduct when he was first employed at Southland hospital in the early 1990s. CUT
But Dr Tom O'Flynn says that information only came to light after Mrs Burton was killed. CUT Nathan Mills is at the Invercargill hearing and joins us now Q + A
There's anger and disappointment in Auckland following the revelation from the government's road funding agency that it will have hundreds of millions of dollars in surplus at the end of the financial year. Auckland's mayor says, if [illegible] transport money available, it needs to be spent on improving gridlock traffic immediately. But Transfund says it's not receiving enough roading applications to spend its available funds on. Sally Wenley investigates. PKG
An adolescent health expert is warning against losing focus on youth suicide prevention, as the Government extends its youth strategy to cover all age groups. Today the latest available suicide figures were released, showing suicides in 2001 rose ten per cent above the previous year - although that result runs against a five-year trend of falling rates. The health and youth-development ministries hope to create an all-age anti-suicide strategy by the middle of next year.
Craig Ashworth reports PKG
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