Checkpoint FOR FRIDAY 12 FEBRUARY 2010
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1700 to 1707 NEWS
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A teenager who helped another boy kill himself has escaped a jail sentence in what his lawyer has described as a tragic case that highlights the insidious sub-culture of youth suicide. Seventeen year old Dillon Gargett (Gar-jit) had pleaded guilty to the rare charge of assisting suicide and today in the High Court in Christchurch was sentenced to eight months home detention. The police summary of facts shows Gargett (Gar-jit), who was also sixteen at the time, gave the teenager the equipment to take his life and helped him to get it ready. Gargett's (Gar-jit's) defence lawyer is David Ruth. PREREC
The Cook Islands emergency relief team says the damage on the island of Aitutaki is much worse than first thought. Cyclone Pat, with winds of up to 200 kilometres an hour, damaged about 80 percent of houses on the island. It also wrecked parts of the island's infrastructure, up-rooted trees and ruined crops. Leilani Momoisea reports: PKG
The police have launched a homicide investigation following the discovery of a woman's body in a South Auckland park. She was found just before seven this morning by members of the public.
A large crime scene has been cordoned off at Murphy Park, in Otahuhu. Locals say the park attracts under-aged drinkers. CLIP
And this boy agrees the park is a meeting point for local youth gangs. CLIP Valerie has lived in the area for eight years and she says while the neighborhood is rough - nothing like this has ever happened before. CLIP Detective Inspector John Timms says the woman was found dead just outside a toilet block. PREREC
A framework agreement between the Crown and Māori in Auckland has paved the way for the Government to achieve its goal of settling historic treaty claims by 2014. It's the first step towards a deal, which will give a collective of 12 Auckland iwi and hapu, eleven of the region's volcanic cones, including One Tree Hill. But Ngati Whatua, which stands to receive millions in its own deal, says it has its downsides. Sam Morrah was at today's signings. PKG
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1720 TRAILS AND BUSINESS WITH Anusha Bradley
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In the David and Goliath battle of the mobile phone networks, newcomer 2Degrees is making headway against the big players.
This comes as Telecom reveals further details as to why its XT network failed, affecting hundreds of thousands of customers.
Ben Brown reports PKG
The former United States president, Bill Clinton, has undergone heart surgery after complaining of chest pains. Mr Clinton, who's 63, had two tubes, known as stents, placed in a coronary artery while in a New York hospital. His cardiologist Dr Alan Schwartz says all went smoothly, describing his prognosis as excellent: CLIP
Dr Schwartz says Mr Clinton might be back in his office as early as Monday. The ABC's Kim Landers PREREC
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17.30 HEADLINES
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European leaders have agreed to take coordinated action to rescue the failing Greek economy and restore confidence in the tumbling euro. There are fears that without a bail out, Greece might be forced to pull out and return to its old currency, the drachma. The ABC's Peter Ryan has been following events: PKG
Latest figures show people are still nervous about spending too much - with an unprecedented slump in supermarket, grocery and department store sales in December. Figures for the three months to end of last year do show that retail sales rose one percent - the third consecutive quarterly increase. However a closer look shows that after modest rises in October and November, sales in December, after adjusting for Christmas, were flat. In that month people did spend more on cars and petrol but that was offset by a fall of almost two percent in other core spending. Economist Philip Borkin from Goldman Sachs JB Were says the results show just how delicate the recovery is. PREREC
The credibility of the Australian military justice system is again in question after a finding that a defence investigation was biased. The Chief of the Defence has announced a new inquiry into allegations that three sailors on board the HMAS Success were taking bets on sexual conquest. The ABC's David Mark reports: PKG
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17.45 TRAILS
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WAATEA
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The police have just formally identified the body of a woman found in the Port Hills east of Christchurch last night. 27 year old Vanessa Pickering was discovered about 300 metres from Godley Head Road, on a steep bank that leads to Taylor's Mistake Bay.
Our Christchurch reporter Jessica Maddock has been at a police media onference and joins us now ... LIVE
An independent cancer advisory group is warning New Zealand will have to start making tough choices about who qualifies for cancer treatment. It says the means to test and pay for treatments is decreasing just as the population starts to get older and sicker. The Ministry of Health established Cancer Control Council as an independent watchdog. Now it's reporting back to the Ministry the country will be unable to afford all the modern cancer treatments needed in the coming decade. Professor Chris Atkinson is the chair of the group - he joins us now LIVE
One of Britain's leading fashion designers, Alexander McQueen, has died at his home in London. The police say his death is not suspicious. CNN's Monita Rajpal looks at the life and legacy of a man some dubbed the "hooligan" of British fashion: PKG