HEADLINES & NEWS
MILITARY ESTABLISHING CONTROL OF LOOTED AREA
In Fiji, the military says it's well on the way to re-establishing law and order on the second largest island of Vanua Levu, For weeks there's been anarchy on the island as armed rebels intimidated mainly indo-Fijians, looting and burning property, and taking hostages including two New Zealand pilots. The army arrived on the island yesterday - overnight, one rebel was shot dead and another wounded in two incidents. Major Howard Politini says 80 people have been arrested and are being held in the prison and police cells at Labasa. He says reports of what's been happening to people are pouring in.
[illegible] SAYS COMMITMENT TO PROGRAMME FAILED
A former national coordinator of the cervical screening programme broke down in tears while giving evidence at the cervical cancer inquiry in Gisborne. Teenah Handiside told the inquiry during the two years she had the job the Ministry of health showed a distinct lack of commitment to the programmes. She says that ultimately led to her decision to quit the position in mid 1996. Heugh Chappell is at the inquiry and joins me now.
RUGBY UNION WANTS TO CRACK DOWN ON TICKET SCALPERS
The Rugby Union is warning that it will crack down on ticket scalpers if they continue to become a problem for high profile All Black test matches. The huge demand for tickets to tomorrow's sold out Bledisloe and Tri Nations decider between the All Blacks and Australia in Wellington, has seen 60 dollar tickets to the match selling for over 400 hundred dollars. However unlike other countries such as Australia and Great Britain, New Zealand has no law against people scalping tickets. Corin Dann reports.
BUSINESS NEWS with GILES BECKFORD
[illegible] BUSH ACCEPTS NOMINATION
In the United States, George W Bush will contest the presidency. This afternoon he formally accepted the nomination of the Republican party. - and used his acceptance speech in Philadelphia to appeal to middle America. The Texas Governor attacked the Clinton-Gore adminstration calling the current President a man of many talents, charm and skill but no great purpose. Steve Mort reports from the United States.
QUEEN MUM CELEBRATION BEGINS IN NZ
New Zealand's begun the celebrations for the Queen Mother's 100th birthday, with a service in Wellington's St Paul's cathedral. On the other side of the world, Britons are about to begin their own celebrations. Jon Donnison filed this report on today's events.
5.30 NEWS HEADLINES
SPORT with STEPHEN HEWSON
MASSEY MEETING KEPT PRIVATE FROM PUBLIC
Angry staff and students from Massey University refused to leave a University Council meeting this afternoon when the council tried to discuss the University's controversial restructuring proposals. The restructuring would cut 86 jobs, most at the Palmerston North campus, and make 300 other staff reapply for positions. Our reporter, Jill Galloway went to the meeting.
APPOINTMENT TO TOKM A THORNY ISSUE
The thorny issue of appointments to the Treaty of Waitangi Fisheries Commission is already proving to be as difficult for the new Minister of Māori Affairs, Parekura Horomia as it was for his two predecessors. Both Dover Samuels and Tau Henare before him said they wanted to deal with the issue quickly when they each took over the Māori Affairs portfolio - neither succeeded. When Mr Horomia was announced as Mr Samuels replacement last week he said he would make a statement by today outlinning what he intended to do with the commission. He hasn't. Our Māori Issues Correspondent Chris Wikaira explains what the problems are.
MISSILES SHATTERS CAR AND RESTORERS DREAM
A [illegible] car repairer is shattered after his five year project doing up an old four wheel drive was destroyed by an Australian airforce missile. Basil Roe's restored landcruiser was sitting in the backyard of his shop when a Royal Australian Air Force jet returning from a night sortie dropped a dummy missile by mistake. Today defence officials are trying to find out how it happened - and Basil is pretty upset.
AIR POLLUTION THREAT
A conference in Christchurch has heard today that the health threat of air pollution is just as great in New Zealand as it is in the United States. The first ever National Air Pollution Conference has attracted experts from around the country, as well as Australia and the United States. Our reporter John MacDonald is at the conference and filed this report.
HANDS FREE KIT COULD REDUCE RADIATION RISK
Hands free kits may reduce mobile phone users exposure to harmful radiation according to tests run by the Consumer's Institute. The institute today released the results of tests showing that potentially harmful thermal radiation is reduced by 97 percent when a hands free kit is used and the phone [illegible] away from the body. The test was done after research in the United Kingdom gave the opposite result - suggesting that handsfree kits could increase radiation exposure. I asked the head of the Consumers Institute, David Russell, what sort of risk cellphone radiation poses.
FISHERIES INVESTIGATE ALLEGED POACHERS CHASE
The Ministry of Fisheries is investigating a clash between fisheries officers and suspected poachers near Wellington which sunk a boat and left a man in hospital.
The Fisheries Wellington district compliance manager Ross Thurston says the collision occured after his officers chased a boat containing two men they suspected of paua poaching near Titahi Bay. Today divers searched the area where the collision occured and recovered sacks of paua from the sea. I asked Mr Thurston what his officers have told him happened.
CLOSE & THEME