HEADLINES & NEWS
NZ TROOPS CONTINUE SEARCH FOR KILLER
New Zealand troops in East Timor are searching for the killers of another UN peacekeeper, and say the slaying appears similar to the killing of Private Leonard Manning last month. The latest death is that of a Nepalese solider, who was killed in a gunbattle with an unidentified group late yesterday. Two other Nepalese soldiers and an East Timorese civilian were wounded. The Nepalese troops are attached to the New Zealand battalion in Timor - New Zealand's senior National officer there, Brigadier Lou Gardiner, explains the seqence of events. PREREC
[illegible] soldier has also died in Timor after an accidental shooting. The two deaths sparked a political row in the New Zealand parliament as MPs paid their respects to the families and colleagues of the two peacekeepers. The Defence Minister, Mark Burton, moved a non-controversial motion expressing sympathy. But as Clare Pasley reports, the motion was drawn out by procedural debate. PKG
SPEIGHT APPEARS TO FACE TREASON CHARGES
Treason charges have been laid against Fiji's former rebel leader George Speight in court today. The charge relates to when Speight and armed supporters stormed parliament and held the Prime Minister and cabinet members hostage for 56 days in the name of indigenous Fijian rights Speight appeared in court once last week, under his Fijian name of Ilikini Naitini, to plead not guilty to five charges relating to unlawful assembly, breaching the peace and unlawful burial. To tell us about this latest appearance, our reporter in Fiji Shalen Shandil joins us now. LIVE
BUSINESS NEWS with GILES BECKFORD
[illegible] COULD ADD TO HEAVY METAL PROBLEM
The Ministries of Agriculture and Environment are voicing concern about farmers using fertiliser made from sewage sludge, warning that it could result in a build up of heavy metals and dioxins in the soil. Plants manufacturing the fertliser are already running in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. Now a new operation is about to begin in the major dairying region, Taranaki. Our Environment Reporter, Bryan Crump, compiled this report. PKG
TRANSALTA SAYS TOUGH LUCK FOR SMALL CONSUMERS
The electricity retailer Transalta is predicting small power consumers will lose out as competition for larger customers heats up. Last month, Transalta announced it was increasing its daily fixed line charges by 60 percent, but reduced another charge - effectively lowering prices for big users, but raising costs for small households. Transalta admits that move has lost it customers, but says smaller clients are facing the price hikes because the electricity industry is overdue for a review of its pricing structure. I asked Transalta spokesperson Mervyn English if losing the small customers matters to TransAlta. PREREC
5.30 NEWS HEADLINES
SPORT with RICHARD CROWLEY
DEFENCES SUMS UP IN BURNS TRIAL
To the High Court in Auckland now, where the defence has begun summing up in the trial of Travis Burns, who is charged with murdering Joanne McCarthy in her home.
The prosecution ended its summing up earlier today - our reporter Julian Robins has been following the case and joins us now. LIVE
CODE OF PRACTICE FOR GENETIC SCREENING
New Zealand's Insurance Council is looking at drawing up a code of practice for the use of genetic screening when setting people's health insurance premiums. The issue is already being widely addressed in other countries, notably Britain and Australia - with the details here's Jon Donnison. PKG
STUDY WARNS THIN PLASTIC IS DANGEROUS FOR BABYS
The Wellington Coroner has reserved his decision in the case of a baby who died [illegible] sleeping on a plastic-wrapped mattress. Five-month-old Olive Friend of Paraparaumu had been sleeping on a mattress wrapped in the original plastic packaging in which it was purchased. One theory to prevent Cot death, or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, recommends wrapping mattresses to stop toxic fumes from escaping. Meanwhile, an Auckland university pilot study into the use of such wrapping has found that some parents are using plastic that is too thin, and that is potentially dangerous. The study, published in the latest issue of the New Zealand Medical Journal, interviewed 100 mothers of infants less than six months old. I asked the author of the study, Dr Ed Mitchell, what they found. PREREC
LOAD OF CARP UNLOADED
After a lengthy battle, about two thousand grass carp have been released into a Northland lake in a bid to stop the rampant weed growth that is slowly killing it. Scientists believe Lake Omapere, near Kaikohe, is in danger of developing a toxic algal bloom, like one that poisoned it in the eighties, unless the weed is checked. The Māori trustees of the lake held prayers and a ceremony at the lake at midday to welcome the first truckload of carp - our Northland reporter [illegible] Willaims was there LIVE
HEALTH EXPO PUTS TRADITIONAL AND ALTERNATIVE TOGETHER
Mainstream western medicine and alternative treatment are both represented at the first such health expo targetting the public, which opened today in Auckland. Alternative medicine is attracting greater attention, with the government announcing a 600 thousand dollar review of where it fits in the health system. The Health expo has attracted over eighty different organisations with products ranging from aromatherapy and emu oil to asthma medicine and immunisation. Sally Wenley reports. PKG
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