HEADLINES & NEWS
The British based airline Virgin is interested in starting up in New Zealand in the wake of the Qantas New Zealand collapse - and it is already hinting at lower travel prices. Virgin Blue - an offshoot of Virgin Atlantic, founded by the eccentric British millionaire Richard Branson - is already operating in Australia, prompting a fierce price war. The Virgin announcement comes as Qantas Australia transforms its emergency backlog-clearing operation in New Zealand into a longer-term service. Eric Frykberg reports. PKGE
Meanwhile in Auckland, more than two hundred and fifty Qantas New Zealand workers have been meeting this afternoon with the receivors of the failed [illegible] to discuss their futures. The receivers say because Qantas New Zealand owes tens of millions of dollars and has few assets, there'll probably only be enough money to pay employees the legal maximum of six thousand dollars in salary, wages and related earnings. The national secretary of the Engineers Union Andrew Little has also been at the meeting and joins us now. LIVE
In Auckland, a High Court judge has sentenced Matthew Schofield to two years in prison for the manslaughter of a co-worker at an office Christmas party. Gareth MacFadyen suffered burns to 95-percent of his body after Schofield reached under the door of a toilet cubicle with a lighter and set fire to his plastic grass skirt. Schofield has also been sentenced to 9 months, for injuring a second Merril Lynch worker, who suffered serious burns in the incident. Our reporter Julian Robins was at the High Court at Auckland - I asked him what happened at the fatal Christmas party. PREREC WITH DROP INS
BUSINESS NEWS WITH JOHN DRAPER
The navy career is over for the skipper of the US submarine which collided with a Japanese fishing boat off the coast of Hawaii in February, killing nine [illegible]. Commander Scott Waddle was formally reprimanded today by the head of the US Pacific fleet Admiral Thomas Fargo - he will now resign from the navy. A court of inquiry into the accident found that the surfacing procedure had been rushed, the sub was not properly staffed and its crew were possibly distracted by the presence of 16 civilians on board. Admiral Fargo says Commander Waddle was at fault. CUT Admiral Fargo cleared the Japanese fishing boat of any blame. CUT Our correspondent in Hawaii Kayla Rosenfeld covered the court of inquiry - I asked her if Commander Waddle got off lightly. PREREC
In Australia, the Prime Minister Helen Clark has been forced to defend New Zealand's defense effort, after facing questions on the government's military spending during her visit to Canberra today. Ms Clark is in the Australian Capital to dedicate a new ANZAC memorial. Our reporter Bryan Crump is with the prime minister - he joins me now. LIVE
5.30 NEWS HEADLINES
SPORT with STEPHEN HEWSON
The community service card designed to give the poor, cheaper access to GPs is under attack. A controversy has erupted over a government decision which means beneficiaries are allowed to earn more and still get the card, but low income workers aren't.
The Health Minister Annette King says she hasn't got the 14 million dollars needed to include the 48-thousand workers affected and in any case the entire system is udner review. Community workers says the present scheme is a mess, while those providing the poor primary health care don't like it either and want a different system. Peter Glensor is the national co-ordinator for Healthcare Aotearoa - an umbrella group representing primary health care providers such as iwi and union health centres. He joins us now. LIVE
A New Zealand air force Hercules is now on its way back to Christchurch after a mercy mission to evacuate eleven people from McMurdo Base in Antarctica. Four of the eleven American National Science Foundation workers are being flown out for medical reasons. But neither Antarctica New Zealand which is organising the airlift, nor the National Science Foundation, will say why the other seven are being evacuated. Meanwhile, bad weather has delayed a separate mission to airlift US doctor Ronald Shemenski, who is suffering from pancreatitis, from the Amundsen-Scott South Pole station. Doctor Shemenski is now reported as saying he does not want to leave - I asked National Science Foundation spokesman Peter West for his response. PREREC
The Crown has opened its case in the trial of the Ansett airline pilot facing manslaughter charges in the wake of the 1995 airliner crash near Palmerston North.
Garry Sotheran is being tried in the High Court in Palmerston North, on four counts of manslaughter, and three of injuring passengers though an unlawful act.
The Crown says Southeran was criminally negligent in failing to monitor flight 703's altitude in the minutes before the Ansett Dash 8 aircraft crashed into a hill.
Our reporter Jill Galloway has been in court and joins me now.
Overseas now - and with tensions still high between China and the United States over the spyplane standoff, Washington is preparing to sell Taiwan warships, submarines and patrol planes. But the president George Bush appears likely to defer Taiwan's request for the advanced Aegis missile defence system, carried on destroyers. The annual American military aid package always angers China, which lays claim to Taiwan - our Washington correspondent Vicky Ford reports. PKGE
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