HEADLINES & NEWS
A powerful earthquake struck Papua New Guinea's northern coastline just before dawn today, ripping seaside homes from their stilts and killing at least three people.
The earthquake, which measured 7.6 on the Richter scale, was larger than the quake which killed more than two thousand people in the same region four years ago.
But there was far less damage because it happened in shallow water, causing a tsunami of about one metre high, compared with the devastating 10-metre high wave in 1998.
The ABC's Papua New Guinea Correspondent Shane McLeod joins us now...live q&a
The United States' Bush Administration has launched an all-out campaign to get [illegible] its message - that Iraq is a clear and present danger to the U-S and its Allies.
The Vice President, the Defense Secretary, the Secretary of State and the National Security advisor all took to the airwaves over the weekend to convince Americans of the threat.
The latest New York Times/CBS News poll finds a quarter of respondents saying the United States should act against the Iraq threat now, while two thirds say the country needs to wait for the support of its allies.
Jessie Brandon reports from Washington...FS pkg
Terence O'Brien is a former New Zealand ambassador to the United Nations and now an international affairs commentator.
He says Iraq is not a danger to the United States or its neighbours. pre rec IV
The Nelson police are warning parents about the dangers of internet chat rooms after charging a man with abducting and having sexual intercourse with a 14 year-old girl.
The police arrested a 24 year old man at Nelson airport just before he was to board a flight to Auckland with the girl, after the pair had been communicating by computer and text messaging for several weeks.
[illegible] been remanded on bail without plea for a hearing at a later date.
Senior Constable Wayne Corbett says the man hadn't lied about his age and the girl knew he was 24 years old.
He says says the girl's parents reported her missing on Saturday night and the pair were stopped at Nelson airport yesterday. pre rec IV
BUSINESS NEWS WITH JOHN DRAPER
The government has announced an expansion of its controversial painted apple moth eradication programme.
The new aerial spray zone will cover nearly eight thousand hectares.
The new spray area will cover thirty-seven and a half thousand properties in West Auckland and some Auckland City suburbs.
The Biosecurity Minister Jim Sutton says there is about an 80-percent chance of success, and it is almost certainly the last opportunity to eradicate the pest. He says the Government does take account of the concerns of residents opposed to the spraying. cut
Joining me now is Kubi Witten Hannah from the Painted Apple Moth Advisory Group. live IV
5.30 NEWS HEADLINES
SPORT with STEPHEN HEWSON
The Police say they will review an investigation which led to a young Christchurch man being held in custody for four months after being wrongly accused of rape.
Makea Uriarau was committed for trial after being accused of raping a prostitute but has been discharged by a District Court judge.
DNA evidence showed Mr Uriarau could not have committed the crime despite the complainent identifying him as her attacker.
The judge has also pointed out significant disparaties between Mr Urirau and the the complainents original descrption of her attacker.
But the Acting District Commander of the Canterbury Police Brian McGurk says the police were correct in arresting the man a week later, despite the fact he didn't match the description when the attack was reported...pre rec IV
[illegible] police say scientific tests will confirm whether a bad batch of the [illegible] drug speed killed two prostitutes in the past fortnight.
Health workers and police are taking seriously rumours that a bad batch of speed or amphetamine killed two prostitutes in the last two weeks. Sharon Brettkelly reports...pkg
The master of a fishing vessel has been fined 13 thousand dollars and faces having his ship confiscated after being caught fishing illegally off the South Island's West Coast last year.
Kiyoshi Okaya, who skippered the fishing vessel Tomi Maru 86, was convicted in the Christchurch District Court of four charges of trawling several times in hoki grounds inside the 25 mile exclusion zone.
He was fishing under a permit held by Sanford South Island Limited.
The boat's owners now have 30 days to apply to the Minister of Fisheries for its return.
Joining us now is Mike Green from the Ministry of Fisheries' Serious Offenses Unit...live IV
A social worker has told the High Court that she has no recollection of a [illegible] state ward claiming she was sexually abused by a foster father in 1970. [illegible] Eunice Charles was giving evidence for the Crown at the hearing of a two million dollar damages claim against the government brought by a woman identified as W who claims she was sexually abused as an eleven year old. Our Court reporter Merle Nowland has been covering the case and joins us now. live Q&A
Smokers are being told to get over thinking that all they need is will power to give up the habit.
An Australian researcher Kathy Segan from the Vic Health Centre for Tobacco Control in Melbourne, is here to address the National Smokefree Conference being held in Wellington.
She says research carried out with smokers in Australia shows many see the only thing between themselves and the next cigarette is will power, and reject the suggestion that they're in the grip of a physical addiction. pre rec IV
MANA NEWS