1700 to 1707 NEWS
The furore over sensational claims that US and British spies bugged the United Nations has continued today with fresh allegations involving former UN weapons inspectors. As British Prime Minster Tony Blair attacked his former cabinet minister Clare Short over her claims that Kofi Annan's office was bugged in the lead-up to the Iraq war, former weapons inspector Richard Butler revealed his office was also targeted. There are also reports today that another weapons inspector Hans Blix had his cellphone monitored whenever he was in Iraq.
Richard Butler says he was so confident his office was bugged that he was forced to leave the building whenever he wanted to talk freely. DROP IN
Richard Butler says he was bugged by the Americans, British, French and Russians, and says he knew it went on because he was shown recordings made of other UN staff. The UN has reacted with anger to claims - chief spokesman Fred Eckhard says bugging the office of the Secretary General would be illegal. DROP IN However former UN secretary general Boutros Boutros Ghali told the BBC that bugging whoever occupied the post is a "tradition".
The claim that Hans Blix was spied on has come from ABC investigative reporter Andrew Fowler. PRE REC
The National Party is questioning the judgement of the Attorney General in appointing a judge who is now at the centre of a police investigation, to the High Court. Napier police say the complaint being laid against former District Court judge Tony Christiansen is that of indecent assault. They say they are in the final stages of the their investigation. Catherine Wilson with this report. PKG
A court case involving MP Nick Smith, TV 3 and Radio New Zealand has finally concluded, two days later than it was expected to. Judges at the High Court in Wellington have reserved their decision, on charges of contempt of court faced by Dr Smith and the broadcasters. The charges relate to the publication of details of the parents who lost custody of their child to a cousin. Our reporter Jane O'Loughlin was in court LIVE + DROP INS
The tenth biennial New Zealand International Arts Festival is now underway in Wellington, with more than 220-thousand people expected to attend. The multi-arts event is the largest of its kind in Australasia, featuring music, theatre, opera, dance and comedy, and it runs until March 21. Robyn Cubie has been meeting some of those involved, and filed this report: PKG
1720 BUSINESS NEWS WITH JOHN DRAPER
A verdict is due to be given in a few hours in one of Japan's biggest and longest running trials. The founder of the Aum Supreme cult, Shoko Asahara, is accused of masterminding a nerve gas attack on the Tokyo subway system in 1995, which killed 12 people. Prosecutors have called for the death penalty, and as the ABC's Mark Simpkin told me earlier, thousands of people have been gathering outside the court to await the verdict. PRE REC
1730 HEADLINES
SPORTS NEWS WITH STEVEN HEWSON
Two Czech men who admitted smuggling protected native orchids out of New Zealand have been fined seven and a half thousand dollars each. Jindrich Smitak (pron Yindritch Shmee-Tak ) and Cestmir Cihalik (pron Chest-mir Chee-har-lick) are the first to be charged with orchid smuggling in New Zealand. They were caught with more than forty protected plants at Auckland International Airport in January. The maximum penalty is three years prison and a fifty thousand dollar fine. The Department of Conservation's investigator and inquiry head Toni Twyford says their offending was deliberate and very serious. PRE REC
Officials in Vanuatu are still assessing the extent of the damage caused to the island nation by Cyclone Ivy. Ivy yesterday brought high winds and torrential rain to Vanuatu, sinking two Taiwanese fishing boats in the harbour at Port Vila. Earlier I spoke to the acting chief executive of the Vanuatu Red Cross, David Neal in Vila, and I asked him what operations have been underway today. PRE REC
The Loyalty Islands in New Caledonia have become ghost towns as residents brace themselves for the full force of Cyclone Ivy. Schools are closed, cars are banned from the roads and residents have been told to stay indoors. New Zealand's consul general in New Caledonia, Belinda Brown, says the islands have already been hit by heavy rain and strong winds. And she says that a major tourist attraction, The Isle of Pines, is also on pre-alert Two, and Noumea is expected to suffer heavy rain.
A [illegible] Court judge has reserved her decision over whether the lawyers for Ahmed Zaoui are able to interrogate the SIS Inspector General about accusations of apparent bias against Mr Zaoui. A preliminary hearing was held at the High Court in Auckland today. Mr Zaoui's lawyers are seeking to get answers from Justice Laurie Grieg to questions raised in the summary of allegations against their client. Our reporter Anna Louise Taylor was there. PKG
New research, out this week, has suggested more people may have an intolerance to the gluten found in wheat, barley and rye products, than originally thought. Papers in the latest New Zealand Medical Journal suggest that more than one in every 100 New Zealanders may have this condition, which is called coeliacs (sea-lee-axe) disease. This makes it one of the most common chronic diseases and New Zealand has one of the highest rates of prevalance in the western world. Karen McConachy (mc-cona-kee) was diagnosed with the disease six months ago. She says that it was only after seven years of feeling unwell and chronically tired, that a locum managed to identify the problem. DROP IN
New Zealand trade representatives will make a push in Los Angeles this weekend to [illegible] more movies to be filmed in New Zealand. Investment New Zealand is holding a gala dinner in Los Angeles tomorrow night for American film industry representatives, ahead of Monday night's Academy Awards ceremony. At the same time, the stars, and the people who feed and clothe them on Oscars night, are in the final stages of getting ready for the big night. John MacDonald has spent the day with celebrity designers and chefs, and has filed this report from Los Angeles. PKG
MANA NEWS
CLOSE & THEME