Checkpoint FOR WEDNESDAY 18 AUGUST 2010
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1700 to 1707 NEWS
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Double murderer John Barlow has been granted parole and is to be released from prison next week. He shot businessman Eugene Thomas and his son Gene in their downtown office in Wellington in 1994. Two juries failed to reach a verdict but Barlow was found guilty at his third trial. He was jailed for life with a minimum non-parole period of 14 years - he's always protested his innocence.
This is John Barlow's fourth parole hearing - the first was in November 2008. His wife Angela is delighted he's being released. PRE REC
There's little chance now that three men missing after a fishing trawler sank early this morning will be found alive. The New Zealand chartered, Korean-flagged Oyang 70, had 51 crew onboard - it went down about 700 kilometres east of Dunedin. Forty five survivors were rescued, three Indonesians have been confirmed dead, three others still haven't been found. Sophie Hazelhurst is a spokesperson from the Rescue Co-ordination Centre New Zealand, in charge of the search. PRE REC
Talley's Amaltal Atlantis rescued the survivors from life rafts. Tony Hazlett, CEO of Talley's deep sea division, joins us now. LIVER
The police in Gisborne say searches today for a missing four-year-old have proved fruitless. Lucas Ward disappeared at about three o'clock yesterday afternoon, from the backyard of his grandmother's home in the suburb of Kaiti. The Gisborne Area Commander Inspector Sam Aberahama joins us now. LIVER
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1720 TRAILS AND BUSINESS WITH Simon Dickinson
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The Government has swung in behind Kiwibank's plans for growth with several hundred million dollars the bank can use IF it gets into serious strife. Early last year Kiwibank asked for 100-million dollars of new capital to help it to preserve its credit rating. What's been offered instead is a financial backstop that's available if there is a substantial shock. Kiwibank's departing chief executive, Sam Knowles, joins us now: LIVER
Rodney Hide is still refusing to talk about the dumping of Heather Roy as deputy leader of the ACT party , but he's calling a complaint she made about him, odd. Mr Hide says Mrs Roy complained to Ministerial Services about him taking a defence document out of her office. Here's our political reporter Liz Banas. PKG
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17.30 HEADLINES
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Returning to our earlier story - the convicted double-murderer John Barlow has been granted parole and will be freed from prison next week. Following two trials which ended in hung juries, Barlow was found guilty at a third trial in 1995 of killing Gene and Eugene Thomas in their Wellington offices a year earlier. Last year, the Privy Council in London dismissed Barlow's appeal against his conviction for the murders. Our Justice reporter, Tim Graham, was the only journalist granted access to Barlow's parole hearing today - he's with us now. Q&A
Last September's devastating tsunami which killed nearly 200 people in Samoa and Tonga was caused by a rare double earthquake - not a single quake as originally believed. The findings by GNS Science, have raised questions over whether the Pacific could be hit by more big quakes in future. An earthquake specialist at Victoria University, Dr John Townend, says the earthquakes were unusual as they happened in a part of the world where big quakes happen fairly rarely - and the size of the tsunami they generated also caught people by surprise. PRE REC
The United Nations says it's unable to provide food and water to many of the victims of Pakistan's floods. It's appealing for urgent help but anti-corruption activists say many donors don't trust the Pakistani government. The ABC's South Asia correspondent Sally Sara reports: PKG
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17.45 TRAILS
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WAATEA
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Serious fears of a potential land slip has forced the evacuation of four houses in Whakatane. More than 300-millimetres of rain hit the region over the weekend causing flooding, road closures and slips. The Whakatane District Council says geotechnical engineers have now identified a tension crack on Muriwai Drive. The Council's chief executive, Diane Turner, joins us now. LIVER
The Silver Ferns are the overwhelming favourites to beat Jamaica in tonight's netball game in Christchurch. The match starts in just under two hours time but the homeside says it won't be taking the Sunshine Girls lightly. The two-test series is the first real step in the build-up to the Commonwealth Games in October. Yvonne Willering is a former coach of the Silver Ferns - she's with us now. LIVER
Australia is the only developed country to have escaped recession during the global economic crisis, yet many voters don't believe the Labour Government can take any credit for that. Labour faces the prospect it could lose this Saturday's election as the Coalition continues to argue the Government wasted money and simply drove up debt. Our political editor Brent Edwards is in Sydney. PKG