HEADLINES & NEWS
FIRE KILLS 15 IN QUEENSLAND HOSTEL
15 people are confirmed dead, nine are injured and three are still missing after fire gutted a packed hostel in the Australian state of Queensland. There were 87 people inside the Palace Backpacker Hostel in the small town of Childers when fire broke out overnight. Most of the occupants were young overseas travellers there for the local fruit and vegetable picking season. The dead are believed to be British, Dutch, Spanish, Korean and Japanese - 15 New Zealanders managed to escape the inferno. I spoke to one of those survivors, Moffat Ngatai. He told me that he and his partner were woken just after midnight by the sound of breaking glass, which he first thought was a fight.
The local newspaper editor is Wayne Heidrich - he arrived at the scene shortly after the blaze began and I asked him what he saw.
There's been a major breakthrough in the case of missing Victoria University student, Gavin Dash. Police have arrested and charged a 26 year old man with Mr Dash's murder and the burglary of his flat in the Wellington suburb of Northland. The policeman heading the investigation, Detective Senior Sergeant Mike Arnerich announced the arrest this afternoon. AUDIO
MISSING TRAMPERS FOUND DEAD
Police have this afternoon found bodies believed to be those of a mother and son who have been missing in the Tararua ranges. Carron Forster and her 26-year-old son Gregory Ross have been missing for more than a fortnight after going for a tramp. Scores of searchers have been looking for them - this afternoon, the pair's bodies were found lying close together in the bush. Senior Sergeant Mike Coleman of the Paraparaumu police joins us now. LIVE
BUSINESS NEWS with CATHERINE WALBRIDGE
PSYCHIATRIC PATIENT TO BE KEPT IN CUSTODY
A high court judge has ruled that a psychiatric patient who is considered dangerous should remain in secure custody for now. The Director of Mental Health Dr Janice Wilson challenged the decision of a mental health tribunal, which decided the patient could be released into the community on Monday because he does not fit the legal definition of mentally disordered. Our reporter Barbara Dreaver has been covering the case and she joins us now. LIVE
MONEY LAUNDERING CONTROLS WANTED
New Zealand wants the Cook Islands and other Pacific states to tighten up their controls on money laundering. But the Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Matt Robson, says, this should be done by consent, and New Zealand is not waving a big stick. His comments follow an international campaign to stamp out money laundering, which pointed the finger at two nations linked to New Zealand: the Cook Islands and Nuie [i.e. Niue]. Eric Frykberg reports. PKG
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SPORT with CHRIS REID
FIJI TALKS CONTINUE
In Fiji, talks are continuing in an effort to resolve the political crisis resulting from the attempted coup and hostage taking by George Speight and his armed men. The crisis is now entering its sixth week, with the more than 30 hostages still being held at parliament. Talks between the military and Speight have continued through the week - with the latest update on the situation, I'm joined by our reporter in Suva, Andrew McRae. LIVE
ZIMBABWE ON TENTERHOOKS FOR ELECTION
In Zimbabwe, it is the eve of the crucial general elections which could spell the end of President Robert Mugabe's goverment. resident Mugabe and his ZANU-PF party are desperate to hold onto power and there are fears the election will be neither free nor fair. Already, the lead-up to the vote has been marked by violence in which about 30 people have died. Most of the dead are suporters of the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), killed in fighting over election campaigning or the occupation of white-owned farms by government supporters. Nevetheless our correspondent in Harare Joseph Winter says there's [illegible] of great expectation. LIVE
SLAVERY CHARGES SUBSTITUED FOR CRUELTY
The so-called Wellington child slavery case was back in the Wellington District Court today. A married couple admitted a total of 22 individual assault charges and two joint representative charges of cruelty involving neglect. The Court then withdrew several other assault charges and the slavery charges. Our Court Reporter Merle Nowland joins me now. LIVE
BAN ON CASINOS EXTENDED
The ban on new casinos is to be extended by another two years. The current moratorium on casino applications was imposed by the previous government in response to an outcry from communties opposed to more gambling, and was due to expire this October. Now Internal Affairs Minister Mark Burton says he's introducing legislation shortly, to extend the ban to the end of the Parliamentary term, while a comprehensive review of gaming in this country takes place. Mr Burton says he doesn't want attempts to build new casinos distracting what he hopes will be widespread public debate on gaming. PREREC
[illegible] SECTOR BOUYED BY BULLS
There are more signs of optimism in the rural sector, with an increase in purchases at this week's National Beef Bull sales in Palmerston North. The increase in spending on breeding stock is a sign of a more bouyant livestock industry. Jill Galloway reports that it took the traditional English cattle breeds to draw the chequebooks out of farmer's pockets. PKG
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