**** CKPT FOR THURS 22 NOV 2007
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1700 to 1707 NEWS
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The lawyers for the New Zealand businessman accused of taking part in a plot to kill Fiji's interim prime minister are suing the Fiji government for 34-million NZ dollars. They say their client Ballu Khan has been wrongfully imprisoned without charge and that the military seriously assaulted him when he was arrested two weeks ago. The interim Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama continues to dispute this, and claims Mr Khan is faking injuries so he can be sent to New Zealand. But NZ's deputy Prime Minister, Michael Cullen is pouring scorn on Commodore Bainimarama's claims. CUT Ballu Khan's lawyer is Peter Williams QC. PREREC
Our correspondent in Suva says the interim government has yet to respond to the 40-million Fijian dollar lawsuit. Here's Vijay Narayan. PREREC
A helicopter with heat seeking equipment and an intensive ground search has been used in the hunt for Christchurch woman Emma Agnew today, but neither method has turned up any clue as to why or how she disappeared. The 20 year old has been missing for a week and police say they fear foul play. The police have just held a press conference, and our Christchurch reporter Monique Devereux was there, she joins me now......LIVE
Parliament has been told that a former contractor to the Environment Ministry who is accusing a cabinet minister of interference, had "competency" issues with her work. Erin Leigh claims the Climate Change Minister David Parker influenced the hiring of Labour Party activist Clare Curran at the Environment Ministry in May, to look after his interests. But the Government is hitting back, with Environment Minister Trevor Mallard suggesting the Ministry had professional problems with Ms Leigh. Here's political reporter Liz Banas. PKG
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BUSINESS NEWS
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An Auckland GP who admitted taking hundreds of thousands of dollars from an elderly couple has been struck-off. The Medical Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal says 62-year-old Ian MacDonald breached his position of trust by accepting money from patients and failing to adequately manage their medical care. He's been ordered to pay a 15-thousand dollar fine and has been struck off the medical register. The family of the elderly couple is is now taking civil action against MacDonald to get the 320-thousand-dollars back. The family's lawyer is Stephen Gulley. PREREC
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17.30 HEADLINES
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Two days out from the Australian election, the Prime Minister John Howard has become embroiled in a damaging row over fake flyers which attempted to link the opposition Labour Party with the Bali bombers. Two members of Mr Howard's Liberal Party have been suspended over the hoax pamphlets which came from a non-existent Islamic group and were dropped in letterboxes in a key Sydney seat. The Prime Minister has sought to distance himself from the pamphlets in a television interview. CUT
Joining us now from Canberra is the ABC's political correspondent, Louise Yaxsley LIVE
After a week in custody on anti-terrorism charges, the former international cricket star Imran Khan -- now an opposition politician in Pakistan -- has been freed from jail in southern Punjab. Mr Khan was arrested as he tried to address a student gathering in Lahore. The BBC's Damien Grammaticus reports his release is being seen by some as part of a series of measures aimed at placating international criticism of President Musharraf's decision to impose emergency rule: PKG
The Assistant Police Commissioner Clint Rickards has resigned. Earlier this year Mr. Rickards was cleared of sex charges against a 16-year-old in Rotorua in the 1980s, and last year acquitted of raping Louise Nicholas when she was a teenager, also in the 1980s. He was due to face internal disciplinary charges. However, Mr Rickards had tendered his resignation, and Police National Headquarters says his resignation is effective as of today. They are not commenting further - neither is the minister of police Annette King - other than to say she's pleased there has been a resolution .With us now is the president of the police association greg oconnor LIVE
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WAATEA NEWS
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Auckland City Council has unveiled yet another logo this afternoon and its controversial pricetag. The famous yacht on the harbour in front of Rangitoto Island was replaced a month ago with a stylised blue triangle to represent the city. But the local Triangle television channel complained the council's new logo was similar to its own. The mayor John Banks thrashed out a deal with television channel Triangle yesterday and joins us now. LIVE
It's been revealed in court that a taxi driver convicted of twice raping a young female passenger last year was HIV positive. 54 year old Abdirazak Mussa appeared for sentence in the Wellington District Court and was jailed for eleven years on two counts of rape and six years on a count of abduction.The sentences will be served concurrently.Our Court reporter Ann Marie May was at the sentencing. PREREC
London's most senior police officer Sir Ian Blair is likely to face a vote of no confidence later today when he appears at an extraordinary meeting of the Metropolitan Police Authority. Sir Ian has been under fire since his force was found guilty of breaching health and safety laws when a young Brazilian man Jean Charles De Menezes, was shot dead by armed officers in a London underground train two years ago, in the mistaken belief that he was a suicide bomber. The BBC's Rob Broomby reports: PKG
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