**** CKPT FOR THUR 20 NOV 2008
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1700 to 1707 NEWS
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BANKS-INTEREST: Westpac and Kiwibank have today slashed interest rates by up to three quarters of a percent, ahead of a predicted cut in the official cash rate next month. However, there are still calls for banks to do more to look after customers during tough financial times. That includes passing on Reserve Bank lending cuts to customers a lot faster, and even reconsidering fees on accounts. Naomi Mitchell reports. PKG
Joining us now from the economic research company BERL is economist Ganesh Nana. LIVE
TRIAL-IMPASSE: For the second time a jury has been unable to reach a verdict in a South Auckland murder trial. Prestman Vesiputa Tauira is accused of driving into Faafetai Lafolua and dragging his body more than two kilometres in Otahuhu in August 2006. Mr Tauira was before the court last year on the same charge, and that jury was also unable to reach a verdict. The Crown says it will now pursue a third trial. Detective Sergeant Brett Shields was the officer in charge of the police prosecution. PREREC
FINANCE-HANOVER: Investors in the troubled Hanover Finance Group appear resigned to a deal that, all going well, will repay the half a billion dollars they are owed over the next five years. In July, Hanover put a stop to nervous investors pulling out their money and has been working on a recovery package since then for its 17-and-a-half-thousand depositors. Today it announced the two shareholders Eric Watson and Mark Hotchin will put in 96 million dollars of cash and assets which will be used to help pay back investors if needed. Tony from Waimati has 700-thousand dollars he's desperate to see again - he says the experience with Hanover has been a nightmare. CUT. One elderly investor Ruth McCabe says the announcement is about as best as could be hoped for. CUT.
Hanover executives will travel around the country to talk to investors about its plan, before a vote in December. The Company chairman is Greg Muir. PREREC
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BUSINESS NEWS WITH NADINE CHALMERS-ROSS
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FIJI-SEARCH: A Royal New Zealand Airforce Orion has spent the day searching for 29 missing Taiwanese fishermen. The men's burnt out boat was found off the coast of Fiji, but there is no sign of any survivors. Here's Airforce squadron leader Glen Davis. LIVE
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17.30 HEADLINES
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RICKARDS: Louise Nicholas, whose rape allegations led to the trial and acquittal of the former police commander Clint Rickards, says he should never have been paid thousands of dollars after resigning. The former assistant commissioner has revealed he was paid $300,000 after he resigned. He had earlier been suspended on full pay. Kim Baker Wilson reports. PKG
NZ-TRADE: New Zealand has warned APEC ministers their officials must step up to break the deadlock in the Doha trade talks. The new Trade minister, Tim Groser has called on ministers at the APEC meeting in Peru to push officials to match their political rhetoric and work for a resolution to the round which stalled in July. His warning came after APEC ministers backed the call of G20 leaders to try and reach a deal by the end of the year. Tim Groser, formerly chaired the Agricultural Negotiations for the WTO, in Lima this afternoon. PREREC
ODHB-FRAUD: A police document examiner has talked about forged signatures and chronological inconsistencies, at the 17 million dollar Otago District Health Board fraud trial. The board's former IT manager, Michael Swann, and his friend Kerry Harford deny they acted fraudulently or dishonestly. However they don't dispute they received the money - with ten percent retained by Mr Harford, and the rest forwarded to Mr Swann, or entities under his control. Emma Lancaster rhas been at the High Court in Dunedin, she's with us now. LIVE
LABOUR-APPOINT: There will be five new faces on the Labour Party's front bench when Parliament resumes next month. Labour leader Phil Goff's announced Labour's shadow cabinet. Our political reporter Danya Levy has more. PKG
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WAATEA NEWS
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HEALTH-SURGERY: The director-general of health says the new Government will invest more money in elective, or non-urgent surgery. Stephen McKernan also told senior doctors at their annual conference in Wellington this afternoon there will be speedier action in future on the critical workforce pressures being felt throughout health. Our Health Correspondent, Karen Brown, was at the conference and joins us now.LIVE
SUDAN-DARFUR: Respect the spirit of the ceasefire. That's the message from UN secretary general Ban Ki-Moon following reports of renewed fighting in the Sudanese region of Darfur. From New York here's the BBC's UN correspondent, Laura Trevelyan. PKG
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