Checkpoint for Thursday 19 March 2009
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1700 to 1707 NEWS
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New Zealand authorities are treating the case of a baby born on an inbound flight from Samoa and possibly abandoned as a priority. The birth came to light at Auckland International Airport this morning, with police called in to investigate the circumstances.Our reporter Eileen Cameron is at Middlemore Hospital where both mother and child are being cared for. LIVE
The court in the retrial of David Bain has heard crucial evidence about a computer on which a message was left the morning his family were found dead. Mr Bain is charged with murdering his parents and three siblings in Dunedin in 1994. His defence team argues his father Robin was responsible for the killings before shooting himself. Today the jury has heard from the expert who analysed the computer where the message had been typed. Matthew Peddie has been at the High Court in Christchurch and joins us now. LIVE
The Government has named seven roads of national significance in an effort to get them built or upgraded sooner. The Transport Minister Stephen Joyce says he wants substantial progress on the roads within the next ten years although he agrees the Transport Agency may have done the work in that timeframe anyway.The projects are ; Puhoi to Wellsford, completing the Auckland Western Ring Route, the Auckland Victoria Park bottleneck, the Waikato Expressway, the Tauranga Eastern Corridor, the northern corridor between Wellington and Levin and the Christchurch motorway projects. Labour's transport spokesperson, Darren Hughes is rubbishing the announcement. CLIP
The New Zealand Transport Agency has to do its own independent assesment of what roads are given priority. The Minister says he's not telling the Agency what to do.PRE-REC
The dollar surged a cent-and-a-half today after a shock move by the US Federal Reserve to flood the financial system with a trillion dollars in cash. A short time ago the dollar was buying 54.4 US cents. Our economics correspondent, Nigel Stirling, joins us now to explain today's movements. LIVE
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BUSINESS NEWS
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The Prime Minister's suggesting those who don't need next month's tax cuts should give the money to charity. The call's been welcomed by community and voluntary representatives, but say funding to the sector must not be cut. Here's our political reporter Danya Levy: PKG
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17.30 HEADLINES
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The Chief Executive of the American insurance giant AIG felt the force of congressional anger when he appeared before a committee to explain why he authorised the payout of 165 million dollars in bonuses.Edward Liddy has faced nationwide scorn over his decision, in the wake of billions of dollars in taxpayer-funded bailouts. The company was facing collapse because of its massive exposure to risky financial products.Daniel Ryntjes reports from Washington. PKG
The Capital and Coast District Health Board has suspended a recruitment agency which supplied a casual nurse infected with tuberculosis.The woman worked in two Wellington Hospitals between December and March, but was found to have TB only this week. About 200 people now need to be screened for the disease. Joe Porter has more...PKG
A Wanganui pensioner is rejecting claims he fired an air rifle at youths who were smashing a for-sale sign outside his home. Sixty-seven year old Terry Taylor triggered an armed offenders alert after he came out of his house with the weapon - he says vandals had been targeting his place for months.The police say a witness said shots had been fired.But Mr Taylor says this is simply not true. PRE-REC
The British actor Natasha Richardson has died from head injuries following a skiing accident in Canada on Monday. She was forty-five. A member of one of Britain's best-known acting families -- the Redgraves -- Natasha Richardson had an impressive stage and screen career. The BBC's Vincent Dowd looks back at her life. PKG
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WAATEA NEWS
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Two men have been committed to trial charged with the murder of Sergeant Don Wilkinson and the attempted murder of his collegue. Iain Clegg and John Skinner have appeared before a depositions hearing at the Manukau District Court. Mr Skinner also faces a charge of assault with a weapon.Details of how Sergeant Wilkinson and his partner tried to hide before being tracked down and shot emerged today in court. Reporter Sam Morrah has been at the Manukau District Court - and joins us on the line now. LIVE
MPs looking into the Emissions Trading Scheme have been urged to introduce a carbon tax instead. But a visiting US climate scientist told the parliamentary committee that whatever system is introduced, more needs to be done to support new technologies that will reduce emissions. Our political reporter Liz Banas was at today's hearing.PKG
The Christchurch police are hunting for a man they believe ram raided a pharmacy, and who they are describing as armed and dangerous.Senior Sergeant Stewart Munro says 47-year-old William Alexander Stewart is slightly built and unkempt with long straggly hair. He says police have been looking for him for the past two weeks and he was spotted in Wigram early this morning after the ram raid on the pharmacy. PKG
The District Courts in Auckland will be extending their opening hours in June as part of a pilot programme aimed at speeding up the legal process.The Ministry of Justice says the details of the month-long trial are yet to be finalised, but the aim is to provide more flexibility for courts and tribunals.Guanny Liu reports: PKG
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