National MPs Scrap Over Degrees of Murder - High powered opposition to a Private Member’s Bill to introduce three degrees of murder. After discussions with the Crown Law Office, former Justice Minister, Sir Douglas Graham has distributed a paper to all MPs pointing out what he says are flawed legislation proposed by one of his own backbenchers. Brian Neeson wants first degree murder for the most brutal killings to carry an automatic 25 year sentence. Sir Douglas says this would create all sorts of anomalies with one jury in one part of the country saying this is first degree, and another jury somewhere else say it isn’t. He says more appeals, more delays, and more hung juries would result. But he does agree that the current system with a life sentence with no parole for ten years is not flexible enough. He says the simple thing to do is change the law to a maximum of life.

Police Forensic Experts Look For Clues - Christchurch police are investigating a homicide at a boarding house in the city. The body was found shortly after 5am today. Police say the body has not yet been identified and it is too early to say how he died. More information is expected to be released later this morning.

Motive Sought in Tauranga Killing - Tauranga police are still trying to piece together a motive for the killing of a 32 year old woman on Tuesday. Her partly clad body was found near the farmlet where she lived. She had been shot three times in the head.

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>