TV3 News
Woman Denied Operation - John Tamihere -Bay of Plenty Tragedy - Cuban Boy - Overstayers - Gavin Dash - Tranzrail Fined - Road Mayhem - Spare Tyre Danger
WOMAN DENIED OPERATION: A Northland family is claiming a medical specialist wants to let an elderly relative starve to death. Nancy Whitehira often has difficulties swallowing because of recent strokes. The family says she has been refused an operation that would allow her to be fed directly into her stomach. Northland Health say they are disappointed the family has gone to the media. Nancy loves singing and is shown doing so.
JOHN TAMIHERE: Labour MP John Tamihere apologises for describing people associated with the Waipareira Trust as drug addicts and thieves. "I sincerely apologise for any hurt". ACT followed this with a fresh accusation of the theft of a boat from a property obtained by the trust under a mortgagee sale. Meanwhile Helen Clark is rubbishing claims she has a conditional resignation on her desk.
BAY OF PLENTY TRAGEDY: Bay of Plenty boating tragedy survivor Kirsty Robinson welcomed home from hospital.
CUBAN BOY: Elian Gonzalez's father has finally got a visa to go to the US to get his son. Fidel Castro stages a huge rally to celebrate. Across the straits in Florida Cuban Americans are demonstrating to a very different tune. The boys cousin says return to Cuba would be torture.
OVERSTAYERS: Questions in Parliament about why a family of overstayers has been granted permission to stay in New Zealand. The Tongan Mila family and their lawyer are baffled about why they have been allowed to stay. The Minister is understood to have exercised her discretion on humanitarian grounds. National MP Arthur Anae asked if other cases would be reconsidered. "I am under no obligation to consider any applications or to give reasons, " the Minister replied.
GAVIN DASH: Police in Wellington say they have found blood spots on the wall of Gavin Dash's house. The spots were on the wall of the room that a piece of carpet was taken from. Police top brass are reviewing the case. Police expect to complete their dump search for a piece of carpet in two weeks.
TRANZRAIL FINED: Tranzrail has been fined for the death of a passenger on the Interisland Ferry.
ROAD MAYHEM: Lots of deaths on the roads in the north today.
SPARE TYRE DANGER: Space saver tyres have been fingered as the cause for several accidents but a ban is highly unlikely.