Lockerbie Bombing Verdict – National Leadership – Quake Survivor – Thames Murder – Wellington Rail – Plastic Backed Bibs – Marlborough Fires – Sandwich Boards

LOCKERBIE BOMBING VERDICT: A Libyan intelligence agent has been sentenced to 20 years jail by a court in the Netherlands after being found guilty of bombing Pan Am flight 103, a Boeing 747, over Lockerbie, Scotland, 12 years ago. His co-accused was acquitted. In Washington the Bush administration has welcomed the decision and indicates that Libya will not have sanctions against it lifted until it compensates relatives of the victims.

NATIONAL LEADERSHIP: National Leader Jenny Shipley says the caucus will decide who her deputy leader is, Jerry Brownlee or Bill English. She says she does not intend to put her hand on either candidate.

QUAKE SURVIVOR: A woman who lived through the Earthquake in India has arrived home. The death toll in India is now thought to be around 50,000. The woman says. The woman says that no one had earthquake insurance because no one expected one. The quake was like being on a trampoline, she said.

THAMES MURDER: 3 men will appear in court in Hamilton today charged with the murder of a Thames man.

WELLINGTON RAIL: Arguments are growing in Wellington over transport arrangements in the city. The Regional Council wants to run the train service but Mayors in the region don’t want it to. Tranz Rail’s contract to run the service expires in June.

PLASTIC BACKED BIBS: Plunket has banned the use of plastic backed bibs following the death of a baby with a plastic backed bib over her mouth.

MARLBOROUGH FIRES: Agriculture Minister Jim Sutton will visit Marlborough to see fire damage today.

SANDWICH BOARDS: The Auckland City Council plans to confiscate sandwich boards in the central city from today. Some retailers are angry saying they need their sandwich boards.

© Scoop Media

Alastair Thompson

Scoop Publisher

Alastair Thompson is the co-founder of Scoop. He is of Scottish and Irish extraction and from Wellington, New Zealand. Alastair has 24 years experience in the media, at the Dominion, National Business Review, North & South magazine, Straight Furrow newspaper and online since 1997. He is the winner of several journalism awards for business and investigative work.

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