Fire Service – Double Jeopardy – Kenyan School Fire - Marian Hobbs – Mt Horrible Fire – Rain – US Plane Crashes – Monteith’s

FIRE SERVICE: The Insurance Council is concerned at a shortage of funding in the Fire Service. The service is expected to have a $20 million shortfall this year.

DOUBLE JEOPARDY: The Law Society says a proposal to change the law of double jeopardy is an attack on the heart of the criminal justice system.

KENYAN SCHOOL FIRE: An apparent arson attack has claimed the lives of at least 58 boys at a boarding school in Kenya. There were more than 130 boys in the dormitory.

MACEDONIA: Macedonian authorities say they now control the hills around Tetevo from where rebels had been firing on the town. NATO and EU bosses are heading to meetings in the Macedonian Capital Skopje.

MARIAN HOBBS: Former minister Marian Hobbs is expected to be formally reappointed to cabinet on Thursday. A motion to reappoint Hobbs will be considered by the Labour caucus today.

MT HORRIBLE FIRE: Overnight rain has insured a large bush fire on Mt Horrible is now under control.

RAIN: Heavy rain for the next few days will not necessarily break the drought in central areas of the country. Long slow rain is needed rather than a short sharp shower.

US PLANE CRASHES: Two United States pilots are dead after their plane crashed in a forest in Germany. Meanwhile two more US F15 planes are missing in Scotland.

MONTEITH’S: There is speculation the Monteith’s brewery in Greymouth may be given a reprieve. Yesterday DB met with MP Damien O’Connor and the Grey District Council. O’Connor is meeting with the brewery again today.

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Alastair Thompson

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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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