Air Wars – Wheelie-Bin Death Inquest – Tranzrail Fined – Boat Crane Accident – Train Smash – Industrial Hemp – Wanganui Arsons – Northpower Apology – Kiwi Movie Success

AIR WARS: Air New Zealand will use Freedom Air to compete with Virgin Blue on main trunk airline services. Freedom will offer a basic level of service. No air points. And no food. Wellington Auckland however will cost just $159 return. Freedom Air was set up by Air New Zealand to compete with Kiwi Air. More recently it has been operating out of Hamilton and Palmerston North to Australia. Cheap prices are at present only available via the Internet. Qantas says the Freedom Air move will not affect their plans.

WHEELIE-BIN DEATH INQUEST: The death of a Dunedin student – Anna North - in a wheeliebin was today described for the first time by the other person in the wheeliebin. Lindsay Roxburgh said it was a fun night that ended in tragedy. He described drinking before the accident. The wheelie-bin turned around after around two seconds after the start of the ride and before commencing the ride to death.

TRANZRAIL FINED: Tranzrail has been fined $50,000 over the death of shunter Neil Faithful in a shunting accident. Half of the fine will be paid to his widow. The accident was caused by a loose track which Tranzrail knew about, but did nothing. Shunters will be banned from riding moving wagons in future.

BOAT CRANE ACCIDENT: An investigation is underway in Whangarei following a fatal boat/crane accident.

TRAIN SMASH: Video shows a train hitting a semi-trailor truck in Chicago. Several cars and the truck were damaged in the crash.

INDUSTRIAL HEMP: The Government has green lighted trials of industrial hemp. Annette King says trials are supported by Federated Farmers. Nandor Tanczos says the move is a good one. Growers will be subject to random testing to see whether the hemp is psychoactive or not.

WANGANUI ARSONS: Wanganui fire fighters are becoming increasingly worried about arsons in the Castlecliffe area. There have been 15 suspicious fires in the area in the last 16 months. All the arsoned houses have been empty. An eye-witness says they saw some teenagers driving away from the latest fire.

NORTHPOWER APOLOGY: TV3 wishes to make clear that Northpower is not connected in any way with cable roading problems in Auckland.

KIWI MOVIE SUCCESS: A Kiwi movie called “Rain” has been picked for the official programme at Cannes Film Festival. Christine Jeffs is delighted to have been selected for the prestigious category at the festival. The movie is about a teenage girl who grows up too fast on a summer holiday. Rain will be released here in July.

© 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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