National Radio Midday Report

Lundy Murders – Kevin Polwart – Auckland Hospitals – Credit Information – Prison searches – Fiji Murders – Small Town Infrastructure – Middle East – Australian Ordeal – Oceans Hui – Sport Funding – Missing Manhole Covers – Extraterrestrial Live – Italian Earthquake

LUNDY MURDERS: The statement Mark Lundy made to the police after the killing of his wife Christine and daughter Amber has been read to the Palmerston North District court today. The statement said he had a happy marriage, but there hadn’t been an active sexual relationship for some time, and he had used an escort called Belinda in Petone on the night of the murders. Mark Lundy is accused of the murders.

KEVIN POLWART: Police used metal detectors as part of their security provisions when recaptured escaped prisoner Kevin Polwart appeared in court today. He entered no plea to charges of escaping and possessing firearms. An American couple also appeared, charged with harbouring Polwart in a Porirua home.

AUCKLAND HOSPITALS: Auckland hospitals are still in danger of overflowing with patients coming in with winter ailments.

CREDIT INFORMATION: The Privacy Commissioner is proposing a new code for the way credit information is protected.

PRISON SEARCHES: The Department of Corrections is considering proposals to strip search prison visitors and conduct full body searches of prisoners.

FIJI MURDERS: Three special police constables in Fiji who were guarding the house of murdered Fiji Red Cross Director John Scott and his New Zealand partner Gregory Scrivener have been charged with looting the property.

SMALL TOWN INFRASTRUCTURE: A paper on funding expensive infrastructure costs for small communities is currently being prepared by the Ministry of Health.

MIDDLE EAST: The Israeli army has deployed military reinforcements on the West Bank in response to armed clashes, which followed an Israeli helicopter raid.

AUSTRALIAN ORDEAL: The girlfriend of a British tourist feared murdered in the Northern Territory will today re-enact her ordeal with police in an effort to hunt down the mystery gunman.

OCEANS HUI: A series of nation-wide hui are underway to consult Maori over the formation of an oceans policy.

SPORT FUNDING: The Sports Foundation has announced the latest round of funding for high performance sport.

MISSING MANHOLE COVERS: More than 200 manhole covers have disappeared from Auckland streets over the past month, raising safety fears about uncovered holes.

EXTRATERRESTRIAL LIFE: Dennis Sullivan, a physicist at Victoria University, says a chance discovery by Canterbury University astronomer Michael Allbrow may lead to the discovery of extra-terrestrial life.

ITALIAN EARTHQUAKE: An earthquake measuring 5.2 in the Richter Scale has shaken a northern Italian region, killing one woman.

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