APEC/ East Timor – Scott Watson Verdict – Lotto Row

APEC/EAST TIMOR

EAST TIMOR: INDONESIA CAVES IN ON TIMOR: Indonesia early today bowed to intense international outrage and agreed to a multinational peacekeeping force to restore order in East Timor. President Jusuf Habibie told the United Nations that the international force would restore security and peace to Indonesia's troubled province although no timing was given for the force.

APEC – SKYHAWKS: Philippines President Joseph Estrada will be treated to a spectacular flying display above Auckland tomorrow in a Government bid to sell the Air Force's Skyhawk fleet. The commander of the Philippines Air Force, Lieutenant-General Willie Cacdac Florendo, is also likely to be taken for a flight in a two-seater TA-4 Skyhawk as part of the sales drive.

APEC – NORTH ASIA: Two Asian political flashpoints, shunted aside while East Timor overshadowed the Apec summit, rejoined the agenda yesterday during a blitz of mini-summits in Auckland. Presidents and Prime Ministers criss-crossed town for a string of bilaterals on the sidelines. The top-level encounters brought attention to the Taiwan Straits crisis, which has nudged Taipei and China towards conflict, and to North Korea's fiercely opposed missile test plans.

APEC - EDITORIAL – UNFINISHED BUSINESS: Today is Apec's new year. Last week the various councils of finance, foreign and trade ministers reported their past year's work on various projects and considered their next steps. Today the leaders of the member Governments take stock and set some work for the year ahead. It sounds mundane, and for the most part it is. Anybody looking for a fast-track to free trade today is bound to be disappointed.

SCOTT WATSON VERDICT

WATSON VERDICT: Inmates of New Zealand's toughest jail are waiting for convicted double-murderer Scott Watson, some with scores to settle. Watson's violence in previous prison stints and his racist attitudes are known to gang members and others. He has already crossed the Black Power gang and may need protective custody.

WATSON VERDICT: Scott Watson's career of crime began at home when he ripped off his own mother. As a teenager, he stole several hundred dollars of takings from the family fish and chip shop. Concerned about their son's deceit and criminal tendencies, Beverly and Chris Watson went to the police.

WATSON VERDICT: Only one person is to blame for the deaths of Olivia Hope and Ben Smart. But a range of people who partied with the pair the night they vanished have been left wondering "what-if?" in the wake of the murders.
A series of events unfolded at Furneaux Lodge to leave the couple desperate for accommodation.

LOTTO ROW: A Lotteries Commission group just back from a $95,000 taxpayer-funded trip to Oslo could now be eligible for more free overseas travel, claims Green MP Rod Donald. Mr Donald said yesterday that the nine commissioners, staff and their wives who went to Norway would have gained enough air points to fly free to a Pacific Island resort or go shopping in Sydney.

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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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