Ferry Emergency - East Timor: Militia Raid, US - Petrol Prices - Solar Powered Petrol - Tower Float - Killing Dogs

FERRY EMERGENCY: Ferry emergency on calm day in the sounds. Fire in Cook Strait Ferry Aratere's engines. Arahura was brought alongside - as a precaution. The smoke came from over-heated machinery and wasn't a fire apparently. The boat stopped for half an hour. Lifejackets donned. Bar closed. Free drinks and food for remainder of journey.

EAST TIMOR - MILITIA RAID: Australian peacekeepers raid Liquicia to the west of Dili following reports that two nuns had been shot in an attack on a car by militia. Peacekeepers kick in the doors. Three men found with a photograph and arrested Another militia member with a radio is also arrested. A UN team is being sent to investigate the killing of the two nuns and others.

EAST TIMOR - US: Max Bradford is off to Darwin to discuss with US defence secretary William Cohen the exercising of kiwi troops with US troops prior to deployment in East Timor.

PETROL PRICES: Shell's latest price hike looks likely to be followed. When will it stop? So far 15 cents rise. Road transport operators say that costs will trickle down to customers. Shell says it is passing on the most minimal price increases it can. Blames OPEC. We are being forced to pay inflated prices - says spokesman. Fuel costs could add 0.5% to the cost of living.

SOLAR POWERED PETROL: BP has opened its first solar powered petrol station in New Zealand today. $300,000 experiment in whether the petrol station will be economic. The station generates enough power for three average homes. Max Bradford says he hopes the cost of Solar Power will come down.

TOWER FLOAT: Tower has a less than stunning day on the market as it launches. The sharemarket has taken share value down from $5.65 to $5.40. Other insurance floats are having variable times in the market. Management is optimistic about Tower's and its shareholders future.

KILLING DOGS: Crude method for destroying stray dogs is criticised in Christchurch. The pound managers say they find the bolt-to-the-brain method is crude and that it is depressing using it. Lethal injection costs $10 a dog. Council says it is a question of priorities. Some vets have volunteered to conduct the killings humanely.

© 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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