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TV3 News
Massive Cocaine Bust - LA Plane Crash - Antarctic Wreck? - Dr Murder - Petrol Prices - Incis - Screwdriver Gang - Oyster Warning - Mainland Weather - Americas Cup - Queen Of Tennis
MASSIVE COCAINE BUST: Customs officers have seized six people - including a NZer - in a massive cocaine bust. The bust was of a boat with 500kgs of cocaine on board. The bust followed a long intelligence operation. The cocaine came via NZ to Australia, TV3 understands. Customs say they had . This is double the size of the second largest bust. Customs here will not comment.
LA PLANE CRASH: Second plane crash in 24 hours. A handful of passengers have been rescued off Africa but no survivors expected after the latest crash of a plane carrying 85 people (an MD80) off the coast from Los Angeles. Coastguard found no-one alive just debris. Pilots encountered difficulties and called in a mayday. Meanwhile ten people have survived the crash off an Airbus 310 off the Ivory coast. One of the survivors swam to shore. Speculation that the engines were damaged by desert sand.
ANTARCTIC WRECK? An Argentinian tug is battling to rescue a liner caught in Antarctic ice. Accident blamed on a change in the wind.
DR MURDER: Dr Harold Shipman sentenced to life in prison for killing 15 or possibly much much more. Dr killed patients by injecting them with drugs. The Dr was caught when he produced a will of a patient who left him all her 318,000 pound fortune. Judge said the sheer wickedness of the Dr was beyond belief. More murder charges may be laid.
PETROL PRICES: BP has just announced an increase in its petrol price by 3 cents a litre.
INCIS: INCIS inquiry scaled back to save money - but heads may still role over the $84 million failure. Ministerial inquiry will cost $200,000 rather than $7 million for a full scale inquiry. Police Association is pleased. Minister Phil Goff warns that more heads may role including - conceivably - the former Commissioner Peter Doone. Tranzrail chief Francis Small will head the inquiry.
SCREWDRIVER GANG: A surrender by the Screwdriver Gang may come soon according to a lawyer who has been in contact with the three fugitives.
OYSTER WARNING: Ministry of Health issues a warning about uncooked pacific oysters contaminated with sewage.
MAINLAND WEATHER: Snow in Dunedin and too much rain in Canterbury. Mainlanders turning pale and grumpy - no swimming even. Cool damp weather welcomed by sheep farmers however. The weather is being put down to La Nina. Augie Auer expects more of the same in the future.
AMERICAS CUP: Auckland police are investigating the deliberate sabotage of a weather bouy on the Americas Cup course.
QUEEN OF TENNIS: Steffi Graf has arrived here for leg of her world farewell tour. Graf says she has no regrets about quitting now. She has earned $43 million in prize-money and 22 grand slams. Andre Agassi relationship is tough she says as they do not get private time away. Two New Zealand exhibition matches this week. She says the intensity is not there anymore. Tonight she is playing teenager Jelena Dokic.
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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