The New Zealand Herald

America’s Cup – Illegal Immigrants – Cup Animator – Incis Blowout – Meurant In Trouble – Iwi Leader Ignores Warnings – Coffin Shared – Murder Remorse – Skyhawks Message

AMERICA’S CUP: The Herald’s front page photo shows the rival cup boats Prada and the Team New Zealand boats within metres of eachother as they returned from a practice on the Hauraki Gulf. The accompanying lead story tells how under strict rules competing teams cannot venture within 200 metres of eachother before the races begin.

Also in the news:

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS: Police and immigration officials have swooped on an Auckland building site and removed 60 Asian workers as part of a crackdown on illegal immigrants.

CUP ANIMATOR: America's Cup internet broadcaster Virtual Spectator has received a $5 million capital injection to develop its ground-breaking animation technology.

INCIS BLOWOUT: Surveillance operations against crime syndicates have been put off because of budget blowouts caused by the Incis computer project, police say.

MEURANT IN TROUBLE: Rodney District's roading manager, John Brown, confirmed yesterday that he believed district councillor Ross Meurant had offered him an inducement to favour a prospective investor in the Weiti River toll-road project.

IWI LEADER IGNORES WARINGS: In Hamilton Dumped Tainui executive Greg Parker has attacked tribal leader Sir Robert Mahuta, accusing him of attempting to shift the blame for the tribe's deep financial crisis. The wealthy Waikato iwi acknowledged on Monday that a series of investment blunders had led to debts of more than $30 million and a $40 million writedown.

COFFIN SHARED: In Whangarei two Four-year-old Whangarei cousins born just 20 days apart were buried together yesterday in a double coffin. Jerome Absalom Marsh and Chanel Joseph Pukeroa perished in a house fire in Tikipunga on Tuesday.

MURDER REMORSE: In Hamilton, five minutes of inexplicable madness, William Murray Dawson transformed a warm, loving relationship into a tragedy when he stabbed his sister through the heart

SKYHAWKS Message: Defence chiefs have been given a stern message from the Prime Minister about shutting down expectations of a sale of the Air Force's 19 Skyhawks. Prime Minister Helen Clark said yesterday: "We do not consider ourselves in sale mode because, if we were to cancel the F-16s, we may well wish to keep the Skyhawks."

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