David Bain’s lawyer unhappy with the Government’s ‘secret’ report, there’s a royal baby on the way, and dogs are learning to drive. Here is your lunchtime news wrap – bite-sized updates of local and international news delivered fresh every afternoon.
Bain’s lawyer concerned about ‘secret’ report
David Bain’s lawyer Michael Reed QC is unhappy that Justice Minister Judith Collins is seeking a “secret” review of a report into David Bain’s compensation claim. Ms Collins has asked former High Court judge Robert Fisher QC for a second opinion on the initial report, which was prepared by a retired Canadian Supreme Court judge. Mr Reed told Firstline “a secret process is never a fair process” and says it’s a waste of taxpayer money to be getting a second opinion from a less qualified judge.
Bullet holes in car add to mystery of Chch death
Police are trying to determine how there came to be at least five bullet holes in the exterior of a car that was found badly burnt-out in North Canterbury with a body inside. The 1989 silver Subaru station wagon was found on Sunday. Police are treating the death as suspicious and say they have some idea about who the victim is, but aren’t yet sure if the bullet holes in the car are related to the person’s death.
Royal baby on the way
St James’ Palace has confirmed last week’s rumours – Prince William and his wife Kate are expecting their first child. The official announcement was inevitable after the Duchess of Cambridge was admitted to hospital suffering from acute morning sickness. The palace won’t say when Kate is due, only that she is not yet at the 12-week mark. The royal offspring will be third in line to the throne after Charles and William.
Pope Benedict XVI joins Twitter
The Vatican has announced that the Pope will soon start spreading the faith through his own Twitter account. He will tweet in eight languages starting on December 12 using his personal handle @Pontifex and will respond to live questions about faith in a weekly session. The Pope is no stranger to Twitter though. He sent his first tweet from a Vatican account last year to launch the Holy See’s news information portal.
ABs dominate IRB awards, get easy World Cup draw
The All Blacks swept all three major prizes at the International Rugby Board awards overnight. As well as being named team of the year for the third straight time, first five-eighth Dan Carter won player of the year for the second time and Steve Hansen was coach of the year. Hansen downplayed his award, saying it reflected the hard work of the players and team management.
The accolades may keep on coming if the All Blacks can pull off a repeat performance of the 2011 Rugby World Cup in 2015. They have drawn what Hansen says is a “satisfying” pool, which will include Argentina and Tonga. The “pool of death” pits England against two-time champions Australia and Wales.
Odd bite: Driving’s gone to the dogs
This story is not as improbable as it looks. In an attempt to show how intelligent rescued dogs can be, the SPCA has been teaching three of them to drive. Animal trainer Mark Vette and his team have been working with Monty, Ginny and Porter for the past two months, teaching them how to drive Minis. Porter’s final test will be on Campbell Live next week, but you can watch his incredible and highly entertaining training here.
3 News
source: newshub archive
