New Zealand Herald

Child Driver - Public Transport - Kylie Jones Burial - Taxi Murderer?:- Provinces Bubbling - Dalton Record - Jetty Dispute - Bus Crash - Man Shot - Boat In Distress- Green Budget- Criminals Meet Victims

CHILD DRIVER: A child drove a stolen car at over 100 km/h through a West Auckland suburb late last night before police ran her off the road. The chase began when the 11-year-old refused to stop when police tried to pull her over near the Glen Eden shops after they noticed the car being driven erratically.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT: Public transport companies are being offered an extra $51 million in a major push to get more commuters out of their cars. The Government move announced today is aimed at boosting the frequency and quality of bus, train and ferry services around the country. However, the offer is tied to increasing patronage.

KYLIE JONES BURIAL: The shattered family of Kylie Jones will bury her today, just hours after the man accused of her murder is due to appear in the Auckland District Court. Police arrested a 29-year-old unemployed Glen Innes man on Saturday night and he is scheduled to appear in court shortly after 10 am.

TAXI MURDERER?:- WELLINGTON - A 20-year-old Paeroa man has been charged with the murder of taxi driver Mohamed Fuard Mohamed Raafi. The man was arrested in Lower Hutt yesterday afternoon and will appear in the Lower Hutt District Court today.

PROVINCES BUBBLING: The cities have lost their fizz but the provinces are bubbling, the latest survey of regional economies has found. The National Bank study, released this morning, shows the gap between rural growth and the cities is the largest it has been since the survey began in 1975.

DALTON RECORD: Somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic, New Zealander Grant Dalton last night became the fastest yachting skipper on Earth. Dalton shattered the world speed sailing record on the debut journey of his new super-catamaran, Club Med. In 24 hours, the cat sailed 625.7 miles - 45 miles further than the existing record set last year by PlayStation.

JETTY DISPUTE: Millionaire businessman Sir Roger Bhatnagar has run foul of the country's premier yachting body over plans to build a jetty for his estate on Kawau Island. Indian-born Sir Roger, who owns 6.4ha at Smelting Works Bay in Bon Accord Harbour, says he is disappointed that the America's Cup holders, the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, are blocking his plans.

BUS CRASH: A 30-year-old Ranui woman is in Auckland Hospital with serious injuries and her partner is dead after a bus crashed through the median barrier of the Northwestern Motorway, colliding with oncoming traffic. The dead man was Bernard Ferguson Igatia, aged 35, of West Auckland.

MAN SHOT: A man has serious head wounds after a shot was fired in an apparent home invasion in West Auckland last night. Police were called to a house in Kaikoura Place, Sunnyvale, after neighbours found a man in his lounge with blood pouring from his head. A 6-month-old baby was also in the house.

BOAT IN DISTRESS: Three ill-equipped fishermen whose unseaworthy boat ran out of petrol in bad weather in the Hauraki Gulf on Saturday have come under fire from the coastguard. The trio took the 17m aluminium runabout out for an all-day fishing expedition near Little Barrier Island despite a strong wind warning.

GREEN BUDGET: WELLINGTON - The Green Party has won $3 million from the Government for energy conservation as part of a package of "Green" measures in this week's Budget. Greens co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons said the Government had agreed to boost funding for the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority by $3 million.

CRIMINALS MEET VICTIMS: Criminals will meet their victims to discuss the effects of crime under a new justice scheme. Courts Minister Matt Robson yesterday pledged more than $4.8 million over the next three years to develop pilot projects for the scheme, called restorative justice, and to expand some existing small-scale programmes.

© Scoop Media