INDEPENDENT NEWS

Radio New Zealand Midday Bulletin

Published: Thu 13 Jan 2000 01:00 PM
Fantasy – Drug Importing Billionaire – CYFS – Mason Clinic – Samoan Death Sentence – Kosovo Detective – Pinochet – PKK Leader – Gambling Law Review – Nuclear Waste – Chechenya – Historian - Car Glut
FANTASY: The new designer drug Fantasy has been declared illegal by the by the Ministry of Health under the Controlled Medicines Act after increasing cases of overdose have been reported in hospitals.
DRUG IMPORTING BILLIONAIRE: A district court judge has allowed the Herald to challenge the name suppression of the drug importing billionaire who admitted importing over 100 grams of cannabis into the country. The matter of suppression will not start to be decided until Monday when the case is next in court. The man’s lawyer Marie Dyhrberg says the decision will not affect the current name suppression and she says local media who have disclosed the name are under surveillance and may be prosecuted in future.
Meanwhile the French student deported for importing cannabis is reported may be allowed to return to New Zealand to catch his flight back to Paris
CYFs: Department of Child Youth and Family says it has become a defacto mental health service for young people even thought it has neither the resources nor the expertise to deal with them appropriately.
MASON CLINIC: Auckland’s Mason Clinic has doubled its security measures after two dangerous patients disappeared from the clinic recently while out in public. The clinic’s director says in future staff numbers will double when patients are let out. A full report will be given to the Ministry of Health.
SAMOAN DEATH SENTENCE: A death sentence imposed on the son of a Samoan cabinet minister in his role in the assassination of another minister has been commuted to life imprisonment.
KOSOVO DETECTIVE: A NZ detective who investigated more than 300 murders in Kosovo, said the conditions for the investigation were the worst he had ever seen. He said the scale of the alleged atrocities, many of which involved innocent civilians, and would take years fully investigate.
PNOCHET: Lawyers for human rights campaigners are considering whether they can mount a legal challenge to the likely release of ex-Chilean leader General Pinochet on humanitarian grounds.
PKK LEADER: The Turkish government has agreed to wait for some time before ratifying the courts decision to sentence a Kurdish independence PKK leader to death for terrorism activities.
GAMBLING LAW REVIEW: Government officials are advising a radical revamp of gambling laws which have not changed for many years while the gambling industry has expanded. The papers says gambling has caused significant social problems.
NUCLEAR WASTE: The environment minister Marian Hobbs has said she will work with the foreign minster to ensure that a ship carrying nuclear waste from Japan to Britain will not pass through New Zealand waters.
CHECHENYA: The United States is reminding Russia of its human rights obligations in Chechenya reports that Moscows forces will interrogate civilian males about their links to the rebel movement.
HISTORIAN: Controversial Historian David Irving has told the High Court in London that the Nazi killings of millions of Jews in Concentration camp gas chambers is a lie while suing a university professor and a book publisher for libel.
CAR GLUT: Stricter warrant of fitness laws and a glut of cheap Japanese imports has caused a glut of unwanted old Japanese cars.
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