Stigleygate - East Timor - Fiji - Public Health - Northland Health - GE Insurance - Child Slavery - Tornado - Joanne
McCarthy - ERB
STIGLEYGATE: The Wellington Regional Council has withdrawn from Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) over the Carol
Stigley affair. Wellington Mayor Mark Blumsky wants Wellington to also quit but his Christchurch counterpart Gary Moore
believes this is a "crass over-reaction.
EAST TIMOR: A Nepalese soldier attach to a New Zealand peace-keeping battalion in East Timor has been shot dead and two
other Nepalese servicemen were wounded in a fire-fight with Timorese guerrillas. Parliament has today extended it
sympathy and support to the peace-keeping force.
FIJI: The police investigation of Fijian coup-leader George Speight is gaining momentum with charges of treason and
sedition likely. Meanwhile Speight will appear in court today for what is expected to be an unsuccessful bail hearing.
PUBLIC HEALTH: The Government has urged to put more money into public health or admit to the fact that a narrower focus
is required as resources spread too thin are causing serious problems.
NORTHLAND HEALTH: Northland Health says it will need extra staff to cope with a planned junior doctors strike which is
scheduled to take place later this month.
GE INSURANCE: The New Zealand Insurance Council is looking at developing a code of practice in regards to requests for
genetic information from prospective insurance consumers.
CHILD SLAVERY: The High Court has reduced the sentence of a Wellington Samoan pastor and his wife who are doing time for
abusing young girls adopted by them from Samoa. After rejecting pleas for a suspended sentence Justice Heron reduced the
pairs sentences from 2 years to 15 months says that while the abuse was very serious it wasn't of the "most serious
kind".
TORNADO! A tornado hit Huntly at about 7.30 am leaving ripped off roofs, flattened trees and shocked residents but
fortunately no reported injuries.
JOANNE MCCARTHY: The accused in the Joanne McCarthy murder trial has had his evidence described as "inconsistent".
Travis Burns had told the court that at the time he was allegedly killing ms McCarthy he was in fact planting cannabis
and planning to rob a bank.
ERB: Parliament has voted down a change to the Employment Relations Billed proposed by National and also will remain in
urgency until Tuesday.