Olympics, Drugs, Spinter Departs – Brain Drain – Australia and Overstayers – Taxi Rape – Waitakere Murder – Fire
Fighters Return – Jane Andrews Arrested For Murder
OLYMPICS: Update on NZ athletes competition today. No medals yet.
OLYMPICS: The drugs controversy at the Olympics is back to the fore following claims of drugs in the swimming events. NZ
officials do not agree with accusations made by the American swimming coach concerning the use of drugs by unnamed
athletes. Suspicion is falling on Dutch gold medal winners. Sprinter Maurice Greene believes everybody should be tested.
It is sad that doubts are being cast over the flying Dutchman says reporter Bob McNeil.
OLYMPICS: The sudden departure from Sydney of the defending 400m sprint Olympic champion is also raising eyebrows. The
sprinter left suddenly and there are reports of someone kicking her hotel door. A former coach suggested the sprinter
might be playing mind games. She is now hiding out in Singapore and it is not known if she will be competing. She is the
main rival to Australia’s Cathy Freeman, who lit the Olympic flame.
BRAIN DRAIN: Figures on emigration confirm fewer NZers are leaving this year than the year before. Several leaving kiwis
are interviewed at the airport. Also off overseas is Simon Upton MP, off to work for the OECD. Upton and the others
however are part of decreasing trend. The numbers leaving in August have fallen over the past two years from 1200 to
1000 to 890. These figures contrast with claims from ACT that more and more Kiwis are leaving. In the year to August
there was a net loss of 10,000, but even that is a 10% decrease on the previous August year.
AUSTRALIA AND OVERSTAYERS: Australia’s Immigration Minister is concerned that overstayers granted residency in NZ will
end up in Australia. It is expected 8000 overstayers will quality and will eventually be able to travel to Australia.
NZ’s immigration minister says NZ already takes unskilled migrants, and says the Australians are over reacting.
TAXI RAPE: Wellington Police are narrowing their search for a taxi-driver who raped an 18-year-old after picking her up
in central Wellington on Monday night. The taxi driver hid his identification tag when the woman got in the car. Police
have narrowed the search to just 12 drivers. The woman was dumped at Horokiwi after the rape.
WAITAKERE MURDER: Police were out knocking doors today looking for clues for the identification of a body found in the
Waitakeres but not yet identified.
FIRE FIGHTERS RETURN: NZ Fire Fighters have returned home from Montana wild fires saying they made lots of new friends
on the fire grounds.
JANE ANDREWS: The former private secretary of the Duchess of York is in hospital and under arrest for the murder of her
boyfriend. Jane Andrews was the confidant of Fergie for 12 years. She was found in a lay-by suffering from an overdose
of pain-killers. People who knew Andrews say she was devoted to the former princess.