National Radio Midday report

Peru President Resigns – Florida Recount – Open Skies – Murder Charge – Terry King Murder Trial – Toxic Algae – GE Commission – Waikato Tainui – Teacher Investigation – Fiji Tourism Ad – Auckland Grammar Enrolments – Israeli Diplomat Shot

- PERU PRESIDENT RESIGNS: The crisis in Peru has come to a head with President Alberto Fujimori’s announcement he will resign within the next 48 hours. His decision has been welcomed by opposition leaders in Peru. It comes amid the growing bribery scandal surrounding his former chief adviser.

- FLORIDA RECOUNT: All eyes are on the Florida Supreme Court in the ongoing battle for the White House. Bush still holds a slim 930 vote lead out of six million in the votes cast in Florida. Both the Democrats and the Republicans have filed written submissions to the court, which will tomorrow consider a key issue for the election – should the manual recounts be considered in the final count?

- OPEN SKIES: The Board of Airline Representatives says an open skies deal, to be signed between New Zealand and Australian in less than an hour, will offer new freedoms to airlines. But the board says consumers shouldn’t hold their breath for any immediate benefits to consumers.

- MURDER CHARGE: Police in Auckland have charged a man with the murder of 82-year-old Florence Marjorie Simpson, who was found dead in her home in Howick in October.

- TERRY KING MURDER TRIAL: The Crown says there is compelling evidence that male model William Haanstra murdered Wellington contractor Terry King in the Tararua Ranges last year.

- TOXIC ALGAE: Health Care Hawkes Bay has closed the whole of the Hawkes Bay coastline for collecting shellfish due to the high levels of toxic algae affecting shellfish in the area.

- GE COMMISSION: The Dairy Board told the Royal Commission into Genetic Modification the use of genetic technology in dairying is crucial to the continued competitiveness of New Zealand’s dairy industry.

- WAIKATO TAINUI: The executive of the Waikato Tainui iwi is waiting to hear if it will get its final Treaty of Waitangi settlement payment of $13m, held back by the Government over concerns about the tribe’s governance.

- TEACHER INVESTIGATION: Police are continuing investigations into an Auckland Teacher who is accused of indecently assaulting a student.

- FIJI TOURISM AD: A TV advertisement encouraging tourists to visit Fiji after the May coup has been ruled to be inaccurate and misleading by the Advertising Standards Complaints Board.

- AUCKLAND GRAMMAR ENROLMENTS: The parent who sparked an investigation of enrolment procedures at Auckland Grammar is pleased by the outcome of an audit that reveals that 14 boys were offered places to which they were not entitled.

- ISRAELI DIPLOMAT SHOT: A gunman has wounded an Israeli diplomat in Jordan raising fears of a spread of Arab-Israeli violence. Meanwhile, Israeli troops have killed a 14-year-old Palestinian boy in Gaza and a 22-year-old man on the West Bank, raising the death toll in the current wave of violence to 240 people.

© Scoop Media