Interest Rates – National Election Tactics – Fiji – Girls On The Net – Israel – Kosovo – Doctors – IRD Charter - Tiger
Woods
INTEREST RATES: Employers and Manufacturers Association spokesman Alasdair Thompson is calling for the Reserve Bank to
cut interest rates next week in the wake of reports that the Australian economy is shrinking. National’s finance
spokesman Bill English is not so keen on
NATIONAL ELECTION TACTICS: The National Party has confirmed it will stand MPs in every seat in the next election, but
candidates will have to agree to withdraw at the last minute if party officials ask them to.
FIJI: Fiji’s President is expected to announce the reconvening of Parliament at a meeting with the Great Council of
Chiefs today.
GIRLS ON THE NET: A group which has surveyed teenage girls about their internet use has produced “frightening” results.
30% of the girls surveyed have met people they met on the internet in real life. Many of these did not tell their
parents, went alone and met men
ISRAEL: Ariel Sharon will be sworn in as Prime Minister today following the cobbling together of a coalition containing
73 of 120 MPs.
KOSOVO: NATO peacekeepers on the Kosovo border have opened fire at an armed group of Albanians near the Macedonian
border.
DOCTORS: The Medical Council is calling for priority to be given to finding ways to keep NZ doctors working here. 6 out
of 10 doctors who qualified in 1997 are still working here. A third of doctors working in NZ are overseas trained.
IRD CHARTER: The chairman of the Parliamentary inquiry into revenue, United Future’s Peter Dunne, says the test of the
IRD’s new charter will be how it is implemented by the department.
TIGER WOODS: Tiger Woods is keen to play in a NZ tournament at Paraparaumu in January. Arrangements have been made for
Woods Learjet to land at Paraparaumu on January 8th. Woods appearance fee will be over $4 million.