National Radio Midday Report

Cervical Screening – Army Rape Trial – Retail Stats – Whitianga Canal – Fraud – Nuclear Fuel – Middle East Violence – Election Violence – Hospital Waiting Lists – Form 1 And 2 – Anzac Frigates – TV Content – Dunedin Flights

- CERVICAL SCREENING: The Government has been urged to think again on plans to introduce a new requirement for cervical screening that could see public hospitals shut out of this work. The Association of Salaried Medical Specialists says this would lead to greater privatisation of the health service and contravenes Government health policy. Wellington hospital is already negotiating with private specialist to do its screening work.

- ARMY RAPE TRIAL: A jury in Palmerston North has retired to consider its verdict in the trial of an army officer accused of raping a fellow officer at cadet school.

- RETAIL STATS: Retail sales in the first three months of the year have continued to grow, Statistics NZ figures show.

- WHITIANGA CANAL: Deputy PM Jim Anderton says Conservation Minister Sandra Lee had no choice but to refer a n application for a canal project in Whitianga back to Environment Waikato, because it didn’t take into account the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park Act.

- FRAUD: The Judge has begun summing up in the trial of a man accused of defrauding more than 400 people involving more than $300,000.

- NUCLEAR FUEL: A visiting British nuclear engineer says NZ won’t be able to cope if a ship containing nuclear fuel caught fire in the Tasman Sea.

- MIDDLE EAST VIOLENCE: Israel continues to attack Palestinian targets after two days of heavy fighting.

- ELECTION VIOLENCE: Fists flew today as protesters wrestled British Deputy PM John Prescott to the ground as the British election campaign turned nasty.

- HOSPITAL WAITING LISTS: The waiting time for people needing prostate and breast cancer treatment in Auckland has shortened, but the improvement is only temporary and delays continue to create considerable anxiety for patients.

- FORM 1 AND 2: A new report show kids who go to intermediate school do no better than children who do form 1 and 2 at primary school.

- ANZAC FRIGATES: About half of workers at a Whagarei shipyard are being laid off as work winds down on the Anzac frigate project.

- TV CONTENT: Figures released by NZ on Air showed a slight increase in NZ content on TV last year, but reality and low budget information type shows dominated that increase.

- DUNEDIN FLIGHTS: Air NZ says it expects to be able to allay the fears of Dunedin business and civic leaders worried about a lack of flights in and out of the city.

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