National Radio Midday Report

Rankin Hearings – Bashing – Breast Screening – Transient Students – Hydro Lakes – South American Earthquake – Wahid Visit – Speight Trial – NZ Post – Abandoned Yacht – Abandoned Yacht – Ferry Near Miss – Meningococcal Disease – Middle East – Court Fees – Eketahuna Trial

RANKIN HEARINGS: The Employment Court has begun hearing DWI CEO Christine Rankin’s $800,000 claim that political interference lost her her job. Rankin told the court that upon appointment to the role the State Services Commissioner led her to believe there was a long career in the public service ahead of her, but all that changed because of the attitude of Labour MPs.

BASHING: The son of the Northland school teacher who was seriously bashed in her home last week has appeared in the Whangarei District Court charged with the serious assault of his mother.

BREAST SCREENING: The Ministry of Health is promising to heed the call for a closer look at the breast screening programme, in the light of the Gisborne cervical cancer screening inquiry.

TRANSIENT STUDENTS: The Principal’s Federation is calling on the Government to treat students who regularly change schools as special needs students for funding purposes.

HYDRO LAKES: There has been little change in the level of hydro lakes in the past week.

SOUTH AMERICAN EARTHQUAKE: Rescue efforts continue across Southern Peru, and parts of Bolivia and Chile after yesterday’s powerful earthquake that killed dozens of people and left thousands homeless.

WAHID VISIT: The schedule for Indonesian President Wahid’s visit to Australia has been disrupted already, after the plane carrying the Indonesian President was forced to land in Darwin with technical problems.

SPEIGHT TRIAL: Fiji’s Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Peter Ridgeway has described security in the George Speight preliminary inquiry as outrageous.

NZ POST: ACT Leader Richard Prebble wants entire NZ Post board sacked after revelations of board wars.

ABANDONED YACHT: The Maritime Safety Authority has issued warning that a yacht abandoned off the Wairarapa Coast is a hazard to other vessels.

FERRY NEAR-MISS: TranzRail has been cleared of most of the blame for a near miss between the Lynx fast ferry and a passenger launch in the Marlborough Sounds.

MENINGOCOCCAL DISEASE: Nelson College for Girls is in mourning for 17-year-old student Sally Kidd, who died of Meningococcal Disease.

MIDDLE EAST: Israeli PM Ariel Sharon is headed to the US to shore up a tenuous Middle East cease-fire strained by further violence in the region.

COURT FEES: An Auckland lawyer has launched a campaign against proposed court fee increases for civil court hearings due to come into effect next week.

EKETAHUNA FIRE: People in Eketahuna say the community is still struggling to come to terms with a recent fire which destroyed three businesses.

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