National Radio Midday Bulletin

Bottrill Apologises - Samoan Politicians Guilty - BOP Mite Infestation – GE Attack Alleged - Echelon Denied - Northland Kidnapper - Fraud Verdict - Peru Elections - Wellington Waterfront - Firefighters At Risk - Pardon Widened - Cuban Castaway

BOTTRILL APOLOGISES: The man at the centre of the cervical cancer inquiry, Dr Michael Bottrill, today said he was sorry for the suffering he caused to the women who relied on his work. The emotion was charged in the hall during Bottrill’s reading of his prepared statement and a woman affected by Bottril’s misdiagnosis later rejected his apologies.

SAMOAN POLITICIANS GUILTY: Two former Samoan politicians have been found guilty of organising the murder of the country’s Public Works Minister last July. The judge is now considering the jury’s guilty verdict.

BOP MITE INFESTATION: The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry says bee hives containing a deadly mite have been found in the Bay of Plenty, and it is feared the parasite may have spread as far as Otago.

GE ATTACK ALLEGED: The Greens co-leader Rod Donald is accusing the Trade Development Board of mounting a political attack on the opponents of genetic engineering.

ECHELON DENIED: The director of the CIA has denied a global surveillance network which includes New Zealand is used to snoop on private citizens, and industrial secrets.

NORTHLAND KIDNAPPER: Whangarei police say they are keeping an open mind over whether a Whakatane sex-offender may be the man who kidnapped a small Northland boy last Sunday.

FRAUD VERDICT: A Wellington writer who admitted using bogus multi-million dollar contracts with Paramount pictures and international book publishers to fend off pressing creditors has been sentenced to 18-months jail.

WELLINGTON WATERFRONT: A special meeting which is now underway at the Wellington City Council looks set to pull the plug on its controversial waterfront development plan.

FIREFIGHTERS AT RISK: The Cancer Society says more research will have to be done before it is known why a study has found that firefighters have a greater than average risk of developing testicular cancer.

PERU ELECTIONS: Peru’s presidential election will go to a second round between Alberto Fujimori, who fell just short of the 50 per cent needed for re-election, and his rival, Alejandro Toledo.

PARDON WIDENED:The Returned Services Association says a Government pardon for five New Zealand soldiers convicted of desertion during World War One should be widened to include other soldiers.

CUBAN CASTAWAY: The United States Attorney General, Janet Reno, will travel to Miami today to try to work out a resolution in the international custody battle involving the six-year-old Cuban castaway, Elian Gonzalez.

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