National Radio Midday Bulletin

Nursing Shortage - Grandparent Concerns - Gisborne Council Probe - Solomon’s Summit - Samoan Assassination Trial - Fisheries Commission - Zimbabwe Dispute - Gisborne Inquiry - District Health Boards - South Korea Elections - Cuban Castaway – Pedophile Jailed - Northland Kidnapper - Frog Disappearance – Bee Mites

NURSING SHORTAGE: The nurses union and the country’s rest homes say the nursing shortage has reached a crises level. They say hospital patients and elderly people in homes are bearing the brunt of the shortage.

GRANDPARENT CONCERNS: The commissioner for children is concerned about the expectations being placed on Grandparents who are having to care for their grandchildren full-time. Roger McClay told the annual conference of the NZ Family and Foster Care Federation in Wellington that more consideration needs to be given to second time around parents.

GISBORNE COUNCIL PROBE: The Mayor and Chief executive of the Gisborne District Council have been criticised in an Audit Office report for approving $50,000 in spending without the backing of the authority. The money was sent to a London public relations firm for a launch of the cities Millennium First Light brand attended by the Mayor the chief executive and their wives.

SOLOMON’S SUMMIT: The Government says it vital that the parties in a planned summit in the Solomon Island own the peace process. The New Zealand and Australian Foreign Ministers say they have been working with the Solomon’s Government and the Commonwealth Secretariat to bring the parties in the 18 month long conflict in the Guadal canal together.

SAMOAN ASSASINATION TRIAL: The judge in the Samoan assassination trial is yet to decide if he will overturn yesterdays verdict of two Samoan Cabinet ministers found guilty of murdering a third minister. He is hearing submission from both the defence and the prosecution on whether he should acquit the men as is possible under Samoan law.

FISHERIES COMMISSION: Nominations for the positions of Treaty of Waitangi Fisheries Commission close today and go to the Minister of Maori affairs Dover Samuels for his consideration.

ZIMBABWE DISPUTE: Britain says that Zimbabwe has agreed to send a ministerial delegation to London to try to resolve a dispute over the occupation of white-owned farms in the former British colony.

GISBORNE INQUIRY: Health Minister Annette King wants the cervical cancer inquiry team in Gisborne to attempt to meet the deadline for completing its report despite a suggestion that the team may need more time. King hopes to receive the report by early October.

DISTRICT HEALTH BOARDS: The national party says the Government is ignoring a rising tide of warnings over the setting up of District Health Boards. Treasury papers obtained by National under the Official Information Act say the board risk being captured by lobby groups or medical professionals and a their lack of management experience could result in bad decisions.

SOUTH KOREA ELECTIONS: South Koreas main opposition party has won the largest number of seats in the provisional results of the national elections.

CUBAN CASTAWAY: The United States Justice Department has agreed not to take any action to take a six-year old Cuban castaway from his American relatives after a last minute court injunction.

PEDOPHILE JAILED: A Hutt Valley man and National sports representative who has admitted sexually abusing his stepdaughter for five years from the age of seven has been jailed for nine years by the Wellington District Court.

NORTHLAND KIDNAPPER: The police in Northland say they have not completely dismissed links between a two other various kidnappings in Whakatane and Hamilton.

FROG DISAPPEARENCE: New evidence has found that the world’s frogs are disappearing faster than scientists have previously thought.

BEE MITES: The National Bee Keepers Association says it is disappointed that border controls on the country have not stopped the spread of the Varroa mite. However a mite found in the Bay Of Plenty has proven to be another harmless species.

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