National Radio Midday Bulletin

Fiji Govt. Rejected - Bodies Found - Invercargil Disappearance - Samuels In Caucus - Buses Modified - National Screening Programme - Otago Breast Screening Terms - Cervical Inquiry - Todd Allegations - Oil Production - Petrol Prices Up - IWC Meeting - Waka Safety - Radio Spectrum – Kiwis Released

FIJI GOVT. REJECTED: Coup leader George Speight has rejected the military’s choices for Prime Minister and a new Cabinet sworn in in Suva this morning.

BODIES FOUND: Police involved in two separate searches have found two bodies, one in Whanganui, believed to be a priest, and one, a hunter, in Southland.

INVERCARGIL DISAPPEARANCE: Meanwhile, the police search in Invercargil is continuing for three 18 year old teenagers and has as yet found no trace of them or their car - a brown-Mazda hatchback. Police are baffled by the young men’s disappearance.

SAMUELS IN CAUCUS: Sacked Maori Affairs Minister Dover Samuels has attended the first Labour caucus meeting today, repeating his determination to continue as MP for Maori seat Te Tai Tokerau.

BUSES MODIFIED: The country’s biggest bus company is to modify its fleet after a 12-year-old boy was killed in an accident last year when his school bag was caught in a bus door.

NATIONAL SCREENING PROGRAMME: The Medical Association says it will be monitoring the coordination of a national cancer-screening programme after problems in the Otago and Gisborne.

OTAGO BREAST SCREENING TERMS: The Health Funding Authority has announced the terms of reference for the Otago Breast Screening Inquiry.

CERVICAL INQUIRY: The Cervical Screening Inquiry has heard that up to fifteen per cent of slides sent to Sydney to be re-tested last year may not have been read initially by the now retired Gisborne pathologist Dr Michael Bottrill.
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TODD ALLEGATIONS: The secretary general of the New Zealand Olympic Committee says it may review its procedures following the allegations of cocaine use surrounding equestrian Mark Todd.

OIL PRODUCTION: A key oil producer Saudi Arabia says it is considering increasing production if the price of oil continues to rise above the targets set by OPEC.

PETROL PRICES UP: Caltex is the latest petrol company in New Zealand to announce a price rise for petrol and diesel. Shell and !Challenge have not yet moved.

IWC MEETING: Members of International Whale Commission are meeting for the second day in Adelaide today, and will vote on and Australian and New Zealand proposal to set up an international southern ocean whale sanctuary.

WAKA SAFETY: The Maritime Safety Authority is taking part of a hui with Maori today to discuss how to address safety problems with Waka after a spate of accidents in the canoes last year.

RADIO SPECTRUM: The high court in Wellington has begun hearing two challenges to the government’s plan to auction off valuable parts of the radio spectrum.

KIWIS RELEASED: The Karori Wildlife trust is releasing 20 spotted kiwis into the Karori sanctuary - the first time in over 100 years native birds have been in the capital

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