National Radio Midday Report

Aussie Staff For Airways – Diesel Prices – Electricity – Roads Open – Rescued Trampers – Yugoslav Elections – Drug Scandal – Sydney Olympics – Mother Sentenced – Sparrow Salmonella – Health Restructuring

- AUSSIE STAFF FOR AIRWAYS: The Airways Corporation says it expects to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars transplanting air traffic control staff from Australia. Airways says it needs to find full time staff to live and work in Christchurch.

- DIESEL PRICES: Freight companies are disappointed the price of Diesel is set to rise at a time when petrol prices have just fallen, and say they will have to pass the costs on to customers. Oil companies say this is because crude oil price rises were absorbed in petrol costs rather than diesel.

- ELECTRICITY: Wairoa Mayor Derek Fox says the electricity company Eastlands Network is not working fast enough to restore power after storms knocked out power to many houses. About 1500 customer remain without power. He said despite power not being reconnected yet, he saw meter readers at houses where the power is cut off.

- ROADS OPEN: Major roads in the central North Island are now open again with the exception of the route between Taihape and Napier.

- RESCUED TRAMPERS: The pilot of the helicopter that rescued a father and son trapped in the Kaimanawa ranges this morning said the trampers are very lucky to have been found by another tramper. He said the tramper risked his life staying with them.

- YUGOSLAV ELECTIONS: The opposition in Yugoslavia is rejecting a second poll to elect a new president, saying it’s candidate won Sunday night’s election outright. The United States has been joined by Germany and France in calling for president Slobodan Milosovic to stand down. Allies of Mr Milosovic have retained control of the federal parliament.

- DRUG SCANDAL: The International Olympic Committee says the tearful denial of US shot putter CJ Hunter that he is a drug cheat is not credible – hunter has returned four drug tests showing nandrolone in his system in the last year.

- SYDNEY OLYMPICS: Toni Hodgkinson has failed to qualify for the women’s 1500m finals, finishing ninth in the slowest of the heats. Beatrice Faumuina competes in the discuss today, and the NZ women’s hockey team plays Argentina. Prime Minister and hockey goalkeeper namesake Helen Clark will be at the game.

- MOTHER SENTENCED: The mother of a 3 ½-year-old boy who was beaten to death has been sentenced to seven years in prison. She had been convicted of manslaughter at an earlier hearing. She failed to save the life of her son as he was being beaten by her partner.

- SPARROW SALMONELLA: Fears the salmonella epidemic in sparrows may spread to native birds have been confirmed, with a kaka dying of the same strain of the disease.

- HEALTH RESTRUCTURING: The central element of the Government’s health restructuring plans, the district health boards, are sparking warnings from doctors as the first of the hearing on the changes gets underway.

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