New NZ Position Of Free Trade – Seattle – MFAT Warning – Oil Spill – Party Hopping – Chechnya – Shannon Death
NEW NZ POSITION ON FREE TRADE: The PM Elect Helen Clark is defending her decision to include labour and environmental issues on the WTO agenda. Clark says Clinton has told her it is hard to defend free trade without labor rules. NZs new position puts us in a different camp than Australia.
SEATTLE: Meanwhile protestors continue to complain about police brutality on the streets of Seattle.
MFAT: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is reassuring diplomats that they are in no danger following the receipt of a letter from the Confederation of United Chiefs of Aotearoa saying that they cannot guarantee their protection.
OIL SPILL: An oil spill has been found drifting near the Poor Knights
PARTY HOPPING: Party hopping legislation being introduced by Michael Cullen is virtually the same as a bill earlier labelled “undemocratic” and rejected by a select committee. Labour is putting up identical legislation again. There is disagreement however. Jim Anderton says MPs need to be protected against effective constructive dismissal.
CHECHNYA: Intense fighting on the outskirts of Argun to the East of the Chechen capital Grozny. The clashes at Argun are a set-back.
SHANNON
DEATH: Police are treating the death of a Shannon hotelier
as
suspicious.