Newstalk ZB Headlines - 9am

Nats Walkout - A dispute has spit the National Party’s Whangarei Electorate Committee apart. The chairman, his deputy, and electorate secretary have quite saying they do not have confidence in the campaign leading up to this year’s election. Concern has been expressed about the quality of Whangarei’s National candidate. Sitting MP John Banks is stepping down and says it is all very unfortunate.

Thunder Storms - Dramatic weather in Auckland this morning, the skies have darkened and lighting has been seen by commuters striking the city’s tallest structure the Sky Tower. Forecasters say the weather radar shows a line of storm cloud stretching from Kaipara to Hamilton. The front will move fairly fast over the region but will bring 15 minute rainstorms with an intensity of around 30 to 35mm an hour. It will be heavy enough to cause local flooding at intersections and roads. Structures like the Sky Tower are protected by lightning rods but it may pay to turn computers off over the next half hour or so.

Doctors Will Pay - It will cost doctors with the GP’s Association supporting the Government’s initiative to have doctors question patients about at risk drug and alcohol habits. The Association’s chairperson says the Government should also recognise that it will add to the time doctors have to spend with patients - therefore cutting into their income. If doctors have to spend 20 or 30 minutes with patients they will not be able to see very many in one day. They are already facing a dramatic amount of paperwork with ACC changes.

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>