PM And Ratana – UK Minister Resigns – Vector Consumer Dividend – Waterfront Stoush – Teacher Shortage – Prison Escaper Sighted – Indian Bathing Record – Mark Waugh – Missing Yacht

PM AND RATANA: The PM says the government still has policies addressing the needs of Maori but wants to make clear that it also has policies for poor Pakeha. She was responding to criticism received from a Kaumatua at Ratana Pa.

UK MINISTER RESIGNS: Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Mandelssohn has resigned again over accusations that he involved himself improperly in a passport application for a wealthy immigrant. The wealthy businessman had donated $3 million

VECTOR CONSUMER DIVIDEND: More than 200,000 power users in Auckland are being promised a dividend payout by the end of March. Vector has $150 million to pay out. The Trust Chair who was outed at the end of the meeting says she wants to get the money to consumers as quickly as possible.

WATERFRONT STOUSH: Waterfront protestors say they will continue to protest in spite of the beginning of mediation between parties in the dispute beginning today.

TEACHER SHORTAGE: The PPTA says they believe secondary schools will be 150 teachers short at the start of the year. The Ministry of Education says this is not unusual.

PRISON ESCAPER SIGHTED: Interpol is reporting Tongan sightings of 67-year-old Brian Curtis who escaped from Paremoremo in the early 1990s.

INDIAN BATHING RECORD: An estimated 25 million people have bathed in the river Ganges in India, a record.

MARK WAUGH: Australian Cricket Captain Mark Waugh has been given until this evening to meet with anti-corruption investigators or lose his job.

MISSING YACHT: The Auckland Coastguard is concerned at a missing yacht called the Tardis. The yacht was due back last Wednesday but has been uncontactable for several days.

© Scoop Media

Alastair Thompson

Scoop Publisher

Alastair Thompson is the co-founder of Scoop. He is of Scottish and Irish extraction and from Wellington, New Zealand. Alastair has 24 years experience in the media, at the Dominion, National Business Review, North & South magazine, Straight Furrow newspaper and online since 1997. He is the winner of several journalism awards for business and investigative work.

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