Vets Strike – Dioxin – Israel – ACC – Children’s Rights – El Salvador Quake – Nelson Shooting – Wellsford Shooting - Dennis Corrin - Marlborough Drought – Rob Waddell

VETS STRIKE: The Meat Industry Association is planning to launch a court action to try to stop the MAF Vets Strike. Richmond meat says the strike could cost them $30 million in lost production.

DIOXIN: A government report says NZers have been exposed to unacceptably high levels of the cancer causing dioxin. The risk of cancer could be as high as 1 in 1000 compared with the usual 1 in 100,000.

ISRAEL: Israel security forces have closed down the West Bank and Gaza strip following an attack in which a Palestinian bus driver crashed into a queue of hitch-hiking soldiers killing eight (seven soldiers) and injuring seven.

ACC: The ACC Minister has rejected calls for an ACC law change to fix a double dipping problem. Michael Cullen says that National created the problem.

CHILDREN’S RIGHTS: Justice Minister Phil Goff says that NZ is not changing the law that allows parents to smack childrens. A UN report on Rights of the Child criticises NZ’s treatment of children. Phil Goff says the occasional smack is not the problem.

EL SALVADOR QUAKE: The death toll in El Salvador’s second earthquake in a month is 250 and rising. Over 12,000 houses have been destroyed.

NELSON SHOOTING: Nelson police are still looking for two men in connection with the shooting of the Ngati Tama trust chairman yesterday in Delaware Bay. The men are described asCaucasians, one with a distinctive tattoo.

WELLSFORD SHOOTING: A man is in hospital following a shooting near Wellsford late last night. Police say the shooting was a domestic incident.

DENNIS CORRIN: The chief of Ecuador’s military says oil firms have agreed to pay a ransom to secure the release of seven hostages including a NZ helicopter pilot, Dennis Corrin.

MARLBOROUGH DROUGHT: Marlborough farmers are having problems with a drought. Some say there is less water than in the drought of 1998. Experts say several days of light rain is what is needed.

ROB WADDELL: Olympic champion Rob Waddell is the front-runner for Halberg sportsman of the year.

© 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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