National Radio Midday Report

Marie Jamieson – Hobbs And Bunkle – Nursing Shortages – Children’s Law – Foot And Mouth – Macedonia Conflict – Pakistan Dissent – Youth Suicide – Celebrity Scam – Herald Case – Law Commission – Tisch Attack - Dracula

- MARIE JAMIESON: Auckland police believe there has been a breakthrough in the Marie Jamieson homicide inquiry, with new information given to police showing more than one person was involved in her abduction and murder. The information has led to a call from the family and police for more information. Police say the informers may be too scared to give any more information.

- HOBBS AND BUNKLE: An Audit Office report due out this afternoon is expected to clear both Marion Hobbs and Phillida Bunkle of any wrongdoing in claiming out of town allowances. The report is likely to criticise the procedures for claiming parliamentary allowances.

- NURSING SHORTAGES: Nursing groups are predicting that the shortage of nurses both in New Zealand and world-wide is likely to get worse. This comes as the Auckland District Health Board recruitment programme offers monetary rewards to staff for recruiting more nurses.

- CHILDREN’S LAW: Relationship Services says there is a desperate need for one law that focuses on the needs of children. Relationship Services works under the 21-year-old Family Proceedings Act. Relationship Services says it is dealing with increasingly complex custody cases and child safety and care issues.

- FOOT AND MOUTH: An animal health expert from Massey University says the bringing of infected food into New Zealand is the greatest threat to New Zealand’s foot and mouth disease status. Meanwhile, the European foot and mouth crisis has spread to the Netherlands. MAF officials have been accused at a select committee hearing of downplaying the risk of foot and mouth disease entering New Zealand.

- MACEDONIA CONFLICT: Albanian rebels in Macedonia have offered a cease-fire and asked for political talks. There’s been a week of conflict between ethnic Albanian guerrillas and Macedonian forces.

- PAKISTAN DISSENT: Several senior Pakistani politicians are amongst the group arrested at a house when they were meeting to discuss a political campaign against the military government. There is a ban on political protest against the government in Pakistan.

- YOUTH SUICIDE: The Napier coroner says there has almost been an epidemic of youth suicides in the region in recent months.

- CELEBRITY SCAM: A leading computer security expert says the theft of millions of dollars from American celebrities’ bank accounts underlines how easy it is to send fraudulent emails.

- HERALD CASE: The Court of Appeal has begun hearing an appeal by the New Zealand Herald that says they were right in sacking a journalist in making a serious error.

- LAW COMMISSION: The High Court Judge Justice Bruce Robinson has been appointed president of the Law Commission.

- TISCH ATTACK: National MP Lindsay Tisch has a number of minor injuries from being attacked outside his electorate office.

- DRACULA: Romania is to build a theme part to commemorate the historical figure of Count Dracula.

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