China and US Spy Plane – Bunkle – Hokianga Killings – Defence Policy – Israel – Rain – Foot and Mouth – NZ Biosecurity – Monteith’s – New Fire Chief

CHINA AND US SPY PLANE: China has advised the US Ambassador that access will be allowed to the 24 crew of the US EP3 which crash landed on Hainan Island in China.

BUNKLE: The Deputy PM Jim Anderton is expected to announce today that Phillida Bunkle will not be offered her old job back. However she is not expected to be left on the back benches.

HOKIANGA KILLINGS: The lawyer for a Hokianga man found not guilty of killing three people says that churches need to know when to refer the mentally ill to hospital. The man’s friends had prayed over the man prior to the killings.

DEFENCE POLICY: One of seven former defence heads and top diplomats calling for a public debate on defence policy says there is a vacuum of information on the issue. The men called for an open debate on the issue in an open letter published in The Dominion this morning.

ISRAEL: There has been intense fighting between Palestinian gunmen and Israeli forces in Bethlehem this morning. Earlier a rocket was fired on a car in the Gaza strip by and Israeli helicopter.

RAIN: Rain has fallen during the night in several drought affected areas of the country. A farmer says that 14mm of rain in Marlborough was welcome but was not enough to make a difference, yet.

FOOT AND MOUTH: Britain has delayed local and national elections till June 7th because of Foot and Mouth disease.

NZ BIOSECURITY: New Zealand farming organisations are complaining that not enough is being done to keep Foot and Mouth out of New Zealand. But MAF says it has moved as quickly as possible.

MONTEITH’S: DB Breweries will begin talks with its Greymouth workers today discussing the future of the Monteith’s brewery.

NEW FIRE CHIEF: A new fire service chief from Britain, currently working in Queensland, says he will start is job by talking to fire fighters about their views.

© 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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