National Radio Midday Report

Cervical Cancer – Dept Merger – Airplane Safety – Euthanasia – Cyclone Sose – CIT Closure – Kiwi Bank – Global Economy – Asian Delegation – Superpower Standoff – Cancer Research – Grass Skirt Trial – Monsanto Soy – Space Auction

- CERVICAL CANCER: A cancer expert says health officials have long failed to listen to specialist advice about the failing of the National Cervical Cancer Screening programme.

- DEPT MERGER: The Government is to merge Work and Income and the Ministry of Social Policy into a single department called the Ministry of Social Development.

- AIRPLANE SAFETY: The Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority wants Boeing and US authorities to examine whether aircraft service advice on safety updates should be mandatory, after 767 engine mounts were found to have cracks in them.

- EUTHANASIA: Australian euthanasia campaigner Philip Nitchke plans to step up his campaign to legalise euthanasia, after the Netherlands became the first country to legalise voluntary euthanasia. In NZ, pro-euthanasia campaigners hopes are pinned on a private members bill by NZ First MP Peter Brown.

- CYCLONE SOSE: The Auckland Coast Guard is warning boaties to check their moorings before cyclone Sose hits the upper North Island tomorrow.

- CIT CLOSURE: The Association of Staff in Tertiary Education says there needs to be a rethink on publicly owned tertiary providers, after the closure of Upper Hutt’s Central Institute of Technology.

- KIWI BANK: Papers just released under the OIA show key officials advised the Government to reject the NZ Post Kiwi Bank proposal.

- GLOBAL ECONOMY: A new report by the World Bank says the Global economy is slowing down but will improve by the end of the year.

- ASIAN DELEGATION: A member of a trade delegation to Asia headed by Prime Minister Helen Clark believes the show of unity between industry and Government will send a positive message to Asia.

- SUPERPOWER STANDOFF: US President George W. Bush’s measured handling of the spy plane diplomatic standoff with China has sparked its first real criticism form conservatives.

- CANCER RESEARCH: A prominent cardiovascular research group at the Christchurch school of Medicine has turned down an invitation to work in Australia after gaining an increase in funding.

- GRASS SKIRT TRIAL: The sentencing of Matthew Schofield, who set fire to a colleague’s grass skirt at a Merryl Lynch Christmas party causing his death, has been delayed until next month.

- MONSANTO SOY: Italian police have confiscated 88 tonnes of soy seeds from a facility owned by Monsanto, to be tested to see if they contain genetically modified organisms.

- SPACE AUCTION: A space journal kept by first cosmonaut is amongst items hitting the auction block in an auction of space memorabilia.

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