National Radio Midday Report

Nuclear Experiments – Graham Parry – Ambulance Self Defence – Southern Flights – Murder Charge – Italian Elections – Oz Immigrant Riots – Macedonian Elections – Dash-8 – Chubb Robbery – Youth Drug Centre – Sleepy Drivers – Marlborough Rain – Northland Storms – LOTR Party

- NUCLEAR EXPERIMENTS: The defence force says it has the names of the servicemen used in British nuclear tests. Britain’s military has confirmed it used New Zealand and Australian servicemen to test clothes designed to protect people from radioactive fallout.

- GRAHAM PARRY: An appeal against the move to strike disgraced gynaecologist Graham Parry off the medical register has started in the district court in Auckland today.

- AMBULANCE SELF DEFENCE: St John’s Ambulances says it doesn’t believe it’s appropriate for its officers to be train in self defence, after staff attending a call out were attacked.

- SOUTHERN FLIGHTS: Air NZ executives have begun a round of meetings with groups in the south of New Zealand who are worried about the lack of flights in the region.

- MURDER CHARGE: Wellington police have charged a 26-year-old man with the murder of a bar worker who has been missing for almost a month. The man and a woman are also charged with disposing of the body of Helen Frances Wickliffe.

- ITALIAN ELECTIONS: Exit polls in Italy suggest that the centre right led by billionaire tycoon Silvio Bolisconi will achieve a resounding victory sending the centre left into opposition after 5 years in government.

- OZ IMMIGRANT RIOTS: Australian Prime Minister John Howard says the Government will not be intimidated by rioting inmates at immigrant detention centres.

- MACEDONIAN COALITION: The Macedonian Parliament has approved a new coalition government of national unity.

- DASH-8: The chief air traffic controller at Palmerston North airport at the time of the Dash-8 crash has told the High Court controllers were aware of repeated problems the airline was having with the plane’s undercarriage.

- CHUBB ROBBERY: The Court of Appeal has been hearing the sentence appeals of five people convicted of the Christmas Chubb van robbery who are complaining their sentences are too heavy.

- YOUTH DRUG CENTRE: New Zealand’s first alcohol and drug treatment programme for young people has opened in Hamilton.

- SLEEPY DRIVERS: Sleep researchers are alarmed at the results of a pilot study into how lack of sleep can contribute to car crashes, that showed that nearly 40% of injured drivers admitted to Wellington A&E suffered from sleeping disorder.

- MARLBOROUGH RAIN: Rain in Marlborough hasn’t been enough to break the drought, but it has provided ideal conditions for resowing grass seed in areas scorched by the Boxing Day fires.

- NORTHLAND STORMS: Dozens of phones still out in Northland after stormy weather during the weekend.

- LOTR PARTY: The biggest party Cannes has ever seen, said to have cost $3 million, was thrown to promote the Lord of the Rings.

© Scoop Media