National Radio Midday Report

Air NZ Share Sale – Dirty Diesel – Dairy Payout – Dairy Farmers Invest – Taranaki Economy – Student Prisoners – Middle East – Wahid Corruption Charges – George Speight – Dioxin Study – Babysitting Laws – Powell Trial – SAS Book – Invercargill Population

- AIR NZ SHARE SALE: Qantas Airways is seeking a stake in Air NZ from its two major shareholders, Brierley Investments and Singapore Airlines. Air NZ has made a statement to the stock exchange. Qantas says they’re waiting to hear from the Air NZ board, and Air NZ say they have set up an independent committee of directors to look at the offer and some other options, as it tries to raise billions of dollars in finance.

- DIRTY DIESEL: Insurance companies are telling commercial fishermen that if they go to sea with dirty diesel they will be breaching their insurance policies.

- DAIRY PAYOUT: Federated Farmers says this year’s record payout to dairy farmers will allow farmers to invest on and off the farm.

DAIRY FARMERS INVEST: A South Island commercial real estate agency says the recent increase in dairy farmers investing in commercial property is likely to continue after the Dairy Board’s record payout.

- TARANAKI ECONOMY: The Taranaki Chamber of Commerce says a decline in the local population has not affected the local economy.

- STUDENT PRISONERS: The Government’s move to extend the student loan scheme to prison inmates has met with some scepticism, but Corrections Minister Matt Robson says it is better to educate inmates in prison than let them try to reintegrate into society with no qualifications.

- MIDDLE EAST: A senior Palestinian official says he expects talks on security co-operation with Israel will resume later this week.

- WAHID CORRUPION CHARGES: Indonesia’s Attorney General denies he has cleared President Wahid of corruption charges to stop Wahid’s impeachment.

- GEORGE SPEIGHT: The committal hearing into Fiji coup leader George Speight has got underway in the Suva Magistrate’s Court. The chief Magistrate will decide if there is enough evidence to commit Speight to a treason trial.

- DIOXIN STUDY: New mothers are being encouraged to continue breastfeeding following the release of a report that showed the presence of dioxins in breast milk in New Zealanders has reduced by 70 percent in the past 10 years and is at the low end of the range for similar countries.

- BABYSITTING LAWS: The Government is open to an approach from the Commissioner for Children over baby sitting law changes following the fatal Northland house fire.

- POWELL TRIAL: The lawyer defending Derek Powell, the man accused of manslaughter over the death of a woman on a Lyttleton picket line, says police are ignoring evidence that doesn’t support their case.

- SAS BOOK: The Court of Appeal has begun hearing the British Government’s appeal against the NZ High Court allowing publication of an inside account of a New Zealander in the British SAS during the Gulf War.

- INVERCARGILL POPULATION: Invercargill’s population slid the furthest of any region, according to provisional census figures.

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