National Radio Midday Report

Dodgy Landlords – Food Standards – Nepal Curfew – Dyson Sworn In – Loading Protest – Copter Crash – Investigation – Drink Driving Case – East Timor Peacekeeping – Cease-fire – Speight Trial – Dairy Merger – Timothy McVeigh

- DODGY LANDLORDS: An Auckland couple has been fined $40,000 under the building Act for letting their tenants live among rats and cockroaches in squalid condition.

- FOOD STANDARDS: The food industry is opposed to moves by the Australian Parliament to get a right of veto over some food safety standards. The proposal would allow a right of veto over decisions made by a ministerial council on food, including the New Zealand health minister.

- NEPAL CURFEW: There is a strict curfew from dusk till dawn in Nepal after violence left two people dead in Kathmandu, following the announcement that the country has its third king in four days since the Royal Family massacre.

- DYSON SWORN IN: Labour MP Ruth Dyson has been sworn in as a minister in a ceremony at Government House this morning, after spending seven months out in the cold after resigning her ministerial portfolios because of a drink driving incident.

- LOADING PROTEST: Mainland Stevedoring says it will pursue costs after a protest delayed the loading of logs onto a Carter Holt Harvey ship at Bluff by half an hour.

- COPTER CRASH: The manager of the company whose helicopter crashed outside Taumaranui killing three people has been visiting the site this morning.

- INVESTIGATION: Police investigating the death of an elderly Auckland man are checking out concerns raised about the number of young people visiting him and the legality of his activities.

- DRINK DRIVING CASE: The Court of Appeal has begun hearing a case that could affect up to 600 unresolved drink driving cases awaiting hearing around the country.

- EAST TIMOR PEACEKEEPING: East Timor’s Foreign Minister wants New Zealand to maintain its peacekeeping force in its current capacity until the end of next year.

- CEASE-FIRE: In the Middle East, both Israel and the Palestinian Authority are waiting to see if a cease-fire called by Yasser Arafat will hold.

- SPEIGHT TRIAL: The committal proceedings of Fiji’s coup leader George Speight adjourned for another week so his new lawyer can prepare himself.

- DAIRY MERGER: A group of dairy farmers have launched a campaign to stop the Global Co dairy merger, which needs the support of 75 percent of dairy farmers, going ahead.

- TIMOTHY MCVEIGH: US federal prosecutors have filed court papers opposing any delay in the execution of the Oklahoma City Bomber Timothy McVeigh.

© Scoop Media