Child Youth And Family – Health Boards Gagged – Alliance Fighting Talk – Suharto – Child Soldiers – Middle East Peace – East Timor – Oscar Seeks Funding – Extreme Autumn – Casinos Vs Pubs

CHILD YOUTH AND FAMILY: The Department of Child Youth and Family Services has launched New Directions today, a plan to improve services in the wake of the Judge Mick Brown report into the department.

HEALTH BOARDS GAGGED: There are renewed claims the Government is trying to gag District Health Boards from discussing budget shortfalls. National’s Roger Sowry has released details of a phone conference call between DHB CEOs and the Minister of Health.

ALLIANCE FIGHTING TALK: The Alliance Leader Jim Anderton has signalled his party will take a more aggressive approach in coalition government from now on. The fighting talk comes as the government reaches its half-way point.

SUHARTO: Indonesia’s disgraced former President Suharto has been admitted to hospital with heart problems.

CHILD SOLDIERS: A report says 100s of thousands of children are fighting in conflicts around the world. Over 300,000 children aged under 18 are fighting according to the report. In Sri-Lanka lots of young girls were found dead after a battle.

MIDDLE EAST PEACE: The Director of the CIA George Tenet has wound up his efforts to nail down a truce between warring Israeli and Palestinian groups. The Israelis have said they have serious reservations about the peace plan, but have accepted it, the Palestinians also say they have problems with the plan.

EAST TIMOR: A NZer, Dennis McNamara has been appointed to a special role in the UN administration in East Timor in the run up to elections.

OSCAR SEEKS FUNDING: An organisation called OSCAR is seeking government funding for after-school care programmes around the country.

EXTREME AUTUMN: It has been an Autumn of extreme weather, but a warm winter is forecast by NIWA. The seas around NZ are currently much warmer than usual says NIWA’s Jim Salinger.

CASINOS VS PUBS: Casinos are complaining about pubs and clubs advertising themselves as casinos. A Pub Charity spokesman, who runs gaming machines, says the difference between a casino and a pub or club is obvious once you are inside.

© 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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