National Radio Midday Report

Probation Officers Strike – Christine Rankin – Noel McKenzie – Primary Health – Flu - Federal Reserve – AIDS Conference – Milosevic – Railways – Missing Man – Childrens Commissioners – Horticultural Education - Executions

PROBATION OFFICERS STRIKE: Probation officers have returned to the job and suspended workers have been reinstated after a breakthrough in their nine-month employment dispute. The PSA, the Union representing the striking workers, has recommended workers accept last night’s pay offer from the Corrections Department.

CHRISTINE RANKIN: State Services Commissioner Michael Wintringham has rejected claims by Christine Rankin that he did not look after her as he should have and that political pressure led to her not being reappointed as CEO of the Department of Work and Income. He said Mrs Rankin failed to achieve the level of sophistication required for her position.

NOEL MACKENZIE: A 25-year-old man is appearing in Manukau District Court today charged with the murder of 64-year-old Tauranga man Noel Mackenzie two weeks ago.

PRIMARY HEALTH: Prime Minister Helen Clark has renewed the Government’s commitment to putting more health funding in primary health.

FLU: The Ministry of Health is warning that flu is likely to spread rapidly over the school holidays, which begin next week.

FEDERAL RESERVE: The US Federal Reserve Bank has made it clear its ready to further cut interest rates to boost the country’s sagging economy after cutting its key interest rate by a modest quarter of a percent. The New Zealand Reserve Bank will review the Official Cash Rate next week.

AIDS CONFERENCE: The United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan says the general assembly session on AIDS was a truly historic event. Meanwhile, there has been a warning that UN workers in East Timor may be responsible for starting an AIDS epidemic there.

MILOSEVIC: The United States has rewarded Yugoslavia for starting moves to transfer Slobodan Milosevic to the UN War Crimes Tribunal by saying it will attend a donor’s conference.

RAILWAYS: Australia’s West Coast Rail says an annual Government subsidy of half a million dollars for three years is needed to keep the Southerner running until it gets into the black.

MISSING MAN: Searchers are not giving up hope of finding 26-year-old autistic man Amos Cameron, who went missing from a Dunedin hospital.

CHILDREN’S COMMISSIONERS: The first ever gathering of commissioners for children from the Asia Pacific Rim has ended with a resolution to work together more closely.

HORTICULTURAL EDUCATION: Three education and research organisations have allied and launched a new concept in horticultural education.

EXECUTIONS: The World Court ruled that the United States violated international law when it executed two German brother in 1999.

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