National Radio Midday Report

Britomart Funding – Power Savings – Gavin Dash – Prison Officers – Northland Fire – Middle East – Oz Car Manufacturing – Maori Leaders – Theresa Cormack – Pepper Punishment – Indian Flood – Stem Cell Research – Racism Conference – Arthritis Services – LPG Tanker

BRITOMART FUNDING: Auckland’s Britomart transport centre has got a $45m funding boost from the regional funding body, Infrastructure Auckland. The funding comes with conditions: the purchase of the region’s rail corridors and the public ownership of the regional transport centre.

POWER SAVINGS: Power savings topped the 10 per cent mark on Sunday for the first time since the call for power savings went out. Energy Minister Pete Hodgson is set to meet with industry and major user groups for the third time today.

GAVIN DASH: The Crown has opened its case in the trial of David Gates, the man accused of killing Wellington law student Gavin Dash in 1999.

PRISON OFFICERS: The prison officers’ union says safety will be threatened if police military are brought in to replace striking or suspended prison officers.

NORTHLAND FIRE: The Fire Service is pointing to another fatal house fire in the far North as further evidence of the importance of smoke alarms.

MIDDLE EAST: A Palestinian attack on Israel’s defence ministry and an Israeli helicopter missile attack that killed a Muslim militant have underscored a day of heavy violence in the Middle East.

OZ CAR MANUFACTURING: There is still no end in sight to the dispute that has shut down the Australian car manufacturing industry.

MAORI LEADERS: A young Maori leaders conference has begun in Wellington. The theme of the conference translates to “All of us together by 2020.” Maori Affairs Minister Parekura Horomia opened the conference.

THERESA CORMACK: The mother of Theresa Cormack, the Napier schoolgirl who was sexually violated and killed on the way to school, is meeting police today about the latest results of DNA tests in the 14-year-old investigation.

PEPPER PUNISHMENT: Police say they will thoroughly investigate complaints that prisoners had been roughed up and pepper sprayed as a punishment at the Whagarei Police Station.

INDIAN FLOOD: The Indian Government has called in the Army to help with rescue and flood relief operations in the eastern state of Bihaa after the death of 10 people in floods.

STEM CELL RESEARCH: US President George W. Bush is set to make a decision on whether to allow government funding for embryonic stem cell research.

RACISM CONFERENCE: The United States is threatening to boycott UN conference on racism later this month, saying it discriminates against Israel.

ARTHRITIS SERVICES: The Arthritis Foundation says it is being forced to cut some of its services around the country due to a lack of Government help.

LPG TANKER: State Highway 3 north of New Plymouth is closed while a crane clears the wreckage of a crashed LPG tanker. The driver escaped without injury and there haven’t been any leaks.

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