Gas Industry Review – Power Crisis – Gold Mine Decision – School Closure Fight – Macedonia – Canterbury Health Strike – Symphony Orchestra – Ashes Cricket

GAS INDUSTRY REVIEW: The Minister of Energy says the Gas Industry is being reviewed to see if it works correctly. The review comes as the NGC considers increasing prices after posting huge losses from its retail electricity play. Pete Hodgson says he hopes to have a discussion paper out shortly, he says it is now clear that there are problems in the electricity industry.

POWER CRISIS: Pressure is being put on thousands of small and medium size businesses to save more power. The latest figures show 7.9% savings were achieved on Sunday. But that is not enough. EECA is now targeting small businesses.

GOLD MINE DECISION: The West Coast MP Damien O’Connor says he will keep attacking the office of Conservation Minister Sandra Lee even though he has been told to tone down his response to the gold mine decision by his Prime Minister.

SCHOOL CLOSURE FIGHT: Supporters of Auckland’s Metropolitan College are battling to save the school in the wake of a recommendation from the Education Review Office to close the school. Critics say the ERO failed to appreciate that the school is the last chance for many kids.

MACEDONIA: NATO’s top commander has been meeting with Alliance chiefs and Macedonian army officers in Skopje to assess the situation in the Balkans republic.

CANTERBURY HEALTH STRIKE: The Nurses Organisation is warning that 2000 Canterbury nursing staff could join industrial action already indicated by 1200 other staff. The nurses say their negotiations have been undermined by a pre-emptive final offer from the Canterbury DHB.

SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA: The NZ Symphony Orchestra says it intends to go ahead with a recording of a Bartok Viola Concerto in spite of risks that they might be sued by relatives of the composer.

ASHES CRICKET: England Cricketers have won the fourth ashes test against Australia by six wickets.

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Alastair Thompson

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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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