Ella Henry – Fiji Elections – Black Widow Spiders – Tenancy Changes – LAV IIIs – Israel – Auckland Rail Corridor – Local Elections – Boy Crushed In Rubbish

ELLA HENRY: Associate Minister of Justice Margaret Wilson says she has not ruled out asking Human Rights Commissioner Ella Henry to resign over an attempt to get her partner off for a traffic infringement. Henry accused a police officer who stopped her car of racism.

FIJI ELECTIONS: Fiji’s security forces are on full alert as the country heads for the polls for the second time under the 1997 constitution. Former PM Mahendra Chaudhry has asked his supporters to ignore pamphlets containing threats.

BLACK WIDOW SPIDERS: Ministry of Agriculture inspectors are watching closely for more signs of black widow spiders after one was found in some imported Californian grapes.

TENANCY CHANGES: The Minister of Housing says it hopes proposed changes to the Tenancy Act will improve the security of tenants, and of boarding house tenants.

LAV IIIS: The PM is ruling out an inquiry into how the NZ military buy equipment. She says problems with the LAV III purchase highlighted in an audit have now been fixed. Her views are not likely to dissuade opposition parties however.

ISRAEL: Israeli forces have shot dead an 11-year-old Palestinian boy, and have shot rockets at another Palestinian official, and missed. Yesterday Israel rocketed, and missed, an alleged Hamas bomb maker. They killed his son who was travelling in a following car.

AUCKLAND RAIL CORRIDOR: Key parties are meeting this morning to discuss the Auckland rail corridor. The government took over negotiations with Tranz Rail earlier this year. Today’s meeting will not necessarily lead to an announcement.

LOCAL ELECTIONS: Local Body and Health Officials have been flooded with last minute nominations for local authority and DHB elections. Most constituencies will now have a good contest say Health Officials. Earlier there were concerns that there would not be enough candidates.

BOY CRUSHED IN RUBBISH: The police say a 16-year-old was crushed to death in a rubbish compactor in Auckland. The accident is being investigated.

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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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