Canterbury Health Strike – Israel – Vivisection Protection – LAV IIIs - Matricide x 2 – Saving Air New Zealand - Fiji - Taiwan

CANTERBURY HEALTH STRIKE: Canterbury Health staff have begun low level industrial action in pursuit of a 6% pay claim. They have been offered 4%.

ISRAEL: Israeli warplanes have levelled three Palestinian security buildings in retaliation against an attack on Israeli soldiers and the shooting of some Israeli settlers. The Israelis are clearly sending a message that they will retaliate strongly.

VIVISECTION PROTECTION: Police say that delegates at a scientific conference in Christchurch – some of whom are vivisectionists – are not receiving special police protection.

LAV IIIS: The Minister of Defence is dismissing claims of a budget blowout in support costs for the LAV IIIs. Mark Burton said the information had been well known for some time.

MATRICIDE: A trial has started in Invercargill of a man charged with killing his mother. Mark Burton had been diagnosed with schizophrenia before he murdered his mother. His mother and father, a policeman, warned health authorities that they thought their lives were at risk if Burton was released.

MATRICIDE: A trial will begin shortly for a man accused of strangling his mother with her morphine drip.

SAVING AIR NEW ZEALAND: Cabinet will today consider options to save Air New Zealand. Among the options is a Government investment in the air line, however analysts think this would be unwise.

FIJI: Police in Fiji have increased security in some regions following threats made in the area where George Speight is standing for office. Over the weekend a radio interview with former PM Mahendra Chaudhry was interrupted by a bomb threat.

TAIWAN: Taiwan is to end decades of trade and travel restrictions with mainland China. Chinese people will be able to buy land in Taiwan and Taiwanese businesses will be able to invest in China. The change in heart has been pushed on Taiwan by a coming recession.

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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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