GM FOOD: Labels warning you food is genetically modified about to appear on supermarket shelves. Consumer goods are delighted. But others are pointing out difficulties. Creech says practical implementation is difficult. Debate over the "neither confirm nor deny" may contain GM Food label. Three categories of food defined. Jeanette Fitzsimmons has 100,000 signatures on it. Jane Young: Perfect election fodder in worldwide consumer issue.

GISBORNE CONCERT WORRIES: Signs tonight the Gisborne 2000 concert is on the verge of collapse. The promoter is preparing to release the artists from their contracts and David Bowie and Kiri Te Kanawa appear to know this. Some artists are in negotiations with an Auckland promoter TV3 understands less than 1000 of the very expensive tickets have been sold when there was a target of 35,000. David Bowie remains in negotiations with Californian and Auckland promoters. Approaches to the promoters were rebuffed . TV3 understands the Gisborne council is to be briefed tomorrow.

AUSSIE CHILD SUPPORT AGREEMENT: Runaway dads who skip to Australia are going to find it harder to skip liable parent payments. Under a new reciprocal agreement child support will be enforced by the Aussie IRD. PM says it is a clamp down on runaway parents. There are an estimated 4800 parents in Australia owing up to $10 million. "I hope a lot of children will feel their parents are contributing" PM says - NZ will also pay $41 million over next two years towards Kiwis on the Aussie dole.

ROAD TOLL TOWN: Maurice Williamson releases figures showing road toll is down this year.

SCOTT WATSON TRIAL: Brother of man accused of murdering teenagers gives evidence. Scott Watson's older brother Tom tells of cruising the sounds looking for his brother on New Year's day. He eventually found his brother on January 3 at his parents. He then turned down an offer to sail to Nelson. Watson's lawyers presented documents from 1997 showing the boat was then named Blade. Crown lawyers had asked Tom about how often Scott renamed his boat and whether he had called it Caligula.

AUCKLAND ROBBER CAUGHT: Yet another armourguard robbery in Auckland. Fifth in a few months. Westgate robbery leads to massive police presence. Stash hidden in a wheelibin. Witnesses report seeing an offender being arrested with the wheelibin and lots of guns to his head.

INDIAN TRAIN SMASH: The Indian Minister for railways has resigned accepting "moral responsibility" for the disastrous smash.

SYDNEY OIL SPILL: An oil-spill in Sydney Harbour smelt so strong that a performance at opera house was cancelled. NSW government is promising to fine those responsible millions.

WOMEN RESCUED IN US: A TV helicopter in the US has helped save a mother and daughter found drifting in the water for 19 months. The survivors were terrified during their ordeal.

ENDS

© Scoop Media

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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