National Radio Midday Bulletin

BUSINESS SEMINAR: Derek Quigley who heads a defence expenditure committee said defence staff got their priorities wrong in sending 60 people to a business seminar at a cost of $40,000.

NORTH SHORE CRACK DOWN: Plain clothed police on Auckland’s North Shore are visiting known criminals and burglars in an effort to let criminals know that police are cracking down on burglary.

PETROL HIKE: Other petrol companies have yet to decide whether to follow Mobil in increasing petrol prices by three cents per litre from midnight tonight. This is the third three cent increase in a month.

CONCERT: A proposal for a free concert in Gisborne featuring Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and the NZSO to mark the millennium is being examined today before the government grants cash for the concert.

UTAH: Emergency services in Salt Lake City are cleaning up after a tornado which ripped through the city today.

INDIA PAKISTAN: The US hopes rising tensions between the two countries will decline and has called on both countries to set up an air exclusion zone for 10 kms on either side of their boundaries to prevent further air disputes.

ALLIANCE: The South Island meat company Alliance is further restructuring which will cost the jobs of up to 30 salaried staff.

SMITH: Lockwood Smith is holding talks with the Australian Trade Minister after supermarkets refused to stock raw New Zealand salmon despite quarantine conditions lifting.

WATSON: Witnesses today included people on boats on New Years Day. Witnesses saw Watson’s boat at the entrance to Endeavor Inlet.

WAIPAREIRA: John Tamihere says the new Maori Development Fund is a key step in addressing Maori social problems. It will be developed and administered by Te Puni Kokiri.

PRE SCHOOLERS: A programme to make pre-schoolers more familiar with books was launched in Porirua today. It is an extension of the Books In Homes programme.

SCHOOLS: Some schools are coming under fire by the Education Minister for coercing parents into paying voluntary school fees.

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