East Timor: Donations, Refugees – Jack Elder – Genetics: Petition, Monsanto, Farm Conference – Split ENZ Concert – Drug Use – Chechnya – UN Human Rights Committee – Birth Interventions – Snail Study – Nuclear Accident – Rugby World Cup

EAST TIMOR – DONATIONS: Donations by NZers to refugees have slowed dramatically. So far NZers have given around $100,000 and appear to be waiting to confirmation of what is needed before donating more.

EAST TIMOR – REFUGEES: East Timorese refugees in West Timor are headed back home today by flight. Interview with James Addis a journalist for World Vision who says they know there is nothing much left to go back to.

JACK ELDER: Jack Elder will not seek reelection to Parliament.

INCIS: Police and IBM have reached an agreement on maintenance of the police computer network. Sir William Birch says this is nothing to do with legal action between

GENETICS - PETITION: A petition has been presented to Parliament by Jeanette Fitzsimmons with 90,000 signatures indicating concern at genetic engineered food. The petition asks for a Royal Commission.

GENETICS – MONSANTO:: American biotechnology company Monsanto has decided not to make the terminator gene technology available. Terminator technology would prevent crops from producing fertile seed.

GENETICS- FARM CONFERENCE: A return to good old days of no interference with plants is impossible. In a speech to a Grasslands conference Brian Guy says the challenge is to triple output and lessen agricultures environmental impacts.

SPLIT ENZ CONCERT: It has just been announced that Split Enz will headline a millennium concert at the Viaduct Basin America’s Cup Village.

DRUG USE: A drug rehabilitation centre says young people are taking drugs at an earlier age is one of the factors leading to an increase in hard drugs use.

CHECHNYA: Russian Federal Troops and Chechen troops are in mid battle as Russian ground forces advance into Chechnya. Refugees are fleeing in massive numbers into neighbouring territories. Russian’s say they can handle the refugees.

HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE LEGAL AID DENIED: Legal Aid is being sought to take the Sealords Deal to the Human Rights Committee in the Hague The UN court has indicated it will entertain a substantive hearing. But today the Privy Council has ruled that the Human Rights Committee is not part of our legal system and the Legal Services Act does not require the NZ government to fund the action through legal aid.

BIRTH INTERVENTIONS: Birth interventions are increasing and there is concern that many are unnecessary. Consultant at National Women’s says requested cesarians are not a big problem and there is almost always a reason for cesarian

SNAIL STUDY: Garden snail study sparked by evidence snail’s are munching into native plants on an Island and taking over the habitats of

NUCLEAR ACCIDENT: Japanese authorities are conducting inquiries into all nuclear facilities in Japan following last weeks accident.

RUGBY WORLD CUP: Carlos Spencer has injured his knee at training and is coming back!

© 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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