Cityjet Grounded - Sweat Shop - Health Fraud - WWI Pardons - Winz Row - Timberlands - Jakarta Unrest - East Timor - America's Cup Opening Parade

CITYJET GROUNDED: Cut Price airline Cityjet has been grounded until it assures the CAA it is meeting safety standards. The root cause of the problem is a flight time recording problem says the CAA. This is very important for maintenance, a spokesman says. Cityjet has been flying since May.

SWEAT SHOP: A stitch in time may have saved seven Thai women from a factory in which they were being paid $2 an hour. Women were picked up after a call to the Human Rights Commissioner. Police say they were tied to the company by contracts. Owner of the factory has withdrawn his factory from the market.

HEALTH FRAUD A $5.5 million health fraud was revealed in an Auckland court. Five face charges, four in Wellington.

WWI PARDONS: Five NZ Sodiers executed for deserting during WWI won't get a High Court pardon. A report says there is insufficient evidence that there was a miscarriage of justice. Mark Peck says he will continue to try to redress the injustice. 31 NZ soldiers were sentenced to death but only 5 were executed.

WINZ ROW: WINZ has been roundly condemned for its choice of venue for an expensive staff conference at the Wairakei

TIMBERLANDS: Labour says Beech logging deals will not go ahead if it is elected government. Labour says contracts signed days before they announced their policy against native logging are bogus. How can contracts signed before a resource consent has been granted be enforceable says Pete Hodgson.

JAKARTA UNREST: 10,000 students try to storm the Jakarta Parliament. President Habibe was fighting for his politcal life inside. The election for President is next week.

EAST TIMOR: Military build up in Timor continues with the departure of a further 127 soldiers.

AMERICA'S CUP: America's Cup parade in Auckland formally launches the competition. The cup itself led the parade. 70,000 flags handed out to supporters. Opening ceremony tonight at Viaduct Basin. First race on Monday.

AMERICA'S CUP: Jody Gill live - the pomp continues, behind me each team is being greeted and Sir Edmund Hillary will later declare the tournament started. All 11 challengers will race for the next 4 moths to earn the right to challenge NZ.

© 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.

CONTACT ALASTAIR THOMPSON

• Mobile - 021707044
• Twitter - @althecat
• Google+

• Linkedin
• Facebook
• Email - alastair@scoop.co.nz