Election 1999 - Advertising Blitz - Winding Up - GE Salmon - Human Genes In Cows - Petrol Prices - Jonah Lomu - Imitation Guns - UN on Aids - Paul Holmes - Body Found - Queenstown Flood - Seat Belt Appeal - APEC Thankyou Garden

ELECTION 1999: Parties prepare large-scale advertising campaigns in a final attempt to sway voters. An advertising blitz is expected over final days of campaign.

WINDING UP: Winston Peters holds last big rally today in Tauranga. He will spend the rest of the time in Tauranga campaigning on the ground. Greens close campaign tonight. Labour and National wind up tomorrow. Prebble holds last candidates meeting today.

GE SALMON: Company that owns the Salmon farm says it is very unlikely that GE salmon could escape into the wild. Green groups are very concerned about an ERMA warning about the Salmon. Salmon farmer says the likelihood of eggs surviving is so remote as to be negligible. Revolt Against Genetic Engineering - RAGE - is outraged about the news.

HUMAN GENES IN COWS: Debate over use of human gene's in cattle research. ERMA says the application from Ag-Research to put human genes into cows has drawn cultural objections and has asked for more info.

PETROL PRICES: Challenge Petroleum says the price of petrol needs to go up another 3 cents - but that it will wait for someone else to move first. The latest spike in crude prices has been caused by Iraq calling off oil sales following disappointments at the UN. Only BP has confirmed it will raise prices so far - over the next week. Shell and Caltex won't make the first move. Crude Oil could reach $30 a barrel in the short term which could spark yet another rise.

JONAH LOMU: All Black winger Jonah Lomu has signed to Wellington RFU for two years. Lomu says his decision was purely professional - but he "would be lying if he said wanting to be with Teina" was not a factor. The Union says the decision is a great sign of the resurgence of Wellington rugby.

IMITATION GUNS: Auckland's coroner is calling for imitation guns to be banned following an inquest into a police shooting of a man brandishing an imitation gun. Police however say they are happy with the present law and that making them out of coloured plastic would not help as people would paint them.

UN ON AIDS: UN says the number infected with HIV is terrifying. 30 million people will start the new year with HIV. Aids is the number one killer in Africa, the report says.

PAUL HOLMES: Paul Holmes is urging a greater awareness of prostrate cancer after revealing that he has had a cancer scare himself - and that he found out when he had trouble peeing. Holmes says that other men with peeing problems should go and see the doctor. Holmes says his prognosis is good.

BODY FOUND: A body has been found on the beach in Amberly - north Canterbury - and may-be the body of one of two missing pilots from a light plane that is believed to have crashed into the sea.

QUEENSTOWN FLOOD: Clean-up begins as lake level falls. 25% of businesses are closing down. Some have no insurance. Destination Queenstown says that the tourists are back and that the floods have not affected the majority of tourist facilities.

SEAT BELT APPEAL: A Carterton teenager says that wearing a seat-belt saved his life at the launch of a road-safety campaign by the LTSA. He was the only survivor in the accident that killed several friends. The LTSA says 50 lives could be saved a year

APEC THANKS: PM has announced special funding for an Auckland threatened plant garden as a thankyou for the hosting of APEC.

© 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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