WTO Protests - More on WTO Protests - East Timor - Super Row - Humble Tamihere - MP Induction - Jim Anderton - House Repossession - Water Charges - Floods - German Bribe - Evidence Wrangle

WTO PROTESTS: Riot police in Seattle have used tear-gas to disperse protestors at the WTO meeting. A major activist group says that the WTO will under-cut human rights, labour and environmental rights. "This is about corporations trying to overturn standards - this is an issue of the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer." The WTO is an unfair focus for concerns about globalisation says Craig Johnston from the American Chamber of Commerce.

(Later in Bulletin) - MORE ON WTO PROTESTS - Activists have vowed to shut down Seattle 70,000 protestors are on the street. Malcolm Brown live from protest: There are certainly thousands of protestors causing disruptions I can't say how many. They keep moving. Some willful damage being committed. I am told that work on the plenary session is about to begin inside the meeting. So work is about to be underway.

EAST TIMOR: NZ Govt says it will help the family of a killed serviceman in East Timor. Captain Webster says the family will be invited to escort the body home. Jenny Shipley pays tribute to the "young man who has lost his life while assisting in East Timor".

SUPER ROW: Grey Power says the last government broke the link between the average wage and super-payments. Grey Power wants this link put back and also wants to entrench the super scheme with a 75% majority. A super-consultant says that the NZ super-system is not generous at present and is not difficult to maintain its sustainability.

HUMBLE TAMIHERE: John Tamihere says he does not want to be a minister in a Labour Government. He says he won't be putting his name forward for a ministerial appointment and says he will do the hard yards, and does not want to step on anyone else's Mana.

MP INDUCTION: Basic salary is $83,000 plus allowances. Speaker Doug Kidd has warned the class of 1999 to be conservative and careful about expenditure. One MP says it is like being a third former at school. Today's induction course is simple. Clerk of the House will cover house procedure in two weeks that will be more complicated.

JIM ANDERTON: Labour's Michael Cullen has said Jim Anderton is likely to be a Minister of Economic Development. Earlier in the campaign they clashed over Jim's likely role. One more meeting tomorrow till agreement is expected.

HOUSE REPOSESSION: Protest is underway in Far North where the Housing Corporation is trying to move a house off Maori Land. The owner says he stopped paying his mortgage when the corporation sold his mortgage. The corporation say they have no security over Maori Land. The small house now has a $120,000 mortgage and the Corporation says its only choice is to remove the house. They have left the man a container to live in and are chainsawing the house from its foundations.

WATER CHARGES: Water protestors continue to refuse to pay new lower water charges. The protestors concerns have largely been met says Metrowater. Non-payers have been given to December 9 to respond to new offers.

FLOODS: Flood damage assessment and cleanup around Wanganui is busy. Floodgates have been opened in the Manawatu flood control scheme and surface flooding has now gone.

GERMAN BRIBE: Former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl has admitted having secret bank accounts - but denies accepting bribes from arms dealers. The accounts were used for party matters. The Chancellor has admitted accepting a donation from an arms dealer to one of these accounts.

EVIDENCE WRANGLE: There is a dispute in Auckland over the admission as evidence of an ESR manual for the operation of some forensic testing equipment. The manual contains commercial secrets the police are arguing.

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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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