Minimum Wages: Youth Rates – Russian Elections – East Timor – Meat Workers – Cricket

MINIMUM WAGES – YOUTH RATES: National Labour spokesman says lowering the eligibility for the minimum wage could make it harder for young people to get jobs. To remove the youth rate would involve an 80% increase in wages for some. Minister of Labour Margaret Wilson says we have to look at it holistically.

RUSSIAN ELECTIONS: Russia’s Elections have handed victory to PM Putin in an election that has strengthened his hand in Chechnya. With over 80% of the vote in the Communists have 24% of the vote. Neck and neck with the Communists is the new Unity group.

EAST TIMOR: Two more mass graves found in East Timor by UN troops. If there are 50 bodies in one of the mass graves it will be the largest burial site found so far. The victims were allegedly rounded up by militia and Indonesian troops.

MEAT WORKERS: PPCS meat workers at Belfast have been given a reprieve from redundancy before Christmas.

CRICKET: David Trist says the NZ Cricket team will be busy on mental management in the lead up to the boxing day test.

© 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