National Radio Midday Bulletin

Shocker Deficit - Antartica Mission - Hamilton Festival Debt - Bougainville Referendum - Crash Landing - St Stephens Message - Driver Sentenced - Ird Campaign - Mega Merger - China Human Rights - Pakistan Elections - Immunisation Move - Putin Tipped To Win - Dame Ruth Kirk - Swiss Hour Glass

SHOCKER DEFICIT: The gap between what New Zealand spends in the world and what it earns reached its worst position in nearly 15 years in December.

ANTARTICA MISSION: Scientists are planning a special mission to Antarctica to monitor a huge iceberg that has broken free from the ice shelf in the Ross Sea.

HAMILTON FESTIVAL DEBT: An organiser of a Hamilton festival says she is unable to pay money owed to two of the country’s top entertainers as many people gate-crashed the event and got to see them for free.

BOUGAINVILLE REFERENDUM: The Government of Papua New Guinea has agreed in principle to grant the island of Bougainville autonomy and to allow a referendum to be held on independence.

CRASH LANDING: The police say a plane carrying ten people has crash landed at Taupo Airport, but no injuries have been reported.

ST STEPHENS MESSAGE: The Government is delivering a message to the boys of St Stephens School in South Auckland to take responsibility for their actions and know that their behaviour is putting the school at risk.

DRIVER SENTENCED: The driver of a New Plymouth police vehicle who admitted running over and killing a three-year-old girl this month has been sentenced by the District Court.

IRD CAMPAIGN: The Inland Revenue Department is defending a child support advertising campaign which has been criticised by a poverty watchdog group as a waste of money.

MEGA MERGER: The two dairy companies trying to form a mega-merger have just two hours to put aside their differences and come to an agreement or the deal is off.

CHINA HUMAN RIGHTS: The United States has pressed the international community to rebuke China over its human rights record.

PAKISTAN ELECTIONS: Pakistan’s military ruler, General Perez Musharraf, is promising limited local elections sometime between this September and next May.

IMMUNISATION MOVES: The Royal College of General Practitioners is welcoming a Health Ministry move to offer incentives to GPs to help raise immunisation rates.

PUTIN TIPPED TO WIN: In the latest opinion polls ahead of this weekend’s presidential election in Russia, the acting President Vladamir Putin is drawing substantial support from young people.

DAME RUTH KIRK: The Prime Minister has joined over 200 people in Christchurch this morning for the funeral of Dame Ruth Kirk wife of the late Norman Kirk.

SWISS HOUR GLASS: A New Zealand designer has won the right to build a giant hour-glass in Switzerland, which it's planned will be to the Swiss, what the Eiffel Tower is to the French.

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