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National Radio Midday Bulletin
Hijacking – Christmas Gales – Mt Eden Death – Winz – Power Saboteur – Plane Crash – Baby Born Midair – Space Shuttle – Albert Einstein – Cricket
HIJACKING: Russia has called for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council to consider what to do about a hijacked Indian Airways aircraft which is presently on the ground in Afghanistan. The Taleban are upset that India will not negotiate with the hijackers. Russia wants a UN Security Council meeting saying the situation is dangerous.
CHRISTMAS GALES: Gale Force winds have wrecked havoc over Christmas weekend in Europe. More than 60 people have been killed. Airports have been closed – chaos through France and Germany.
MT EDEN DEATH: Corrections Minister is considering whether Auckland’s Mount Eden Prison should be closed following the death of another inmate by suicide on Christmas Eve.
WINZ: Government says briefing papers from WINZ come as no surprise. WINZ says the large number of programmes need simplification.
POWER SABOTEUR: South Island Farmer accused of sabotaging power pylons has appeared in Christchurch District Court. He has been in hiding for six weeks.
PLANE CRASH: CAA have recovered the wreckage of a Cessna which crashed into a hill near New Plymouth. A CAA spokesman says there are several possibilities for the cause of the crash – contaminated food has been ruled out.
BABY BORN MIDAIR: Premature baby girl born on helicopter 5mins out of Palmerston North.
SPACE SHUTTLE: Space Shuttle astronauts say the repair job on the Hubble Space Telescope was harder than expected.
ALBERT EINSTEIN: Albert Einstein has been named person of the century by Time Magazine – the “most influential person of 20th Century” – runners up Ghandhi and President Roosevelt.
CRICKET: NZ has the upper-hand in the test which begins shortly.
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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