HEADLINES & NEWS
Republican George W. Bush says he is "preparing to serve" as the United States" next president after Florida certified him as the winner of its presidential elections. But already, Democrat Al Gore is talking of taking further legal action over the disputed counting of Florida's votes. Florida's vote is decisive in determining who will be the 43rd U.S. president as both men need the state's crucial 25 electoral college votes to reach the 270 needed to win the White House. Before this afternoon's announcement, Al Gore had 267 of those votes. READER
News of Mr Bush's victory came in a brief announcement by Florida's Secretary of [illegible] Katherine Harris. CUT Following the announcement, the vice-presidential candidate for the Democrats, Senator Joe Lieberman, said they would be contesting the Florida result. CUT But Governor Bush is asking Mr Gore to reconsider any challenge. CUT
Our correspondent Catherine Drew who is in Tallahassee says the certified election results for Florida included votes that had been recounted by hand, as well as machine counted votes. PREREC
The government will allow Fijian rugby players to come to New Zealand, despite extending a ban on sporting contacts with Fiji into next year. The ban was imposed in June, following the coup which toppled Fiji's democratically elected government. But it does not apply to international or regional events, where the invitations are not under the control of the New Zealand host sporting body. So Fiji will still be able to compete in events held in New Zealand such as the sevens tournament. The foreign affairs minister Phil Goff joins us now. LIVE
But the Coalition for Democracy in Fiji spokesperson Nik Naidu says he's disappointed at the Government's latest decision to exempt some events from the sporting ban. He joins us now. LIVE
BUSINESS NEWS with CATHERINE WALBRIDGE
Employers and workers are to pay less in ACC premiums and there's to be a small drop in the cost of vehicle registration thanks to fewer people being injured at work. The government approved the reductions today - and from April next year the employers' levy will drop by an average of 22 percent to 90 cents for every one hundred dollars paid in wages and salaries. The self-employed get a 17 percent cut, and the earners premium goes down by 15 percent. ACC gets 132 dollars from car registration and that is to drop by three percent. The ACC Minister Micheal Cullen joins us now. LIVE
The Court of Appeal has cut two years off the jail sentence of the man murdered Mangakino Constable Murray Stretch last year. Carlos Namana, who addmitted the murder, was sentenced to life with a minimum non-parole period of 18 years - the court has now cut that to 16. I asked Court Reporter Merle Nowland why. PREREC
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The Court of Appeal has cut two years off the jail sentence of the man who murdered Mangakino Constable Murray Stretch last year. Carlos Namana, who addmitted the murder, was sentenced to life with a minimum non-parole period of 18 years - the court has now cut that to 16. I asked Court Reporter Merle Nowland why. PREREC
The Taranaki Chamber of Commerce is calling for a greater police presence in Hawera, following a weekend brawl involving a hundred people in the town. The fighting erupted in Regent Street - at one stage the police had to retreat and call for out of town reinforcements to deal with the rioters. Leigh-Anne Wiig reports. PKGE
The Grocery Marketers Association says new labelling regimes for genetically modified foods wont drive up food prices as much as manufacturers had feared. [illegible] today presented its evidence to the Royal Commission on Genetic Modification, which started its fifth week of hearings in Wellington. Our reporter Veronika Meduna was at the hearings and she joins us now. LIVE WITH DROP INS
The rapidly growing Information technology industry is facing a skills crisis. Stewart Bennett from the recruitment company Morgan and Banks says New Zealand has a shortage of up to four thousand skilled IT people but is only producing 15-hundred IT graduates a year. Mr Bennett says there needs to be more courses and industry training, while schools should also be encouraging students into the area. He says the skills shortage is a global one. PREREC
The Wine Institute has won an assurance from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry that it will review table grape imports from California amid fears that the fruit could contain a devastating insect pest. Both wine companies and grapegrowers are concerned the grapes could harbour an insect which carries a bacterial disease that could ruin the New Zealand wine industry. Heugh Chappell reports. PKGE
[illegible] as diverse as a trolley for sports gear, cages to nurse oil damaged birds, a baby buggy, and a fast ferry design are on show at the Manawatu Museum and Science Centre. They have all been designed and built by Massey University fourth year Batchelor of Technology students in conjunction with outside companies. Jill Galloway went along to the Product Development Degree Show. PKGE
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