**** CKPT FOR THURS 21 AUG 2008
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1700 to 1707 NEWS
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CADBURY: Cadbury has announced it's axing 145 jobs in Dunedin, as the plant focuses on the production of chocolate crumb and boxed chocolates.The company made the announcement to a Dunedin staff meeting at 3.30pm via a videolink from Melbourne.Our reporter Emma Lancaster joins me now. What more do we know about the job losses? LIVE
The Southern Regional Secretary of the Service and Food Worker's Union - Campbell Duignan joins me now.LIVE
FORUM-FIJI: Fiji has been given a last chance to hold elections by March next year, otherwise it faces becoming the first country to be suspended from the Pacific Islands Forum. Regional leaders have been meeting in Niue today. Our parliamentary chief reporter, Jane Patterson says the leaders held back from an immediate suspension. PREREC
PLANE-SPAIN: A Spanish jet that crashed on take-off at Madrid airport killing 153 people is reported to have been cleared for take-off despite having earlier reported an engineering fault. The ABC's Jennifer Macey has this report : PKG
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BUSINESS NEWS
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AUCKLAND-FIRE: The fire service says a blaze which engulfed an Auckland warehouse was started by a welder working above a drain containing fuel. About 70 firefighters attended the fire at Strong Brothers Honda in Onehunga. Fire service operations manager Roger Callister
He says the blaze started near an area where fuel and oil is drained from vehicles. PREREC
CHCH-DEATH: A dedicated cat lover is accusing major Christchurch institutions of passing the buck over a series of events that led to the death of her friend. Wendy Sisson of the pet-protection body Cats Unloved is angry at Housing New Zealand and the SPCA over her friend's death while on a pet-rescue mission on Monday. Eric Frykberg reports PKG
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17.30 HEADLINES
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ETS-GREENS: The Greens are calling for public feedback on the emission trading scheme before it decides whether to support the Government's legislation. The Minister for the Environment, Trevor Mallard, says many MPs are still getting public feedback which is being incorporated into discussions. CUT
Greens co-leader Jeannette Fitzsimons says details have not been clear till now, and she joins us now. LIVE
US-POLITICS: The presidential race in the United States is hotting up, with expectations that Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama could announce his vice presidential running mate as early as tonight, ahead of the party's nominating convention in Denver next week. His Republican rival, John McCain is expected to announce his running mate shortly after the Democratic convention, as the two candidates seek to gain the maximum political boost from their choice. Here's our correspondent in Washington, Simon Marks PREREC
OLYMPICS: To Beijing now where today's BMX final has been rained off but our reporter Monique Devereux has been following the rest of the action. She joins us now. LIVE
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WAATEA NEWS
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AUCKLAND-BRIDGE: The Auckland City Council's decision to spend almost 52 million dollars on an elaborate 40 metre bridge is being criticised by ratepayers. The structure will open and close to allow boats to pass underneath, linking down-town with the Wynyard Quarter precinct. But these Aucklanders are uneasy about the plan VOXPOPS
Peseta Sam Lotu Iiga is the chair of the Council's development committee. LIVE
TEPAPA-SQUID: Was Te Papa's famous colossal squid simply a giant jelly-like blob rather than an aggressive predator that roamed the deep seas? Marine biologist, and squid expert, Steve O'Shea says it could be the case the bigger the colossal squid the more docile it is. PREREC