0600 NEWS/WEATHER
0609 NZ NEWSPAPERS
0611 NEWS STORY FLETCHER PAPER SALE - Fletcher Challenge selling paper division to giant Norwegian paper producer Norske Skog. FC chair Roderick Deane says sale takes Norske from 4th to 2nd largest newsprint manufacturer in world. FC chief exec Michael Andrews says deal still needs to be finalised and Norske has made agreement re employment. (Mng Rpt) BOSNIA - WAR CRIMES - Momcilo Krajisnik, highest ranking suspect to be arrested on war crimes charges to date, taken to The Hague. Krajisnik was right-hand man to wartime Bosnian Serb political leader Radovan Karadzic, also indicted by War Crimes Tribunal but still at large, and is accused of genocide, crimes against humanity, violations of laws and customs of war and grave breaches of Geneva Conventions, including, murder, lful killing and extermination. (BBC) AFRICA-EUROPE SUMMIT, first ever joint summit between Africans and Europeans being held in Cairo. Europeans say their aim is to show Africa matters to them, to end bitter legacy of colonialism and make Africa equal partner but there are predictions summit will be all talk and no action. (BBC)
0620 RURAL NEWS MEGA MERGER - Bay of Plenty dairy farmers pass resolution they hope can be used to force NZ Dairy Group, their dairy company, back into negotiation with Kiwi Dairy Co. Dairy Farmers of NZ vice president Paddy Briscoe says farmers unanimously agreed to pass resolution and although it comes from only 120 of Dairy Group's 8,000 suppliers, he hopes it will have strong impact. (Diana Leufkens) APPLE GLUT - ENZA to turn about 10% of this season's Braeburn crop into juice, agreed with growers re managing record harvest, ENZA aiming to prevent repeat of last year's Braeburn price collapse by limiting volume of exports to avoid another glut. (Kevin Ikin) SOUTH KOREA - FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE - new outbreaks suspected, prompting fears highly contagious livestock disease could become national epidemic. It's first confirmed outbreak in Asia since it wiped out nearly all of Taiwan's pigs 3 years ago. Japan also reporting possible outbreak but that has yet to be confirmed. (AAP) AUSTRALIA/CANADA - SALMON TRADE - fears that Tasmania's ban on imported salmon could spark wider trade row. (AAP)
0625 SPORTS STORY BRITISH SPORTS - live i/v with correspondent Adam Mynott. (soccer - Manchester United meets Real Madrid in European Champions Legue quarterfinal tie)
0630 NEWS/WEATHER
0635 NEWS STORY PROPERTY RIGHTS - women's groups and Law Society say govt needs to widely publicise changes planned to Matrimonial Property Act so legislation contains provisions for de facto and same sex couples. Law Society spokesperson Vivienne Ullrich says problems could arise through clause in which such couples would have right to "opt out" of dividing property. Comment also from Associate Justice minister Margaret Wilson and PM Helen Clark. (Blair McLaren) INTERNATIONAL PAPERS MANA NEWS CERVICAL SMEARS INQUIRY - fears that inquiry won't be sensitive to Māori. WOMEN'S BOWLS - the Khan family celebrate victory again.
0650 BUSINESS NEWS FLETCHER PAPER SALE - purchase of FC Paper by Norske Skog subject to approval of both companies' shareholders, expected to be completed in July. FC chife exec Mike Andrews says deal with Norske offers best value to shareholders. (Catherine Walbridge);Norske gives assurance jobs and conditions in Fletcher Paper will remain as is for next couple of years. Vice president for corporate affairs, Rolf Luistrom raises some questions about future of pulp assets. (Gyles Beckford); analysts say FC has extracted high price from Norske Skog. Comment from Ord Minnett Securities analyst David Schirer. (Catherine Walbridge) FINANCE/MARKETS BRIERLEY INVESTMENTS chief exec Greg Terry says BIL doesn't need to buy any more Air NZ B shares in order to entice buyer for airline and says, contrary to previous reports, BIL has not necesarily expressed preference for Singapore Airlines to buy its stake. (Catherine Walbridge) STRATHMORE GROUP, technology investment concern, says investments in US company illegible Impact puts it on ground floor of new technology sector in US, has bought 10% stake. (Catherine Walbridge) AUSTRALIA - RESERVE BANK meets today with opinion divided on whether it will raise key interest rate. Chief economist with Deutsche Bank in Sydney, Ivan Calhoun, believes rate rise will occur, says retail sales figures are unreliable and all evidence points to rate to keep inflationary pressures in check. (Gyles Beckford) BUSINESS BRIEFS
0700 INTRO/NEWS FLETCHER PAPER SALE - Norske Skog wil pay $2.50 cash for each share in Fletcher Paper and will also make payment to be used to repay division's $3.2 billion debt and meet costs associated with sale. Live i/v with Fletcher Challenge chair Dr Roderick Deane; spokesman for Norske, Rolf Luistrom, says one of the attractions for Norske is fact the two companies are not competitors - i/ved. (Mng Rpt) U.S. - MICROSOFT CASE - Microsoft shares drop 13% in value as US federal judge prepares to issue ruling on whether company violated anti-trust laws. Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson outlines last year what he concluded was abuse of monopoly power in personal computer operating systems and today he'll say whether that abuse amounted to violation of law. He's widely expected to rule against Microsoft. Live i/v with Wall St correspondent Richard Quest, MISSING BOATIES - major search resumes this morning in sea off Bay of Plenty for 3 people whose boat capsized on Sunday morning. 4th person, 16 year old Kirsty Robinson, found floating yesterday and is now in hospital. Others on board were her father, 45 year old Ross Robinson, 14 year old Tim Cantwell and 38 year old John Lim. I/v with Robinson family friend Brian Goldsbury. (Mng Rpt) SOLO ROWER Joe Le Guen forced to abandon attempt to row across Southern Pacific, has blood poisoning and possible gangrene. He's been picked up by container ship Palliser Bay which is trying to get him airlifted to Chile for emergency treatment, but it may be several days before boat within reach of emergency helicopter. I/v with Steve Young, 3rd mate on Palliser Bay. (Corin Dann) BOSNIA - WAR CRIMES - top wartime Bosnian Serb official Momcilo Krajisnik handed over to War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague to face trial. Krajisnik was snatched from his home by NATO-led peacekeeping troops acting on sealed, secret indictment by UN War Crimes Tribunal; i/v with The Hague correspondent Lauren Comiteau. (Mng Rpt)
0730 NEWS/WEATHER/SPORTS NZ PAPERS FINANCE UPDATE JAPAN - PM's STROKE - govt seraching for successor to PM Keizo Obuchi who's on life support after suffering stroke. Analysts say Liberal Democratic Party's secretary general, Yoshiro Mori, emerging as front-runner. (BBC) GONORRHOEA INCREASE - public health officials worried about continuing big increases in sexually transmitted disease. Soon to be published report from official statisticians, ESR, shows gonorrhoea rates in AK have doubled in past 2 years while in Waikato, number of cases almost trebled last year. ESR warns increase suggests rise in high risk sexual behaviour generally. (Rae Lamb); Health minister Annette King accepts there is a problem and says govt moving to deal with it - i/ved. (Mng Rpt) SAMOA - TRIAL of two former politicians for murder of cabinet minister now in final days. Police reporter Karlum Lattimore in Apia for closing stages - i/ved. (Mng Rpt) TERTIARY EDUCATION - govt's new Advisory Commission to be chaired by educationalist Norman Kingsbury, established to advise govt on strategic direction of tertiary education in NZ. President of Crown Research Insts Assn, Andrew West, critical of direction of tertiary education, and says if NZ had only 2-3 univs, it would greatly benefit science students; live i/v with Norman Kingsbury.
0800 NEWS/WEATHER FLETCHER PAPER SALE - Ord Minnett Securities analyst David Schirer explains what Norske Skog deal means for Fletcher Challenge. (Mng Rpt) CLIMATE CHANGE - more than 300 scientists and Pacific Island leaders gather in Rarotonga this week to discuss effects of climate change on region, with special attention to impact of rising sea levels. Biggest factor may be El Nino weather pattern. (Bryan Crump) UGANDA - CULT MASSACRE - vice president says eventual death toll will almost certainly exceed 1,000. Most of more than 400 victims in mass graves appear to have been strangled. I/v with BBC correspondent Cathy Jenkins. (Mng Rpt) BRITAIN - ENIGMA THEFT - one of only three Enigma encoding machines left in the world, stolen from Bletchley Park. German forces used it to encrypt messages during WWII and one was brought to England after war to Station X where the codes were broken. I/v with Christine Large, Bletchley Park Trust. (Mng Rpt) illegible NEWS/WEATHER/SPORTS AUCKLAND TRANSPORT - new coalition of community and public transport groups in AK unveils proposed suburban rail line it hopes region's politicians will support. Comment from Avondale Penrose Rail Link Coalition spokesman Steve Doole, Auckland Business Forum spokesperson Michael Barnett, Des Webster from the Save our Suburb group, and Green Party MP Keith Locke. (Todd Niall) ASTHMA - for 2nd time in 11 years, Hawkes Bay children singled out to be part of international study into incidence of asthma, allergies and eczema. First study, in 1989 in 55 countries, showed NZ had second highest asthma rate, with 17% of children surveyed diagnosed as sufferers. Healthcare Hawkes Bay senior paediatrician David Barry says second study will show whether prevalence of asthma and allergies has increased. (Heugh Chappell) AIR RIFLES - police warn owners of fully automatic airguns they are breaking law unless they have firearms licence with restricted weapons endorsement. Warning follows recent Court of Appeal ruling that fully automatic airguns are classified as restricted weapons under 1983 Arms Act. Live i/v with head of Firearms Licensing at Police Commissioner's Office, Insp Joe Green. INTERNATIONAL PAPERS INDONESIA - SUHARTO ASSETS - Indonesian exile George Aditjongro calls on NZ govt to seize any NZ assets belonging to former president Suharto and his family. Dr Aditjongro attended conference on Indonesian democracy in AK over weekend, says he believes money to fund violent vigilante groups in Indonesia is coming from Gen Suharto. Foreign Affairs minister Phil Goff says govt will wait until Indonesian investigations into Gen Suharto are completed before seizing any assets; i/v with Dr Aditjongro re how much Suharto familyh believed to have invested in NZ. (Mng Rpt) WOMEN'S SCIENCE AWARD - Waikato research scientist Michelle Prinsep receives Zonta award. Dr Prinsep says despite limited resources, NZ scientists produce high quality research - i/ved live. RUSSIA - HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES - UN Human Rights head Mary Robinson begins questioning Russian officials over "serious allegations" of human rights abuses in Chechnya. Her arrival in Moscow follows 2 day trip to Chechnya marked by delays and frustrations. I/v with correspondent Charles Mains. (Mng Rpt)