Midday Edition: 22 November 2024

The Midday Edition of News Fix for 22 November 2024, straight from the Newstalk ZB newsroom - bringing you everything you need to know in news, politics, business, entertainment and sport.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:04):
Good afternoon. I'm Malcolm Jordan and this is your midday
news fix for Friday, the twenty second of November. Our
hooping cough epidemic has been declared across New Zealand. Health
agencies say it's in the early stages and a nationally
coordinated response is now in place. ESR reporting shows since
hooping cough case is spiked in May, June and July,

(00:26):
they have been steadily increasing again since September. There have
been two hundred and sixty three cases in the past
four weeks, the most in a four week period this year.
Public Health Director Nicholas Jones says the main concern is
the risk of severe illness in babies too young to
be immunized or whose immunization has been delayed. Chris Luxon

(00:49):
says he's determined to attract more quality US foreign investment.
The Prime Minister has been addressing the United States Business
Summit in Auckland, also speaking our Trade Man Todd McLay,
US Ambassador Tom at Udall and New Zealand business leaders.
Luckson says his government will improve regulatory settings and they're

(01:10):
pitching directly to US investors. Also Tied Bransley group of
investors to New Zealand and early twenty twenty five to
showcase what we have to offer. Several people are due
in court for breaching the government's new ban on gang
patches in public places. They include three people in Auckland,
two in Hamilton, one in Todannger, one in Rotorua, two

(01:32):
in Wairoa, one in Napier, one in Havelock North and
one in Stoke. Experts are warning people to get their
COVID vaccinations with growing cases of a new highly transmissible strain.
It's the xec omicron variant. However, COVID modeler Michael Plank
says we aren't currently in a wave and the new

(01:53):
variant is not fast growing. We wouldn't expect to see
a big peak over the Christmas period like we have
done in the line couple of years. More deaths have
been confirmed following the recent spate of methanol poisonings in Laos.
Five tourists have now died, the latest a twenty eight
year old woman from England and a nineteen year old

(02:13):
woman from Australia. M Fat has been providing support to
a Kiwi tourist who's also fallen ill Sky's Rachel Venables
says the tourists had reportedly drunk free shots at a
bar in the popular resort town of vang Veing. Many
of the people involved in this were staying at the
Nana Backpacker Hotel staff told that many of their guests

(02:33):
had fallen ill after people fail to check out excitement
from local councils keen to take the government up on
its offer of regional deals. The government campaigned on the deals,
which allow central and local government to work together on
funding and delivering major infrastructure projects in their communities. Local
Government Minister Simeon Brown's now inviting councils to submit their

(02:56):
initial proposals for projects. Local Government New Zealand President Sam
Broughton says it's a positive step. After the election, it
felt like some councils are ready to go on day one.
I've now had time to mature and so I'll be
expecting to see a Many regions are putting their deal
frame into the government to sport rest during the week
rather than the weekend for the All Black Skipper ahead

(03:17):
of Sunday's final test of the year against Italy in Turin.
Captain Scott Barrett's revealed he's been on later duties. Lydia
Coe's near the top of the leaderboard after the opening
round of the LPGA's season ending Tour Championship in Florida,
carding a five under pass sixty seven to be tied
for fifth, and the All Blacks are lamenting an opportunity

(03:38):
lost in a ninety three to eighty nine defeat to
the Philippines in Manila as part of their Asia Cup
Basketball qualifying campaign. I'm Malcolm Jordan. That's your latest news fix.
We'll be back with the next update at five pm
from the news Talk ZB newsroupe