Celia Lashlie – Child Found Safe – Heavy Snow In Southland – Air NZ Woes Go On And On… - Wellington Sex Attacks – Budget – Yakutsk Flood Approaches – Israel Peace Plan – Peace Keeping School

CELIA LASHLIE: SES worker Celia Lashlie has got her job back. Minister Trevor Mallard . SES accused Lashlie of breaking confidentiality when talking on the radio. She says she was not talking about a . The employment service. The chairman if SES has resigned. Lashlie says she is pleased to be getting back to work. It is unclear how common the practice of executive leasing is used in the public service,

CHILD FOUND SAFE: A child who went missing in a Southern Blizzard has been found safe, west of Milton. He was found by his parents on a farm bike. He heard his mum calling and popped out of the bushes. He was lightly clad, with no footware. He was seen watching TV around 1pm and found at 5pm.

HEAVY SNOW IN SOUTHLAND: The heavy snow has continued to fall in Southland . The road between Gore and Invercargill is marginal to pass at present. Dozens of minor accidents have been reported. The snowstorm continued all night and left stock knee deep in snow. Shops are closed in Tapanui.

AIR NZ WOES GO ON: An Air New Zealand 767 flight was abandoned on takeoff from Christchurch today after something didn’t work. The CEO was again in damage control mode today. Garry Toomey dismissed suggestions that the Airline needs a cash injection. He denied reports that he has called on the Government to help the company to the tune of $500 million. He says that recent experience has shown that the merger was a good idea as Ansett would have been in even worse trouble with its recent 767 problems if it hadn’t had Air New Zealand to help it.

WELLINGTON SEX ATTACKS: Another sex attack in Wellington has come to light today. The 11th. Lots of women seen walking alone in Wellington, against police advice. The instruction not to walk alone is being called an over-reaction by women, including Amy Ross. Cameras are to be introduced ahead of time under a council plan. The plan will bring in 40 cameras to the city and replaces a plan to bring security staff onto the streets.

BUDGET: Petrol retailers have cut the price of petrol in advance of the budget.

YAKUTSK FLOOD APPROACHES: The Siberian City of Yakutsk is facing destruction in a huge flood. Already an area the size of England and Wales has been devastated by a huge flood. President Putin has been in meetings with emergency services and hopes are pinned on a bombing plan to break an ice dam and save the city.

ISRAEL PEACE PLAN: An American peace plan for the Middle East has been welcomed by both Palestinian and Israeli governments. But there were pitched battles in the streets today. The US Secretary of State says the plan requires the level of violence to go down. No one here on the ground seems ready to accept peace but.

PEACE KEEPING SCHOOL: Peace-Keeping soldiers might get a chance to learn about peace under a proposal from the Green Party. Keith Locke wants troops to learn from human rights groups and aid agencies about other aspects of aid work. Jenny Shipley says this Peacenik rubbish is an insult to the soldiers and does not reflect how the real world works.

© Scoop Media

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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