Fatal Northland Fire – Alarms In Kaikohe – Fatal Facial – Southland Teen Car Smash – Prison Strike – Power Crisis – Holiday Shopping – Rankin Fallout – Ballooning Around The World – Brave Parachutist

FATAL NORTHLAND FIRE: A father and son are dead in the third fatal house fire in Northland in just three months. The father and son died in the fire at Kohukohu. The fire service says the deaths could have been avoided had the house had smoke alarms. The fire started at 9pm last night but fire engines could not get to the house. The house was solidly built and poverty was not a factor said friends. Kohukohu School closed early as a mark of respect to the eight-year-old fire victim. Elsewhere in Northland a house is being built by Habitat for Humanity for a family who earlier suffered a fire tragedy with the death of three children. The family thank God for their new house.

ALARMS IN KAIKOHE: In Kaikohe alarm bells have rung out and there have been no fatal house fires in the town where 4000 fire alarms are being installed. The fire service want families to develop escape plans to go with their alarms.

FATAL FACIAL: A Christchurch doctor has plead guilty to a charge of not providing the necessities of life to a woman he was treating with Exoderm, and who suffered a heart attack following the beauty treatment. Exoderm strips the top layers of skin.

SOUTHLAND TEEN CAR SMASH: The survivor of yesterday’s fatal car crash near Tapanui in Southland has described trying to rescue her best friend. Kirsten Forster says that she tried to get her friend to talk after dragging her out of the car, but she was saying nothing. She was scared the car might explode. Today her friends rallied around her. Flags were flown at half-mast today at the children’s school. The car was unregistered and driver was 14.

PRISON STRIKE: More than 2000 Prison staff began low level industrial action today.

POWER CRISIS: For the first time since the power crisis began NZers reached the 10% power savings target at the weekend.

HOLIDAY SHOPPING: The Government is changing the law so more shops can stay open on public holidays.

RANKIN FALLOUT: The PM has stopped short of issuing a no-swearing instruction to her ministers in the wake of the Christine Rankin employment court judgement. Minister Steve Maharey said it was not his usual practice to swear in meetings. National Leader Jenny Shipley however thinks that Maharey should apologise. The PM says she has no idea how much her ministers swear.

BALLOONING AROUND THE WORLD: The American Billionaire Steve Fosset is still over Australia in his attempt to balloon around the world. He has travelled across most of Australia so far and is expected to pass north of New Zealand.

BRAVE PARACHUTIST: A Star of Courage bravery award has been given to an Australian parachutist who saved the life of his tandem shute ride passenger in the process sacrificing his own health.

© 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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