TV1 6pm News

1. ALCOHOL - Parliament has just voted to lower the legal drinking age from 20 to 18. This goes against recent opinion polls. It was a close vote with many MPs speaking for and against. Earlier Parliament decided that younger people should have ID cards if they want to drink in bars.

2. ALCOHOL - A recent opinion poll by TV1 showed 62 per cent of the public were opposed to lowering the drinking age. A vox pop by TV1 shows mixed views with the majority asked in favour.

3. ALCOHOL - Linda Clark says it was an unexpected result and that the vote on widening supermarket sales is too close to call.

4. ADVENTURE DEATH - An adventure trip has gone horribly wrong in Switzerland. One New Zealander is reported missing feared dead and two are in hospital. 17 people are dead in all. They were taking part in an extreme sport called canyoning, which involved abseiling into a canyon, then navigating rapids. It is believed the party were caught up in a flash flood. A NZ tour guide who used to work on the trip in question says while it looks dangerous it is in fact remarkably safe and standards must have slipped since he left, as he was fully aware of the danger of flash floods.

5. FLOOD - A desperate fight against flood waters in Canterbury today after two days of heavy rain, while there was surface flooding in Christchurch, it was much worse on Banks Peninsula where a number of properties were threatened in the Little River area. Army assisting.

6. SNOW - Heavy snow is causing problems in the central North Island. All roads now open with the exception of the Desert Road where police had to rescue some motorists caught by the snow.

7. SALT POISONING - A warning for New Zealand parents after the death of a child in Britain. The parents could not afford baby formula and instead used porridge, the baby died because of salt poisoning.

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