Floods - MRSA - Gisborne Cancer - Bad Blood - Alliance And Jobs - NZ First On The Economy - Tomorrow's Schools - Cook Islands - IRA - Pakistan - Elderly Neglect

FLOODS: Heavy Rain has opened up a half kilometer long chasm on the road to Frankton. Twenty homes and a caravan park closed, sewerage scheme threatened. The roads out of Queenstown are all closed but people do not seem to know. Queenstown has run out of bread and milk.
- Bill English has flown into Central Otago to assess the damage. National MP Gavin Herlihy is blaming Contact Energy for allowing a silt build-up behind the Roxburgh dam for causing the flood. He wants consideration to be given to moving the town. The river level has now fallen half a meter and things are returning to normal.
- Monday's Cabinet meeting will discuss the floods. A fund is available to assist with the floods, PM says.
- A section of stop-bank near Balclutha is raising concerns as the flood crest moves down-stream.
- An Australian climber stuck on Mr Aspiring has been rescued by an Air Force helicopter.

MRSA AT WELLINGTON HOSPITAL: A nurse in the Intensive Care Unit at Wellington Hospital has tested positive for MRSA. Strains of the superbug have appeared in several parts of the hospital. The hospital says it is doing its best to eradicate the bug.

GISBORNE CANCER INQUIRY: A three member inquiry team into the Gisborne Cancer scandal has begun hearings in Gisborne. The meeting is a preliminary meeting, say the inquiry members.

BAD BLOOD: A new form of human CJD - Mad Cow Disease - has been found. The disease is very rare but nevertheless the Ministry of Health has decided not to accept blood from people who have spent too long in England over the last decade as a precaution.

ALLIANCE AND JOBS: Alliance Leader Jim Anderton says the Alliance would create 80,000 jobs with an investment company investing in high-tech industries.

NZ FIRST ON ECONOMY: NZ First economic policy focuses on boosting exports and removing corruption and incompetence from the IRD.

TOMORROW'S SCHOOLS: National says it will tackle the failures in Tomorrow's Schools with a review after a report has found that some schools have not benefited from the education reforms. The NZEI says Dr Smith's faith in the review is astonishing. All the research says that schools do not want additional responsibilities, a spokeswoman says. Labour says it would ensure that schools had qualified teachers.

COOK ISLANDS: Five of the Cook Islands cabinet have resigned. PM Dr Williams says he will try to delay a no-confidence motion in the Parliament concerning his government.

IRA: The IRA has promised to begin talks with the arms de-commissioning body.

PAKISTAN: Pakistan has been arresting politicians throughout the country and has clamped down on airports to stop the allegedly corrupt from escaping. Nawaz Sharif is expected to go on trial shortly.

ELDERLY NEGLECT: Age Concern says that nearly 500 elderly people have been diagnosed as being neglected . Some in rest homes are not being fed enough.

© 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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