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HEADLINES & NEWS
As Afghanistan's Taliban forces retreat in disarray, eight foreign aid workers they have been holding under threat of execution since August have been freed. The workers - four Germans, two Americans and two Australians - were detained by the Taleban and accused of preaching christianity. The eight were taken out of Kabul by the Taliban as they retreated from the capital yeaterday. Today, they were freed and flown to safety in Pakistan by US military helicopters. The step-father of freed American Dana Curry, Jim Cassel says his wife is in Pakistan to meet their daughter and he can't wait for the reunion. CUT President George Bush is welcoming the news of the release. CUT
Menawhile, the Taliban continue to retreat before the advancing Northern [illegible] forces. The strategic cities of Kabul, Mazar-e-Shariff, Herat and Jalalabad have all fallen into Alliance hands. The last Taleban centre is Kandahar - Taleban spokesman Mohammid Tiyab-ara is there and says they are still in control. CUT However, the BBC's Daniel Lak reports from the Pakistan border that the situation is confused. CUT
Meanwhile the United Nations Security Council has endorsed a plan to establish a new broad based government in Afghanistan and is debating sending an international force there to maintain law and order. But Pakistan's Foreign Minister Abdul Satar says it would be difficult to set up any broad based administration while the Northern Alliance remains in control of Kabul. He says they should be persuaded to leave. CUT
New Zealand resident and Afghan refugee Doctor Naji Bullah Lafood used to be a senior official in the Jami-arty-islami, now one of the major components of the Northern Alliance. Between 1992 and 1996 he was deputy security minister in the Kabul government, but fled when the Taleban seized control. Dr Lafud hopes that the Northern Alliance's current occupation of Kabul does not undermine the prospect for creating a broad based government. CUT
[illegible] the UN is now considering sending in an international force to maintain stability, Dr Lafud thinks an Afghan security force would give better results. CUT And Doctor Lafud says Afghanistan's former King Zahir Shah could play an important unifying role in any transitional government. CUT
BUSINESS NEWS WITH JOHN DRAPER
Canterbury District Health Board is facing further industrial action, with over three thousand staff serving notice of a 48-hour strike. On Monday, about 11-hundred mental health, geriatric and school dental staff struck for 24-hours, warning the board that unless it presented a better pay offer there would be further action. The Nurses Organisation says a new offer has not been made and strike action is planned for December the second and third - two thousand general nursing staff will join the action. The organisation's spokesperson, Chris Wilson, joins us now. LIVE
Joining us now to discuss the likely impact of the 48-hour strike is the health board's chief executive, Jean O'Callaghan (Pron: Keller-han). LIVE
A Māori picket has forced a Hamilton school to close today - and it may not reopen tomorrow either. The picketers are protesting over what they say are long standing grievances centred on Insoll Avenue Primary's bi-lingual unit, claiming the school is culturally insensitive. Today, the continuation of the picket resulted in the school's nearly 400 pupils being given the day off. Andrew McRae compiled this report. PKGE
5.30 NEWS HEADLINES
SPORT with ANDREW GREENWOOD
Prison officers will be searched on the job in a bid to cut the smuggling of drugs into jails. Under the new policy, which is part of a long-term strategy to curb drug use in prisons, officers would pass through a metal detector and a hand-held scanner device. They may also be frisked and all their bags and containers will be searched. Since 1997, three prison officers have been disciplined for bringing drugs into jails and latest statistics show that around 20 per cent of all inmates test positive for drugs. The national organiser for the prison officers union, the Corrections Association, John [illegible] says officers have not been consulted about the move. CUT I asked the Corrections MInister Matt Robson why unions representing prison officers haven't been consulted. PREREC
A new report cites a foreign intelligence blackout as a key problem in planning New Zealand's deployment in East Timor. The report by the office of the Controller and Auditor General was tabled in parliament this afternoon. Eric Frykberg has been reading the report and he joins us now - Eric, what was the auditor general looking at? LIVE
As the dust settles from six days of gruelling World Trade talks, the debate continues over what benefits any agreement will bring and to whom. Trade Ministers from 140 countries took almost a week just to agree on the wording of what will be discussed in a new round of trade liberalisation talks, starting next year. New Zealand farmers are happy the aims include the eventual phasing out of farm export subsidies, especially in Europe and the United States. But critics are disappointed there is no real committment to improving labour standards, or protecting the environment, and question the committment of the [illegible] countries to opening up their markets. Joining us now is Green Party [illegible] Rod Donald and Philip Lewin, the chief executive of the Wellington Regional Chamber of Commerce. LIVERS
Returnign to our lead story - and eight foreign aid workers being held by Afghanistan's Taliban have been freed. The workers - four Germans, two Americans and two Australians - were detained by the Taleban and accused of preaching christianity. The eight have been held under threat of execution since August and were taken out of Kabul by the Taliban as they retreated from the capital yeaterday. Today, the workers were freed and flown to safety in Pakistan by US military helicopters. The release of the two Australians, Diana Thomas and Peter Bunch has been greeted with relief and delight by friends and family.
Pastor John Finkelde from their church in Perth has just finished talkign to the pair - he joins us now. LIVE
In Christchurch, after six weeks the High Court Trial of a Dunedin psychiatrist charged with murdering his wife is nearly over. South African born Colin Bouwer is accused of killing Annette Bouwer by administering drugs to lower her blood sugar levels and then leaving her without medical help. Today the defence finished summing up its case. Katy Gosset has been following the trial and joins me now. LIVE WITH DROP INS
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