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1700 to 1707 NEWS
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Thousands of Solomon Islanders are in desperate need of help following today's massive 8 point 1 earthquake 350 kilometres, north-west of the capital Honiara. A tsunami then hit the second largest town in the Solomons GIZO which serves as the provincial centre to the Western Province.The premier of the Solomon's Western province, Alex Lokopio says at least 15 people are reported dead around Gizo alone and several thousand have fled from the coast to hill land.He says the earthquake hit at about quarter to 8 this morning local time. PREREC
The quake sparked a Tsunami alert which caused brief panic in a number of neighbouring countries.In Queensland there was widespread panic as many residents on coast evacuated their homes and fled to higher ground.It also sparked a massive emergency response statewide which involved the cancellation of surgery at hospitals, the closing and evacuation of beaches and the cancellation of flights.And then in New Caledonia, people were evacuted from the main Island's east coast and the Loyalty Islands.
The earthquake's been monitored here in New Zealand. Bryan Field is the duty seismologist at GNS Science. PREREC
43 patients who had neurosurgery at Auckland hospital last month have been told there's a remote risk of them getting a rare and fatal brain infection from surgical tools earlier used on a woman who developed a form of Creutzfeld Jacob disease.The woman had neurosurgery early last month but doctors didn't confirm she had CJD until last week.It's not linked to mad cow disease - the Chief Medical officer of Health David Sage says the patient has been infected by a brain membrane graft done with tissue from a cadaver.That type of procedure is not longer done. He says the risk to other patients is remote in the extreme even though there have been other cases where people have been infected by surgicial equipment contaminated with CJD. PREREC
Back now to the Solomon Islands - with us is the deputy police commissioner Peter Marshall LIVE
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1720 BUSINESS NEWS
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1730 HEADLINES
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SPORTS NEWS
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The Christchurch Police are investigating a fatal house fire in Riccarton.The Fire Service was called to the house in Parere Street this morning by a neighbour who smelled smoke.Four bodies were found in the house after the blaze was extinguished. The fire service has now called in the police to examine the scene. Detective Inspector Greg Williams has been talking to the next of kin about the tenants of the house. PREREC
Our reporter Charlotte Graham is at the scene LIVE
New figures from the police show a big increase in sexual offending. The offence rate rose 8 point 6 percent, a fact police are attributing to greater willingness of women to make complaints. Violent offending also rose, and while homicides nationally were markedly down, there was a big increase in killings in gang-afflicted parts of South Auckland. Eric Frykberg reports PKG
The Government has shelved plans to pick up the Green Party MP Sue Bradford's child discipline bill, saying it's best the members bill "runs its course" in Parliament.The Government had been considering adopting the bill as its own so it could be passed this week, before a three week parliamentary recess. Joining us now is our political reporter Liz Banas..LIVE
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17.45 TRAILS
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WAATEA
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The west Auckland driver of a school bus that crashed injuring 19 students has lost her license and been sentenced to community work. But one school principal is worried that the 9 month disqualification is too short.36-year-old Louise Tauariki's been sentenced for five counts of careless driving, causing injury following the incident last October.Joy McArthur was in court. PKG
Check in and baggage handling jobs at Air New Zealand are staying in-house after an agreement was reached between the carrier and a workers union. But it wasn't without lengthy, and at times bitter, negotiations. The Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union has been trying to stop the out-sourcing of 1700 jobs, and it says the dispute is set to continue. Hannah Ockelford reports. PKG
You've heard of mud crabs... how about mud crayfish? Around 40 koura, or fresh water crayfish, have been found trapped in drying mud from Mount Ruapehu's lahar.They were saved by a team from the Horizons regional council surveying the stream after the Lahar. Alistair Beveridge, the council's biodiversity and water quality manager, says he didn't expect to find anything alive in the stream. PREREC