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1700 to 1707 NEWS
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It's not in the same league as the pie and the penthouse, but the discovery of a Treasury official's notebook on a Wellington street is causing some embarrassment. The notebook - which reveals the possibility of a merger of the country's spy agencies - was found lying in the middle of Bowen Street near Parliament, by Radio New Zealand's political reporter, Julian Robins. The head of the Treasury John Whitehead has confirmed it belongs to a Treasury staff member. For the latest here's our political reporter Clare Pasley . PKG
Our political reporter Julian Robins is with us now . LIVE
Tens of thousand of Auckland commuters have been saved from days of chaos - at least for now - with a last minute break through in the bus drivers pay dispute. From four o'clock tomorrow morning nearly 900 drivers were going to be locked out indefinitely by their employers who said it was the only safe response to the unions decision to work to rule. Both sides have been in talks all day and a new pay offer will be put to drivers on Friday. The spokesperson for the Auckland Combined Unions is Karl Anderson. PREREC
The family of a Whangarei woman killed by the police during an armed hold-up say they don't blame the officer responsible. In October last year, Lee Jane Mettam went into a Vodafone shop armed with an air rifle, and took a staff member hostage. A criminal investigation has cleared the constable who fatally shot the 37 year old. She was the first woman to be shot by the police in New Zealand. Ms Mettam's family is not faulting the police in any way. This is her elder sister Phyllis : CLIP Our Northland reporter Lois Williams has been covering the story - what are the police saying? LIVE
In a rowdy Question Time in Parliament the Prime Minister John Key has defended the decision to send the SAS back to Afghanistan. And papers obtained by Radio New Zealand under the Official Information Act confirm officials are convinced the security situation in Afghanistan is getting worse, not better. Here's our political editor Brent Edwards. PKG
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1720 TRAILS AND BUSINESS WITH Amy Williams
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People living in houses built on a former dump in Napier say they are more angry about the past being raked up than the chemicals which may lie beneath them. The Hawke's Bay Regional Council has sent letters to 350 property owners saying they could be sitting on land contaminated with methane and heavy metals. The council was ordered to release the information to the media by mid-October. Here's our environment reporter, Ian Telfer. PKG
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17.30 HEADLINES
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Ministers are putting on a brave face over a a new system for housing allowances in Wellington, even though some stand to miss out on thousands of dollars a year. About half a dozen ministers will be able to claim more - as they'll get a flat payment 37 and a half thousand dollars a year, rather than claiming back actual expenses. Here's our parliamentary chief reporter, Jane Patterson. PKG
The eldest sister of a young boy who was critically injured has told a court their mother instructed her not to tell anyone she'd 'whacked' him. Itupa Julie Mikaio is charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and failing to provide a child the necessaries of life. Among her 3 year old son Benjamin's injuries were head trauma, a broken pelvis and hands and internal bleeding. Itupa Mikaio denies causing the head injuries. Laura Davis is at her High Court trial in Auckland and joins us now. LIVE
Three British-born Muslims have been found guilty of plotting to bring down seven transatlantic airliners with homemade liquid bombs. Abdulla Ahmed Ali, Tanvir Hussain, and Assad Sarwar, conspired to activate bombs disguised as drinks on aircraft flying from London's Heathrow airport to the United States and Canada. Four other men were found not guilty of involvement . As the BBC's June Kelly reports, the plot's discovery led to the biggest crackdown in airport security around the world PKG
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17.45 TRAILS
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WAATEA
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Samoa has made a fairly smooth switch to driving on the left side of the road - but some disgruntled bus owners have put the brakes on services in protest. The move, which was fiercely opposed, is intended to make importing cars from Australia and New Zealand easier and cheaper. But the two main groups of bus owners have announced they're withdrawing services until they get financial help to change the doors and steering wheels on their vehicles from the right to the left. Our reporter Sara Vui-Talitu joins us on the line from Apia: LIVE
The prime minister of Taiwan has quit and his entire cabinet is expected to be replaced this week after widespread criticism of the government's response to Typhoon Morakot. The storm which slammed into the island last month left at least 700 people dead after three days of heavy rain and devastating mudslides. Liu Chao-shiuan <PRON: Lau Ti-au-Shi-an's resignation came as shock to many, but the BBC's Cindy Sui (SUE) told us much more needs to change if the county is to avoid similar catastrophes. PREREC
It's been a volatile winter for most of the country with a freezing start to a season that ended with record warm temperatures in August. The National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research has released its climate summary for winter. The figures show the lowest temperature was a chilly negative 11-point-7 degrees recorded in central Otago, while Timaru scored the highest with a 22-point-2 degree day. To tell us more, NIWA's climate scientist Georgina Griffiths joins us now. LIVE