TV1 News

Pilot Shortage – Ghost Flight – Prisoners Beaten – Lost Tramper – Samuels Affair – Turia Row – PM In NY – N Koreans Out – Sydney Olympics

- PILOT SHORTAGE: Qantas NZ has been caught short in Pilot department. Qantas will be canceling four flight a day for next two months due to the shortage. The airline made pilots redundant last year after industrial strife. Pilots are working longer hours under new contracts. The union representing pilots declined to comment today.

- GHOST FLIGHT: There have been calls for a commission of inquiry into air safety in Australia following the ghost flight which killed eight people, including three New Zealanders. Aviation regulators were warned last year about problems with the type of plane which crashed. The people on board could have been saved if the warnings were heeded. The Civil Aviation Authority rejected improvements which could have saved lives on price grounds.

- PRISONERS BEATEN: Four former Maungaroa Prison inmates with Mongrel Mob connections claimed damages against the crown for incidents that occurred when they were at the prison. They were beaten by staff and suffered solitary confinement. Police considered charges against the prison staff involved.

- LOST TRAMPER: A tramper wearing only jeans and singlet faces a third night in bush in the Coromandel. His partner emerged from the bush, cold and wet. He went back with rescuers to try to pinpoint where he left his mate, but they have had no success finding him.

- SAMUELS AFFAIR: Dover Samuels supporters are calling for an inquiry into the behaviour of Richard Prebble. They want to investigate whether Mr Prebble made claims he knew to be untrue at the time.

- TURIA ROW: The Government is trying to put an end to the Tariana Turia holocaust row. The Prime Minister said from New York the issue was over.

- PM IN NY: The Prime Minister is in New York for the United Nations Millenium Summit, and is selling the NZ position on disarmament at the state of the world forum. She took the opportunity to have a dig at Australia for its refusal to participate in UN treaties, following scathing UN reports on Australia’s human rights record.

- N KOREANS OUT: North Korea delegates pulled out of the UN Summit over a strip search as they suffered when boarding an American flight in Germany – they said it was rude and demeaning.

- SYDNEY OLYMPICS: A 2000 strong brass band with six New Zealanders is in Sydney for the Olympic opening ceremony.

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