New Zealand's elite SAS troops under fire in Afghanistan; Government vows to crack down on truancy; Alexandra Blossom Festival owes $82,000 to creditors.
NZ Herald
Elite SAS troops have been involved in another firefight in Afghanistan, fighting Taliban rebels in Kabul for about an hour.
The minimum driving age is likely to rise to 16 under a Government road safety strategy to be unveiled on Wednesday. The restricted driving test will also be toughened to encourage youngsters to spend more time practising under supervision, before going solo.
Dominion Post
The Government has vowed to crack down on truancy after a nationwide survey showed more than 30,000 children cut class each day, the paper reports. The survey also reveals that about 2500 truants are no longer enrolled at school.
New Zealand troops appeared calm amid the mayhem of a 90-minute long gunfight in central Kabul.
The Press
The paper also leads on the Afghanistan incident, saying New Zealand troops shot and probably wounded insurgents who then blew themselves up in the firefight.
Officials are debating how to stop sightseers from rushing to the beach during a tsunami alert. Civil Defence Minister John Carter is considering a law change to make it illegal to ignore police warnings to leave beaches.
[h[ Otago Daily Times
The Alexandra Blossom Festival is insolvent and the future of the event hangs in the balance. The festival owes $82,000 to creditors and an appeal for funds is to be launched.
Patients will be assessed by a GP before being admitted to Queenstown's emergency department in a radical shake-up of Wakatipu healthcare services.
There are fears an arsonist who has been setting fires to derelict buildings in Kaitangata may now turn to occupied homes.
And the paper talks to former Dunedin resident Stewart McSkimming who was in Santiago when the earthquake struck. He says "the beds were wandering around the floor, I thought it was all over".
