6 Apr 2011

Wednesday's newspaper headlines

7:15 am on 6 April 2011

Almost 200 students suspended; bail-rape accused wins bail again; Pike River Coal requests aid.

NZ Herald

The paper leads a man who was charged with drugging and raping a woman while he was out on bail being granted bail again. His conditions of release also have been relaxed so he can exercise for an hour each day.

A 52-year-old Hamilton woman has been charged with assaulting a man using a wine glass as a weapon, after she broke the glass in her estranged partners face while he was driving.

The Herald interviews South African predator expert Chris Fallows about his close encounters with great white sharks.

Dominion Post

Just weeks from the anniversary of the Anzac Day Iroquois crash that killed three servicemen, the Defence Minister has apologised to the parents of the only survivor, who were denied information about their son's condition in the days after the accident.

The paper reports almost 200 pupils under 16 have been excluded from school for more than a month, including nine pupils under the age of 10.

The Press

Pike River Coal's receivers want the Government to pay for the company's legal representation at the inquiry into the disaster, because the company cannot afford to fully participate.

The Press also reports that the Earthquake Engineering Society says fixing Christchurch's earthquake-hit high-rise buildings will take five years, and some may be demolished to save time.

Otago Daily Times

Otago Polytechnic is preparing to consult staff and students on a plan to replace the traditional two-semester tertiary study year with three trimesters.

A logging-truck crash on State Highway 88 near Dunedin last week has provoked an angry response from residents and road users, who say someone will die if something is not done to improve safety on the road.