HEADLINES & NEWS
To Afghanistan now - and the Northern Alliance forces appear to have scored a mjor victory over the ruling Taliban, capturing the capital city of Kabul. In the last hour, Alliance fighters are reported to have entered Kabul, following a string of victories in the north and west of the country. A short time ago, the BBC's John Simpson was on the outskirts of Kabul trying to get into the city and he says there's information that the Taleban has fled the city. CUT
Another BBC correspondent William Reeve is in Kabul. CUT
The Americans and other countries have been worried about what would happen if the Northern Alliance captured Kabul.
[illegible] time, its troops went on an orgy of killing, raping and looting and there has been pressure on them to remain on the city's outskirts. Mustaffa Hamid who was born and bred in Kabul but fled two months ago for Pakistan. He says the city's residents dont trust the Northern Alliance or the Taleban and well remember the last time the Northern Alliance ruled Kabul. CUT
Only two months after the horrific suicide attacks on New York's twin towers, an air disaster has shaken the city, sparking fears of another devastating terrorist attack. An American Airlines plane with 260 passengers and crew on board burst into flames and crashed into suburban housing shortly after taking off from John F Kennedy Airport. Everyone on board was killed and an unknown number of people on the ground are also feared dead after the crash demolished homes and set them ablaze. The cause of the crash isnt known but officials are not ruling out either mechanical failure or terrorism. Our New York correspondent Nathan King filed this report. PKGE
To the World Trade talks in Qatar, and trade ministers are now racing against the clock - they have 24 hours to get agreement on launching a new round of [illegible] on removing the barriers to free trade. Teams of officials have [illegible] working through the night trying to overcome five sets of obstacles in the way of a deal. A make or break issue is whether there can be agreement on phasing out agriculture subsidies. The European Union wants to keep subsidies for its farmers, while developing countries say they can't compete against subsidised farmers.
New Zealand is also pushing for an end to subsidies and Trade Minister Jim Sutton is in Qatar, waiting to see the final wording of the draft agreement. He describes what that wait is like. PREREC
BUSINESS NEWS WITH JOHN DRAPER
The Alliance's review of its support for sending SAS troops to Afghanistan has again dominated Parliament. The party's MPs have accepted leader Jim Anderton's proposed criteria for the review, which include the need to consider the impact on the coalition government's stability and the need for consistency in international relations. Laila Harre, who is the only Alliance minister not to have publicly stated her support for the Government's original decision to offer SAS troops, has again avoided doing so today. Our political reporter Kathryn Ryan has been following today's events. PKGE
An extraordinary story of survival has emerged from Papua New Guinea where two Samoan fishermen are recovering in hospital after been lost at sea for four and half months. Two others died during the ordeal which started off Samoa in June when their boat was dragged under water by a huge catch of fish. The men cut away fishing lines and two outboard motors to right the boat but drifted out to sea. Despite passing close to Fiji and sighting ships, no-one saw their emergency flares and they drifted thousands of kilometres to Papua New Guinea before being rescued. The men are now in a PNG hospital, where Dr Barry Kirby is treating them. He says one survivor can walk a little, but the other can't because his muscles are wasted from starvation. He says both should recover, but were close to death. PREREC
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Further to our lead story - and the capture of Afghanistan's capital Kabul by [illegible] Northern Alliance forces. In the last few hours, Alliance fighters are reported to have captured the city from the ruling Taliban. Reporter Phil Robertson joins me from the northern city of Taloqan. LIVE IV
The capture raises hope that aid can now get through to refugees and New Zealand's Foreign Affairs Minister Phil Goff says the United Nations has warmly welcomed this country's offer of a Hercules aircraft to help ferry the humanitarian aid in. Mr Goff is in New York where he's been meeting the UN secretary-general's special representative for Afghanistan, Lakhdar Brahimi and the under-secretary general for humanitarian affairs Kenzo Oshima. I asked the Minister when a Hercules would be sent. IV
It has been confirmed that New Zealand's biggest gas field will run dry two years earlier than previously thought. The Maui field has been producing natural gas for just over two decades. But its owner, Maui Development Ltd, says new technology has revealed the field's life is shorter than originally thought. This puts new pressure on gas supplies, as well as on gas prices. Eric Frykberg reports. PKGE
The government has made a luke-warm response to the findings of an 18-month-long inquiry into the teaching of reading. The education and science select committee released its report in August, making 51 recommendations. However, in its response to the report, the government said most recommendations are already being met by current programmes, with only 10 likely to be considered. To discuss what happens now with reading in schools, our education correspondent, Gael Woods, joins us. LIVE WITH DROP IN
A Dunedin school will become the national pilot for what's described as a radical new teaching programme. Forbury School was facing the options of closing, or merging with nearby Caversham School - backers of the new programme say it could become a blueprint for other failing schools. This report from Maureen Lloyd. PKGE
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