Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
Good afternoon. I'm Malcolm Jordan and this is your midday
news fix for Thursday, the second of October. Concerns two
people aren't accounted for after a major house fire overnight
in Auckland's Buckland's Beach. Fire crews have extinguished the blaze
that ravaged a two story home in Mervale Drive about
two thirty am, injuring three people, one seriously. Police are
(00:26):
urgently seeking two others. Herald reporter Jamie Liff says emergency
services are busy working at the site. Police inspectors, detectives
and forensic officers have also arrived, and police have been
putting tape up across the street. Activists in a flotilla
bound for Gaza, including New Zealanders, have been intercepted by Israel.
(00:46):
The Guardian reports Israeli naval forces have boarded six pro
Palestine boats and taken Swedish activist Gretor Tunberg into custody.
KIW Samuel Leeson has sent a message to supporters in
this pre recorded video made in case of emergency, tell
my government to end as complicity with Israel's can to
bring you home. Israel has accused the flotilla of being
(01:09):
linked to hamas. It says several vessels have been safely stopped,
with passengers being transferred to a port. The White House
Press secretaries confirmed federal layoffs could happen within two days
thanks to the latest United States government shutdown. Federal funding
expired yesterday after Democrats and Republicans failed to get their
(01:29):
respective bills through the Senate, furloughing that's suspending without pay
thousands of government workers. University of Iowa's Tim Hagel says
Republicans have wanted to reduce the size of the federal
government for decades, and now's their chance. Farmak's new Canadian
head hopes more engagement with patients will bring better decisions.
(01:52):
Natalie McMurtry has a twenty five year career in pharmaceuticals
and stepped in as CEO last month. Government changes to
the drug buying agency include requiring more consultation with patients.
McMurtry says FARMACS now on a good path.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
We have the right things in place. We've started to
engage patients and families more. We have a Consumer Advisory
Working Group chaired by Malcolmholland. I think that will be
able to set a framework that will be able to
move forward in a positive way.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
Meanwhile, concerns that Tramadol could be getting over prescribed, with
more patients being given the painkiller. Farmac Data shows more
than two hundred and seventy thousand people were prescribed the
drug last year, an increase of fourteen percent since twenty nineteen.
Royal College of GP's medical director Luke Bradford says the
increase is linked to longer surgery wait times. He says
(02:43):
doctors have anti inflammatories which lots of people can't take,
and stronger opioids and medicinal cannabis which have stronger potential
for addiction. Police and fang Ara are asking the public
for help over a spate of railway sleep of thefts
and warning any being sold cheap could have been pinched.
In the past two months, one hundred and eighty sleepers
(03:04):
have been stolen from rail yards across the region. Police
believe they're being sold to people who likely don't know
they were stolen. To Sport, Newcastle Arsenal and defending champions
Paris Saint Germain have secured victories in the second match
day of Champions League Football. Monaco and Manchester City have
drawn to all. Sixty seven year old league pundit Phil
(03:27):
Gould has thanked well wishes on social media after being
stuck in hospital since Monday awaiting test results on his heart,
saying he came in to change the tires and they
found a problem with the engine. Well. Tennis number two
Yarnick Sinner has won the China Open in Beijing, his
third title of the season. I'm Malcolm Jordan. That's your
(03:47):
latest news fix. We'll be back with the next update
at five pm from the News Talk ZB newsroom.