Good evening. Rain has eased across the floodlands of Coromandel and Bay of Plenty and is now concentrated into Gisborne and Hawke's Bay regions. Fog shut down early flights in Auckland and choked the motorways, and the dank grey skies hang over many northern areas again tomorrow. Forecasts coming up. Right now, it's 6 o'clock. Due to the live nature of ONE News we apologise for the lack of captions for some items. This is ONE News, with Wendy Petrie and Peter Williams. Tonight ` the face of an alleged mass murderer ` the Colorado shooting suspect's in court. Will he face the death penalty? The price of some food's going up ` why truckies are pointing the finger at the Government. And she was one of our best-loved children's authors ` tributes flow for Margaret Mahy. And I'm live from London. Excitement's mounting here, but not for cabbies. The Olympics have got them hopping mad, and I'll tell you why. Kia ora, good evening. The gunman accused of killing 12 people in a movie theatre massacre in America has appeared in court, coming face to face with the families and friends of his victims. James Holmes (24) appeared dazed and emotionless during the brief hearing in Colorado. Our US correspondent Jack Tame reports. < You have the right to remain silent. A shock of comic-coloured hair, James Holmes barely moved. And in his first court appearance, the man accused of shooting 71 people at a midnight movie screening didn't say a word. I would say there's no such thing as a slam-dunk case. Security for Holmes' appearance was tight, and many families of the 12 people killed on Friday night were in the public gallery. David Sanchez's son-in-law was shot in the head and is still in a coma. His daughter only just escaped. When it's your own daughter and she escaped, you know, from her own death by just mere seconds, I would say it really makes you angry. There was word today too from the parents of James Holmes. The family wants to reiterate that their hearts go out to the victims and their families. I think everyone can imagine how they're feeling ` anyone who's ever been a parent. As police build their case, they say they found Batman posters and a Batman mask in James Holmes' apartment. In the desert outside town, they detonated the explosives he'd planted inside. Prosecutors now have to decide several points. The first: charges. Under Colorado law, James Holmes could potentially face two murder charges for every person killed. Prosecutors need to decide whether a fair trial could be held in Denver, and they need to decide whether or not they'll pursue the death penalty. Victims will be impacted by that decision in an enormous way for years if the death penalty is sought. # Amazing Grace... # For some of those affected by the rampage, the decision is simple. Death. Holmes will be formally charged next week. Jack Tame, ONE News, New York. Police are urging motorists in the Coromandel and Bay of Plenty to drive with care to avoid debris left by heavy rain across the region. Major slips along State Highway 2 were cleared this afternoon. Road workers between Katikati and Tauranga say it's lucky no cars were in the way when this slip came down. A rescue helicopter had to come to the aid of a farmer stranded by floodwaters on his Te Aroha property. The bad weather has now headed south. Jim will have more details. It's been a turbulent day at the Canterbury earthquake's Royal Commission. An expert witness giving evidence on behalf of CTV building designers Alan Reay Consulting clashed frequently with the commissioners. Mike Thorpe reports. Just 24 hours after poking holes in a report that found fault in the design of the CTV building, Professor John Mander's own evidence was being heavily scrutinised. Commission Chair Justice Mark Cooper's frustration was obvious. Well` Well, did they, though? Is it your opinion that they did? That's what you're being asked. > OK, yes. Commissioner Richard Fenwick was growing restless. You've got to account for that order of deformation, and don't give me a theoretical answer. > Let's keep it real, please. > And counsel assisting the commission, Stephen Mills QC, took the unusual step of formally reminding Professor Mander of his obligations as an expert witness. < You're not here as an advocate and that you are constantly conscious of the role that you are playing here. The Texas-based engineer is giving evidence on behalf of Alan Reay Consulting, a firm he freely admits he has had a close relationship with, although, for a time today, there was confusion at where he thought the fault lay. You seem to be saying that the CTV design was one that was obviously, uh, inadequate. > No, I'm not saying it was obviously inadequate. I-I believe it was adequate for what, uh, was believed to be the design demands for Christchurch in the day. Witnesses called on behalf of Alan Reay Consulting will give evidence for the remainder of the week, including specialist land experts Tonkin and Taylor. Mike Thorpe, ONE News. Work has begun on a temporary cardboard cathedral for Christchurch. Construction workers have begun preparing the foundations near Latimer Square. The building will cost around $5m and will be used for at least 10 years until the quake-damaged Christchurch Cathedral's replaced. It'll accommodate 700 people and should be open by Christmas. NZ's commitment to the United Nations is being questioned. ONE News inquiries have revealed the Government's pulling out of the UN's industrial development organisation. It reckons the $500,000 we give in aid would be better spent closer to home. Political editor Corin Dann reports. With former prime minister Helen Clark heading a UN aid agency, NZ's standing when it comes to the UN is riding high. But that standing may be at risk as our ties to another UN aid agency looks set to be cut from next year. NZ, as a small country, gets benefit from the UN, but we also have to make a contribution. I think this sends a bad signal to the` to the UN system about our commitment to the United Nations. UNIDO helps developing countries to secure resource-efficient, low-carbon growth. UNIDO specialises in boosting sustainable industrial development in poor countries. It has a membership of 174 countries. As a member, NZ contributes about $500,000 a year. In a statement, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Murray McCully, says UNIDO has a very minor footprint in the Pacific, where our aid programmes are based. He says withdrawing the funding will enable NZ to get better value for money. Oxfam disagrees. This UN agency, uh, isn't doing so much in the Pacific. It's doing more in Asia and Africa. But they're also important in terms of poverty reduction. NZ's been a member of the UNIDO since its inception in 1985. In a briefing to Parliament, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs acknowledges that some member states may react adversely to NZ now leaving. It says some poorer countries may now view NZ as less engaged in the United Nations. The Greens are concerned the move has come out of the blue with no consultation. I must say I'm surprised. This is a clear case of, uh, international relations by stealth, which is the hallmark now, it seems, of the Key government, especially under Foreign Minister McCully. They say the move may also hurt NZ's chances of getting on the powerful UN Security Council. United Nations Development Programme head Helen Clark is currently working in Senegal and couldn't be contacted for comment. Corin Dann, ONE News. And ONE News has also learned the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade plans to spend millions upgrading embassy buildings in China. Official documents show MFAT has allocated $7m to build a residence and office in Beijing. $2m has also been put aside for building a new residence in Ottawa and $1m for earthquake strengthening in Tokyo. The Ministry currently has a moratorium on non-essential capital expenditure. Police have released pictures of a car they say is linked to the murder of West Auckland man Lee McMurdo. 32-year-old Mr McMurdo was found dead in his home by his 12-year-old daughter last July. Police are now appealing for information about this car, which was stolen in Auckland a few days before the murder and crashed in Wellsford a few days after. They've revealed Lee McMurdo was a small-time dealer of the relatively new drug MDVP, also known as bath salts. You'll soon be paying more for basic foods like bread because the cost of getting them to the shop is going up. Road-user charges are increasing, and some truck drivers may have to pass on the cost. As Arrun Soma reports, transport companies say the changes are unfair. Allan Henderson harvests lettuces for a living, but he says the cost of trucking his produce will start growing too. It's a sh` a bloody lot of money. Under changes to RUC, or road-user charges, he estimates it'll cost him an extra $10,000 annually. Under the old system, truckies were charged according to weight. The heavier the load, the more it costs them to transport it. From next week, similar-sized trucks will pay the same amount, no matter what they're carrying. If I filled my truck with bricks, I'm going to do a lot of damage to the road; I should pay more. If I fill it with balloons, I'm doing very little damage to the road; I should pay less. Yet we're blanketed with the same cost. Mr Henderson argues his lettuces cause relatively little road damage. It's the same for other light goods. RUC will increase for some major bread companies too. We're talking many, many millions of dollars extra costs for sending the same goods around the country. And that means basic foods may end up costing shoppers more. We've got to put our price up. The industry's Road Transport Forum says it's an oversight. They almost got it right, but the bits they got wrong are causing some` and will cause some serious anomalies and problems. But the Transport Ministry says it's fair to average out road-user charges. We're not trying to capture money from the amount of trucks on the road. What we're trying to do is to work out how much money we need to pay for the roads and then divvy it up fairly. We're not making any money. We're going to be going backwards with this. For Allan Henderson, transporting leafy greens is leaving him with less green in his pocket. Arrun Soma, ONE News. Three days out from the Olympics, and the thousands of athletes, supporters and journalists involved in the great event are settling in and soaking up the atmosphere. Among them, our ONE News Olympics team. And, Simon, the weather's finally starting to play ball? IT CERTAINLY IS. THE ANGST IS GONE AS WELL. LONDON VOLUNTEERS ARE EVERYWHERE. THE DAWN WAS BLUE AND CLEAR. HIGH 20S IN TEMPERATURE UP TO FRIDAY. Yes, there's really no mistaking we're in an Olympic city. They're now counting down the hours to the opening ceremony in the stadium behind me. 86 to go. And while the London Organising Committe has largely been given the thumbs up from Olympic bosses, there are some last minute hitches as Olympics reporter Garth Bray's found out. HORNS HONK London traffic at a standstill ` what's new? Well, for a start, none of these hackney cabs is carrying a fare. Instead they've slowed to a crawl in protest. < Are you guys just having a moan? Let me ask you this ` if this was your city that you serviced in all weathers, all times of all days around the year, and the biggest show in town comes here and you're excluded from it, would you be happy about that? Stuck in the traffic, along with the tourists soaking up the sun that's finally shining here, are these Olympic issue BMWs. They have exclusive use of special lanes set aside for athletes, officials and VIPs. The cabbies say they ought to be let in too. Decked out in its Olympic rings, no tourist photo album is complete at the moment without a photo of Tower Bridge. So by seizing control of it and hampering the traffic there today, London's cabbies are sending a powerful protest message. But will it help them or anyone else get around any more easily during the Games? Well, my old man's a cabbie, but I'm not that happy about this, because this is making me late home. What have they done? Blocked the end of the road up or what? It's a headache 2012 planners can do without. They're only just overcoming the security issues. Well, that's what the head of the IOC told me, anyway. The company will compensate the extra costs of the soldiers to the government, and I humbly believe that it is time to move on now. But the questions continue with news that the football stadium where NZ plays Brazil on August 1st will now be guarded by a local firm after security contractors G4S were dropped there for failing yet again to deliver for the Games. Garth Bray, ONE News, London. CABS WERE HAVING TROUBLE. IT TOOK ME AN HOUR TO GET 10KS. And will organisers deliver on the opening ceremony? That was the question for hundreds of people allowed in to see the technical rehearsal in the Olympic Stadium. They were asked to keep what they saw under wraps, but details have been emerging on Twitter and Facebook. The $40m ceremony's apparently inspired by Shakespeare's The Tempest. But there'll also be a James Bond twist, along with some cricket, a music-festival mosh pit and no doubt a Beatle will be involved. It seems you can't keep anything a secret thanks to social media, and I'll be back later looking at the role it's expected to play in these Games. Tributes are being paid here and internationally to the NZer acknowledged as one of the world's greatest children's writers. Margaret Mahy died yesterday aged 76 after being diagnosed with cancer in April. Lorelei Mason has more. 'That's how it is,' said the lion, 'Some stories are true.' She was a national treasure in trademark wig and scarf whose vivid imagination captured the hearts of generations of young readers. NZ has produced three writers of genius. The first was Katherine Mansfield, the second was Janet Frame, and the third one is Margaret. A prolific and celebrated author of nearly 200 works, translated into 15 languages. I think I've been a very tradesmanly writer in a lot of ways. Margaret Mahy saw herself as a village storyteller, one who took her craft to the world stage. I actually gave a Margaret Mahy book to David Cameron's children when I visited him earlier in the year ` It was the regard with which both the government and, I think, NZers held her works. Born in Whakatane one of five children, she authored her first book at age 7, but it was many years before a publishing house would recognise her talent. The book, A Lion in the Meadow, launched her international career in 1969. She had this extraordinary use of language, which for her was playful. It was powerful. A solo mum to two daughters, she worked as a librarian by day, writer by night. I used to worked all night, drinking cup after cup of black coffee. Her work was also animated for the small screen. ...and sharp sharkish teeth. She found inspiration for her stories in her own backyard, her beloved Governors Bay on Banks Peninsula. She had a special relationship with the local school, which named its library in her honour, visiting often to read her latest works to the children. She'd put on her wig, she'd put on her scarf, and she would just, you know, share herself. She was made a member of the Order of NZ in 1993... # Happy birthday to you... # ...and the year she turned 70 was awarded the most prestigious of her many literary honours, the Hans Christian Andersen prize. I felt absolutely thrilled. It somehow seems impossible to think of winning it. Sadly, she never lived to see her latest book in print, a collaboration with Christchurch friend and illustrator Gavin Bishop. It's just a silly story, but it's beautifully told. Margaret Mahy is survived by two daughters and seven grandchildren. Lorelei Mason, ONE News. Still to come on ONE News ` Syria threatens to use weapons of mass destruction as we take you into the rebels' ranks. a series of coordinated attacks across Iraq claims dozens of lives in its deadliest day in months. And the perils of polar sightseeing. What happened to a boatload of tourists after this huge glacier began calving. Then at 7 ` Is this the cheapest childcare around? Why the au pair has become so popular with Kiwi parents. There's been international condemnation against the Syrian government after it threatened to use chemical and biological weapons against foreign troops. It's the first time the government's admitted possessing such weapons, but it insists they would never be used on the Syrian people. The comments come as fierce fighting continues around Damascus. From there, the BBC's Paul Woods sent this report. ROCKS CLATTER For these rebels, this is the only way into Syria. The regime's fighting for its life. It's managed to close every other smugglers' crossing from Lebanon, so these men undertake backbreaking trek over the mountains. We're heading for Zabadani. It's ringed by Syrian tanks. They fire at will. EXPLOSIONS ECHO People say the shelling has got much worse over the past few days. They accuse the government of taking revenge for the rebel assault on Damascus last week. People here also say there are far fewer government troops around. It's claimed they're being withdrawn from places like this to defend the capital. So, the rebels say, the army no longer attacks them with soldiers, only shells. These men are Islamists, fighting as much for God as for democracy. They believe they're getting closer than ever to getting rid of President Assad. 'Before Damascus, the regime could crack down where it wanted,' he says. 'Now they're weak. Their soldiers are mercenaries. They fight only from a distance. 'Of course, we have few resources, so the regime is holding on.' EXPLOSION RUMBLES Government heavy weapons fire at the rebels hiding in the orchards on the fringes of Zabadani. It may look like stalemate, but the rebels say their offensive is not over. They too are moving men to the capital. It is there, they believe, that the uprising will succeed or fail. And rebel fighters in Syria's economic capital, Aleppo, claim they've seized control in four neighbourhoods. These images from Turkish television show what's claimed to be a government tank on fire, amid rumours regime troops are being pulled out to fight in the capital, Damascus. The loss of Aleppo, Syria's largest city, would be a significant blow to President Bashar al-Assad. Refugees fleeing Syria for neighbouring Iraq have arrived to one of the worst days of violence since American forces left last year. A string of bombings and shootings across the country have killed at least a hundred people and injured more than 200. The BBC's Bridget Kendall has the details. A planeload of worried Iraqis fleeing the turmoil in Syria. But on arrival home in Baghdad this morning, they found their country was rocked by turmoil too. SIREN WAILS A network of attacks making it the single-deadliest day of violence this year. This was Taji, a town 12 miles north of Baghdad. Here, two car bombs went off. Then, when the police arrived, another suicide bomb ` in all killing more than 40 people. 'If we had weapons, we would have defended ourselves,' says this man. 'Where are the authorities? Where are the security forces?' asks another man. 'Where are the authorities? Where are the security forces?' asks another man. This multiple assault looks meticulously and chillingly coordinated. Over 20 separate attacks in more than a dozen towns and cities ` bombs, gun attacks on checkpoints, even mortar fire on an army base ` apparently targeting security forces, but also killing civilians. No claim of responsibility yet, but this has all the hallmarks of an Al Qaeda-style attack designed, perhaps, to take advantage of the Syrian crisis to stir up trouble across Iraq as well. The attacks came just days after an Al Qaeda campaign was launched in Iraq, recruiting new members. To Spain now, where wildfires have killed at least four people. Among the dead, a father and daughter who jumped off a cliff to escape the flames. The fire's burned across 90km2, forcing nearly 1500 people from their homes. A north wind called the Tramontana is a regular feature in the heavily forested, mountainous north-east. A boatload of sightseers had a brush with death while admiring Greenland's glacial coastline. The threesome clearly thought they were safe as an iceberg avalanche began. ICE RUMBLES, ROARS Wow! Wow! OBJECTS SMASH, CLATTER I've never been this close to dying. I've never been this close to dying before. Happily, all survived to post the clip on YouTube. Now for an update on the heavy rain. Where's it at now? In the Gisborne Ranges, the warning's about to be lifted, but heavy falls are lining up tomorrow. For weather, see onenews.co.NZ Poor little calf born today on wet ground and in drizzle. IN THE BAY OF PLENTY. HE HAD A NICE HOT MEAL. I'll be with you again after sport with Andrew. Up next on ONE News ` why a group of Wellington nurses have gone on hunger strike. An ancient treasure meets the modern age. Te Reo is now available in your pocket. And the Social Media Games are about to begin. We check out what that means for sports fans and athletes alike. Tonight on Close Up ` unmuddying the waters. The new technology keeping it clean and green. No tricks. Just support the natural system. The man on a mission to keep his local lakes living and breathing. Plus ` is this the cheapest childcare around? Why the au pair's become so popular with Kiwi parents. Close Up at 7, TV ONE. What if cars didn't need keys? LOCKS CLICK If you could talk to them with this? What if you could go from nought to 100 in 2.8 seconds? ENGINE REVS If your transmission felt like it never changed gears? If your handbag didn't shoot off the seat when you braked? If old water bottles helped make new seats? And your car could give you a bird's-eye view? What if you never bought another litre of petrol? Can you imagine? Well, we have. 1 A group of Indian nursing students say they're willing to die if they're not allowed to live and work here. The nurses have started a hunger strike after months of talks between the NZ Qualifications Authority and the Nursing Council. Daniel Faitaua with the story. While small in numbers, these nurses say they're prepared to pay the ultimate price. If they're not going to listen to our problems, then we are ready to die. These nurses who qualified in India say they've started a hunger strike in a bid to stay and work in NZ. If any of them collapse or, uh, fall down while fasting strike, uh, we are not taking` not going to take them to the hospital. The trained nurses paid tens of thousands of dollars to undertake postgraduate study in NZ, but were told by the NZ Nurses Council their Indian diplomas did not meet NZ standards, so they can't be hired. The nurses then took their concerns to Parliament, and the NZ Qualifications Authority launched an investigation. The authority says it's planning to allow hundreds of nurses previously declined registration to demonstrate why they should stay and work. Benchmarking of their international qualification, uh, providing an opportunity for a professional demonstration of their clinical skills and in some instances more study. But these nurses say the authorities are being inconsistent because they claim some of their colleagues with diplomas are working in Kiwi hospitals. That's a claim the Nurses Council totally refutes. We can't accept any more, and we will continue our strike. The Tertiary Minister says the protest is too extreme, and they need to talk with the authorities. He's concerned their actions could have an impact on NZ's reputation. From a wider NZ perspective, we don't want any suggestion that people have come here, uh, under one assumption and then not able to train under that same assumption. The review is expected to be released in the next two weeks. Daniel Faitaua, ONE News. The ability to learn one of our national languages is now in your pocket thanks to a smartphone app. Just in time for Maori Language Week, Hika will help you learn hundreds of words and thousands of phrases. Amy Kelley logged on and checked it out. ALL SING IN MAORI It's our national language, but only 4% of us speak it fluently. I can say tena koutou. Whanau? Kia ora ` that's about it. Now all you need to nail the basics of te reo fits into your pocket. Hika is a language-learning application, translating more than 600 words and thousands of possible phrases into te reo. So you touch it once, and it does the instant translation. Tau ke! Awesome. Fantastic. The app's developer, uni lecturer Sophie Tauwehe Tamati, says it's about mobilising Maori language. I have teenage children who are taking Maori at high school, so it might help me to be able to converse, maybe, a little bit more with them. I'm Japanese, so, um, this pronunciation is quite similar to Japanese language. So, yeah, it's really interesting. Developers are still deciding whether to charge after that. They also want to roll out the app overseas in languages from Mandarin to Hawaiian. Amy Kelley, ONE News. And smartphones and social media will play a large part in the Olympics here in London. Sports fans are expected to have unprecedented access to athletes and almost instant results online. But that's forced Olympics bosses to lay down the ground rules. Heather du Plessis-Allan explains. ZAPPING Hash tags, @ signs, Facebook likes, Twitter postings ` these Olympics are the Social Media Games. Well, since 2008 and the Beijing Games, we've seen an enormous explosion in social media. It's gone from something niche to something extremely mainstream. There's a smartphone in nearly everyone's pocket, so every medal, every meltdown, every moment, you can know about it within seconds online. Social media allows us to get closer than ever to the action. We can now communicate directly one-to-one with the athletes that are involved, and they are actually talking back to us. Send our Olympic athletes a tweet, and it goes straight to their phone. PHONE CHIMES They're already online. These are the Blacksticks women, who've taken pictures of themselves posing in the Olympic Village. But this unprecedented access to our Olympians has forced new rules. Olympic bosses have published a list of things athletes can't do when they're online. They can't swear, they can't post videos from inside the Olympic Village, and they can't post pictures of other famous athletes without their permission. Athletes are being asked to avoid sharing snaps like this one, which landed these Australian swimmers in trouble. And we ask all the athletes to... to just respect themselves, respect the team, um, and respect NZ when they're... when they're considering putting something on to their social media. With an estimated billion-plus athletes and spectators on Facebook and Twitter alone, be broken. Heather du Plessis-Allan, ONE News. And you can find more coverage on the Olympics on our website, onenews.co.nz/olympics Looking at our top stories tonight. The family of accused Colorado gunman James Holmes says they're standing by their son, but have again said their hearts go out to his 12 victims. A dazed and exhausted Holmes appeared in court for the first time, but said nothing. The prosecutor has confirmed she is considering pursuing the death penalty for James Holmes. An engineering expert appearing at the Canterbury Earthquake Commission has defended the CTV building's construction. Professor John Mander told the commission the building's construction was adequate for the design demands of the time it was built, but a more detailed inspection should have been made after the 2010 quake. Andrew's here with sport, and league's safety debate flares up again? We have a strong local view on the use of the shoulder next. If it's outlawed from the NRL, what does it mean for this returnee from union? Plus ` how a home semi-final means a whole lot more than just a warm feeling for the Chiefs. The All Blacks get together early to plot for the new Test championship. And we're there as our Olympic sailors settle in beside the seaside beside the sea. The hotly debated shoulder charge is back in the headlines after a tackle in the latest round of NRL league. The shoulder is illegal in rugby union. Now many are calling for it to be outlawed in league. Kimberlee Downs reports. Inglis comes`! Oh! The incident that's reignited one of the NRL's great debates. I'd like to see the, uh, shoulder-charge tackle outlawed from next weekend. Dean Young was concussed and had to be carted from the field after this tackle by Greg Inglis. Now doctors across the competition say enough's enough. They're calling for its removal. The players don't want to be sighted as the ones criticising the shoulder tackle and being seen as wimps or, you know, something like that, so you won't get many players criticising it. But we've got a duty of care to people being involved in the game, and medically it's too dangerous. Indeed, players are supporting the status quo. I'm a believer in whatever happens on the field stays on the field and without intent. It doesn't bother me. You know, we don't want to go like union and go, you know, ball and all tackle. You know, it's a bit boring. Speaking of union, what would a ban mean for one of the shoulder charge's most recognisable proponents, Sonny Bill Williams? Oh! The Chiefs star struggled to quit the habit when he switched to the 15-man code. The ARL Commission's already examining the shoulder charge. He's been set up! Also in the spotlight ` Panthers hooker Travis Burns, who could cop a 17-week ban after two dangerous tackles against the Roosters. He and Inglis face judiciary hearings tomorrow night. Kimberlee Downs, ONE News. In a surprise move, the warriors have named winger Manu Vatuvei as captain for their match against Manly this weekend. Usual skipper Simon Mannering is out injured. North Queensland might have helped the Warriors' chances of making the top eight by beating the Wests Tigers. Matt Bowen was instrumental in keeping the Tigers in eighth place, just two points ahead of the Warriors, setting up two first-half tries for the Cowboys. The Tigers responded with two of their own before the break, but trailing in the dying stages, Kiwi Benji Marshall coughed it up. Comes across to Heighington and out the back. Marshall. Ball goes to ground. Tate has a chance to pick it up, and they turn it over on the very first play. Bowen sealed the deal minutes later with a field goal. Final score 29-16. The Cowboys are now fourth overall. The All Blacks have added a two-day camp to their schedule ahead of the upcoming rugby championship series. Players who aren't involved in the super final will get together in Wellington next week for two days. The group of upwards of 30 will include uncapped players. Meanwhile, Friday night's semi-final in Hamilton is on track for a lucrative sell-out. Go, the Chiefy! Over 20,000 tickets sold. Under 5000 to go. While the profits' important, uh, it's actually more important that we have those home games. Just the second home play-off in 17 years means a six-figure profit. That's even after the Chiefs have paid the Crusaders $130,000 for their slice of the action. The players may also get a share. The Chiefs board meets tomorrow to discuss, among other things, bonus payments, but they're not automatic. Super rugby glory will suffice. I still get that... that feeling of, you know, real, um, real excitement, um, as if I was playing again. Gary Dawson faces a contest over the kitchen table over the next few days. Wife Sheryl is the Magic netball team's CEO, but there's no heat at home. We're in good shape at the moment. Obviously, Magic had a... had a great weekend and a fantastic, uh, win to win championship win. Both netball and rugby outfits have star-pulling power on their rosters mixed in with that smaller town down-to-earth attitude Obviously people do come and see` want to see individual stars, but overall, I think the biggest impact has been the Chiefs' performance. The bookies have the Chiefs as $2.20 outsiders, a steep climb, even at home. Chiefs fans and players starved of finals football and packed into Waikato Stadium might have something to say about that. England's cricketers have been left licking their wounds after a thrashing by South Africa in their first Test at the Oval in London. Starting the final day four wickets down and needing 150 runs to force South Africa to bat again, the home side quickly succumbed to the visitors' pace attack. Oh, inside edge and gone! Not the best delivery, but devastating. Got him. Oh, gone. The top-ranked Test side in the world lost by an innings and 12 runs, their first defeat at home for nearly two years. Ian Bell offered the only real resistance in the England side, batting almost five hours for 55. Dale Steyn was the pick of the South African bowlers, taking five wickets for 56. So England was bundled out by Steyn and Tahir, but the damage had been done by South Africa's batsmen. That 637 included Amla's triple century and hundreds from Kallis and Smith. The West Indies side to face NZ in the Test matches starting Thursday has been bolstered by star batsman Chris Gayle. Gayle whacked the Blackcaps around in the one-dayers for an average 71 a game. He turned his back on Test cricket 18 months ago after falling out with the West Indies board, but he's back. Meanwhile, paceman Neil Wagner looks set to make his Test debut for NZ with fellow South African native Kruger van Wyk keeping wickets in Antigua. Injuries ruled out BJ Watling and Trent Boult. To our Olympic countdown, and yachting's hopefuls fall into two categories ` those who could deliver, and those who should. All the sailors were on parade today at the sailing venue at Weymouth on England's South Coast. Martin Tasker reports. A photo call for Yachting NZ's Olympic sailors, in fine weather at last, bringing some smiles. But behind them the pressure is building as they try to stick to the normal routines in a situation that is anything but normal. And the important thing is that they keep that going, they've got coaches who they trust, who can help keep that going so that every day is a normal day ` as normal as possible. Because once you're out there on the racetrack, you know, that's the environment you're used to being in. Billed as a crew who should deliver are Peter Burling and Blair Tuke in the 49er class. The young duo aren't fazed by the expectations. Had a few good results in the last two world championships and the test event ` getting medals in all three of those. We're pretty happy with where we're at. < Feeling the pressure? Nah, not really. Not at all, really. We're just trying to enjoy the moment. You know, it's pretty cool to come to an Olympic Games. Comparative veteran Andrew Murdoch hopes experience can help him deliver this time. I was saying to some of the guys the other day, having been to an Olympics already really makes a difference. At this stage last time around, I was feeling a lot different, and I just feel a lot more comfortable this time around. Given a number of the track records here, there are good grounds for optimism. But sparse results in recent Games have left sailors wary of raising hopes. Blissfully oblivious to the tensions building out at sea, the British holidaymakers are soaking up some rare sun before the Olympic action gets underway. Martin Tasker, ONE News, Weymouth. The rowers are among the first Kiwis in action at the Games on Sunday. There are some well-known crews rowing for gold and some who fly under the radar. These two lightweights scullers might be low profile, but they're heavyweight medal contenders. Here's Olympic reporter Craig Stanaway. You'll never met two blokes more obsessed with losing weight than Storm Uru and Peter Taylor. I've spent the last six years, you know, looking at my food and, you know, looking at what I need to take in and, um` Come on. You'll be able to drop that, do you reckon? I-I'll definitely be able to, eh. (LAUGHS) You reckon you'll be able to eat fish and chips and not think, 'Oh, this is bad for me'? Oh, no eat healthily, but, like` but not analyse everything that's going in your mouth, eh. # I'm always pushing myself to the limit, # making sure I stay ahead. # It's tough because we're 6'3", and it's not natural to be 70kg at 6'3". How they manage that final half kilogram is just huge as to whether they're winning the A final or in the B final. Storm and Pete have been going very well for a long, long time now. Beijing wasn't a fair reflection at all of where they're at. In Beijing, they were the best of the rest, winning the B final. In the past, we'd dehydrate and lose fluid on an erg, you know, have a kg or 2 kg floating around, you know, underneath us and float a bit. But now we've got to bring down our actual weight so we're not dehydrated when we're racing. Because when we're looking at winning by 0.1 or 0.2 of a second, you can't be dehydrated. The men's lightweight double are in an incredibly good position heading to London. At the last World Cup regatta before the Olympic Games, they won gold. They're an absolute medal prospect, and I believe they're very capable of going all the way. But they're in tough race with some tough crews, so it'll be another exciting race. We've put together an awesome base over our summer ` just been smashing it out there in the single sculls together and trying to beat each other. And you can't, you know, catch up on fitness and base work. They're ready. The Olympic final, August 4, can't come soon enough. Craig Stanaway, ONE News. Thanks, Andrew. After the break ` Jim will update the northern rain and looks ahead to the weekend. Tonight on Close Up ` unmuddying the waters ` the new technology keeping it clean and green. No tricks, just support the natural system. The man on a mission to keep his local lakes living and breathing. Plus, is this the cheapest childcare around? Why the au pair has become so popular with Kiwi parents. Close Up's here next, TV ONE. Hi again. The main rain band is now off the Hawke's Bay coast. Warnings have been lifted, but we'll still be seeing some good falls along the hills. There's a rain warning inland from Napier to the Tararuas. What good's that footbridge after the Bay of Plenty's heavy rain? For weather, see onenews.co.nz And that's ONE News this Tuesday. Now here's Close Up.