Five people are in custody after a week-long car theft spree ended with a driver jumping into a river yesterday in Blenheim yesterday.

Power is back on in most areas of Timaru after a major blackout when a substation caught fire this morning.

A fire at a Timaru power substation has caused a city-wide power outage.

A NZ woman has died after being ravaged by swine flu for three months. The 43-year-old had no other health conditions when she became ill.