Wellington (New Zealand), Feb. 28 : The New Zealand cricket squad for the first three one day internationals (ODI) against India announced today features the return of Jacob Oram, Jesse Ryder and Kyle Mills, all of who were out of the squad with different injuries.

Ewen Thompson and Nathan McCullum from the Twenty20 squad have been omitted.

Stuff. co. nz quoted selection panel chairman Glenn Turner as saying that the squad was a strong one, which reflected the sizeable pool of players in consistent good form at international and domestic levels.

The selectors had decided not to include a second spinner in the initial ODI squad, Turner said.

Wellington  - The New Zealand government would consider subsidizing a day off every two weeks for workers to try to save jobs as the international recession bites, Prime Minister John Key said Friday.

The idea of factory hands working only nine days every two weeks was debated by business leaders at a job summit organized by the centre-right government to consider ways to handle rising unemployment as critical export income falls.

Under the scheme, the government would pay for workers to undergo training or do community work on the 10th day.

Wellington  - Air New Zealand announced Thursday a 79-per- cent slump in after-tax profits for the six months ending December 31, after what chairman John Palmer said was one of the toughest periods airlines had ever faced.

The airline, which is 76 per cent owned by the government, reported net profits of 24 million New Zealand dollars (12.24 million US dollars) for the half-year.

Palmer cited the unprecedented price of fuel, which rose 36 per cent on the same period in 2007, adding 211 million New Zealand dollars to costs of running the airline.

Wellington  - The New Zealand stock market - the first in the world to open every day - bounced back from a five-year low on Wednesday following the recovery overnight on Wall Street.

The benchmark NZX-50 index, which fell below 2,500 on Tuesday for the first time since January 2004, gained 42 points to 2,530, a rise of 1.7 per cent, in morning trading.

Wellington  - New Zealander Nadya Vessey, who lost her legs in a childhood illness, now swims like a mermaid - thanks to Oscar-winning movie special effects wizards Weta Workshop, according to news reports on Wednesday.

The workshop, which won Oscars for their effects on The Lord of the Rings trilogy, made a mermaid wetsuit for her, complete with fishtail, which she tested in a Wellington pool.

Wellington  - The New