1The Government will consider further tax cuts when the tax working group makes its final report by Christmas. The Minister of Finance Bill English will not confirm the government committed itself to the cuts though it has ruled out taxing the family home.

2Motorcyclists are angry and upset by a review of accident compensation levies which they say has ignored their arguments against a steep rate hike. ACC has backed-off slightly on the rates for motorcyclists though has stayed firm on changes for workers and employers.

3Motorcyclists are angry and upset by a review of accident compensation levies which they say has ignored their arguments against a steep rate hike. ACC has backed-off slightly on the rates for motorcyclists though has stayed firm on changes for workers and employers. The chairman of the ACC, John Judge has been listening to that and joins us on the line.

4A Disciplinary Tribunal has heard evidence today of how a Canterbury dentist sedated three women patients and then got them to touch his genitals.

5Business News

6Tony Abbott is the new leader of the Australian opposition after ousting Malcolm Turnbull by just one vote. Abbott won the vote 42 to 41.

75:30pm News

8A radical new taxation scheme that would give every adult in New Zealand $10-thousand a year and introduce a flat tax rate has been put to the tax working group. Economist Gareth Morgan has told the group at a conference in Wellington that combining the tax and benefit system, and setting income tax at 25-cents to the dollar would be a fairer system for all.

9United States federal authorities say they'll be filing papers in the Australian courts to try and get the New Zealand born spam merchant Lance Atkinson to pay a $21-million fine.

10Waatea News

11Constable Clinton Hill is on trial in the High Court in Auckland for the manslaughter of George Harris in 2004 who was killed by a street sweeper as he ran away from police.

12The vessle Earthrace is to join anti-whaling protest. The skipper is Pete Bethune - his job is to help disrupt the whalers by intercepting their harpoon vessals and also using a new weapon - Tiki Taane at very high volume.

13The head of the Law Society is heading to the Manukau District Court to find out what's behind claims that up to 80-percent of lawyers practising there are gaming the legal aid system. The accusations come a scathing report on legal aid by Dame Margaret Bazley saying there could be 200 or more lawyers rorting the system, that some are corrupt and that they should be struck off.

146:00pm News

15After months of debate the United States, President Barack Obama is set to spell out an expanded US commitment to the war in Afghanistan. The President has not said how many additional troops will be sent, though he has given the orders to the military to begin carrying out his plan.

16The most senior British foreign policy adviser to former prime minister Tony Blair has been giving evidence at the public inquiry on Britain's role in the decision to invade Iraq. Sir David Manning has said that the United Kingdom's main role in Afghanistan was disarmament and not regime change.

17Climate scientists are predicting a typical El Nino summer for New Zealand: cool, dry and windy.

18The Warehouse is rejecting a claim by the National Distribution Union that work conditions at its stores have deteriorated following recent restructuring. About 2-thousand union members are taking part in a stop-work meetings around the country in protest over changes to working conditions.

19A controversial $28-million performing arts centre proposed for Nelson is dividing the region.

20Business News

21A shortage of housing continues to drive up prices in our biggest cities while slow sales in the provinces means the picture is very different. A realestate.co.nz report says there is a shortage of properties in the main centres.

22The Royal Society is one of the world's oldest scientific institutions, founded in London in 1660. To mark its 350-year anniversary it's launching an online archive.

236:30pm News

24News from the United Kingdom, including: diplomatic tension with Iran over the detention of five British sailors; Sir David Manning, foreign policy adviser to former prime minister Tony Blair, has been giving evidence at the public inquiry on Britain's role in the decision to invade Iraq; Bishop of Croydon has called several Christmas carols as ridiculous;

25When President Obama's announces extra United States forces to Afghanistan overnight, he's expected to stress the need for more involvement from the Afghan government and its forces. There are already plans to train an extra 50-thousand Afghan toops by the end of next year.

26Waatea News

27The International Court of Justice will begin hearings tonight to determine the legality of Kosovo's independence. The case requested by Serbia is the first time the Court has looked at whether succession complies with international law.

28The World Health Organisation is recommending HIV positive people receive anti-retroviral drugs earlier something AIDS organisations have long campaigned for.

29The country's first commercial Chinese green tea plantation has been officially opened near Hamilton.