1A High Court judge has vented his anger about the public's misconception that murder sentences are too light - saying life does mean life. Justice Graham Panckhurst has said all convicted murders are sentenced to life in prison and that the public are wrong to think that the minimum non-parole period is the same as a release date. He make the comments while sentencing a 41-year-old man, who the court heard is so violent, he may never be allowed out of prison.

2Hundreds of corner dairies face losing their licence to sell alcohol following a landmark decision by the Liquor Licensing Authority. The Authority has decided that a Christchurch dairy is not a grocery store and will probably loose its licence when it comes up for renewal in March.

3Candidates seeking to become Auckland's first super mayor will be able to spend nearly $600-thousand during the official campaign period. The limits are included in the final bill published today which will setup the Auckland Council after local body elections next October.

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5The new head of the agency in charge of legal aid says he's hoping to launch a joint investigation with the law society to get to the bottom of how many lawyers are rorting the system. Sir John Hansen a former high court judge is head of the new legal services agency, most of the previous members resigned after a damning report by Dame Margaret Bazley.

6Tiger Woods has issued a public statement apologising to his family for what he euphemistically calls transgressions. However, he has not given any details about what is proving to be a challenging situation for the champion golfer.

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8Opposition parties say the Prime Minister will come under pressure at Copenhagen over New Zealand's performance to help combat climate change and significantly reduce carbon emissions. Mr. Key's change of heart about attending the conference comes as a serge of other overseas leaders have signalled their attendance.

9Senior members of the United States administration have spent the day on Capitol Hill defending President Obama's new strategy for Afghanistan. United States Defence Secretary Robert Gates has told congress that kerbing the Taliban was essential for regional security.

10The gas industry is scrambling to free up a constricted supply of natural gas into Auckland. The pipeline from Waikato northward is proving too narrow to take the increased supply of gas.

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12The Automobile Association has asked politicians not to take too tough a line on criminals' entitlements to Accident Compensation Corporation cover.

13Senior doctors say health services aren't being delivered equally and a public debate is needed.

14A new 'do it yourself system' that will reduce the time it takes for airline passengers to get through passport control has been unveiled at Auckland International Airport. 'SmartGate' uses information stored on ePassports to perfom the role of customs officers.

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16President Barak Obama's plan to set a date for starting troop withdrawals from Afghanistan is coming under fire from his former Presidential rival. Republican senator John McCain says imposing the start date of July 2011 risks emboldening the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. He announced the details in a speech yesterday.

17The announcement of 30-thousand more United States troops for Afghanistan is causing unease in American Samoan. It has one of the highest per capita Army signup rates for any US territory or state.

18The special Commonwealth envoy to Fiji, Sir Paul Reeves, says New Zealand's foreign policy towards the Pacific island nation needs a complete overhaul.

19A crisis team which will go into homes to support victims of family violence is being trialled in Auckland. The First Response group is a joint venture between the New Zealand Police, Child, Youth and Family and 'Shine'.

20Making it a criminal offense for jurors to search the web, and asking newspapers to take their archived stories off-line have been floated as ways to help juries remain impartial.

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22Five British yachtsmen who crossed into Iran's waters in the Gulf have now been released.

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24The Green Party has announced a plan it says will create an estimated 50-thousand jobs, improve the health of our forests, and significantly reduce New Zealand's carbon emissions.

25The police are taking a festive approach to crime prevention with the launch their 12 Crimes of Christmas campaign.

26Japan's government is likely to agree this week to an extra budget to combat a rising yen and deflation in order to avoid another economic slump.

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