1There are signs today that Parliament is willing to toughen up the rules for referendum questions, as controversy grows around the upcoming vote on child discipline. The leaders of both Labour and National are likely to boycott the vote on whether a smack, as part of good parental correction should be a criminal offence because of the ambuguity of that question.

2The legal position of paying workers forced to stay home because of swine flu appears unclear and employers say they want it clarified. The Employers and Manufacturers Association says the issue is around employees who are put in to quarantine, even when they're not ill.

3Tehran is braced for another day of protests amid growing fear the authorities are poised to crack down. This comes despite the Council of Guardians saying they'd recount some of the vote which saw the re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as president of Iran.

4Business News

5A meeting between central and local government has just finished in Auckland to decide how much should be spent developing the city's Queens Wharf. The Government and the Auckland Regional Council have done a deal to purchase the wharf and transform part of it into "Party Central" for the 2011 Rugby World Cup and a cruise ship terminal.

6Politicians are still playing coy about whether they will investigate overcharging by banks. The Finance and Expenditure select committee says it will continue to discuss whether it will set up an enquiry in to banks' profits.

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8The Labour Party has accused the Government of wasting more than $100-thousand by cancelling a health conference in February.

9With $26-million up for grabs, ticket sales for Lotto's Big Wednesday draw are set to pass the 2-million mark - but not everyone is thrilled about the size of the prize, there is currently a $30-million cap on Lotto.

10A new report commissioned by the Environment Ministry says agriculture should be excluded from an Emissions Trading Scheme until there's a cheaper way of measuring what the sector emits. Agriculture accounts for over 50% of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emmissions.

11Waatea News

12A Massey University study has revealed that women agricultural workers are more at risk of developing leukaemia than all other occupation groups.

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14Dow AgroSciences says it is willing to pay $50-thousand towards the cost of ensuring a dioxin contaminated park in New Plymouth is safe.

15Signs today that Parliament is willing to toughen up the rules for referendum questions amid the controversy over the upcoming vote on child discipline. The leaders of both Labour and National are likely to boycott the vote on whether a smack, as part of good parental correction should be a criminal offence because of the ambiguity of that question.

16Pressure is growing on the Government to take action on interest rates after MPs took another step today towards an inquiry into bank profits. The Finance and Expenditure select committee says it will continue to discuss whether it will set up an enquiry in to banks' profits.

17A witness has told the High Court she saw murder accused Nai Yin Xue driving with what appeared to be his family, one day after the Crown says he murdered his wife. 55-year-old Nai Yin Xue is on trial for the murder of his wife in September 2007.

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19Prime Minister John Key is insisting that a development on Auckland's Waterfront - that he wants to be "party central" for the 2011 Rugby World Cup - does constitute 'core' local council business. The Government and the Auckland Regional Council have done a deal to purchase the wharf for the 2011 Rugby World Cup and a cruise ship terminal.

20The number of confirmed cases of nfluenza A H1N1 'swine flu' has risen by 18 today to 127, with new cases identified in Auckland, Rotorua, Wellington and Christchurch. The Ministry of Health says 105 people are ill with the virus and that others have recovered.

21The World Food Programme's warned that it has run out of food to provide for 9-million Ethiopians after it has been revealed that food stocks were sold for profits.

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23News from China, including: Karaoke bar waitress freed after stabbing a Communist Party official; compulsory Net Nanny software in China; billions of dollars loaned to Russia;

24Victim Support groups have told MPs that the three strikes sentencing bill needs to be made much tougher. A select committee has been hearing submissions on the bill that would see a minimum sentence of 25-years to life imposed on those convicted of three violent offences.

25The European aircraft maker Airbus has said it still doesn't know why one of its planes crashed into the Atlantic earlier this month, killing all 228 people on board.

26The United States President Barack Obama has described North Korea's missile and nuclear programmes as a grave threat to the region and the world. At a joint press conference with South Korean president Lee Myung-bak, he said he'd break the pattern by rewarding North Korea with aid for changing its provocative behaviour.

27Waatea News

28The Prime Minister of Peru, Yehude Simon, says he'll resign in the next few weeks because of the crisis over the land rights of indigenous people in the Amazon rain forest.

29The Al Jazeera news network is calling for the immediate release of two of its journalists being held by Afghan Intelligence.