1The Government has come out in favour of raising GST to 15-percent, while at the same time cutting personal income tax rates. The Prime Minsiter says increasing GST and making property investors pay more tax will raise about $3-billion to $4-billion which can be given back to working New Zealanders. At the same time the Government has ruled out introducing a land tax and a capital gains tax, though the hike in GST is controversial.

2Paradex and Capadex, painkillers used by about 78-thousand New Zealanders are being pulled from the market because it's too easy to overdose on them and they're dangerous when used with alcohol.

3Business News

4A Whangarei court has heard that on the night that Liberty Templeman disappeared, her mother rang the teenager now standing trial for her murder.

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6The Government has come out in favour of raising GST to 15-percent, while at the same time cutting personal income tax rates. The Prime Minsiter says increasing GST and making property investors pay more tax will raise about $3-billion to $4-billion which can be given back to working New Zealanders. At the same time the Government has ruled out introducing a land tax and a capital gains tax, though the hike in GST is controversial.

7The Government is calling on Auckland's mayors to support a $40-milion bridging loan to ensure the Eden Park upgrade is completed in time for the Rugby World Cup next year.

8Kevin Polwart, who broke out of Auckland Prison says he did it to prove that he was not a danger to the community.

9Waatea News

10Michael Jackson's personal doctor, Conrad Murray, has pleaded not guilty in a Los Angeles court to a charge of involuntary manslaughter over the star's death.

11Fines of up to $1-thousand may be slapped on drivers caught cruising in Christchurch's boyracer trouble-spots.

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13The Government has come out in favour of raising GST to 15-percent, while at the same time cutting personal income tax rates. The Prime Minsiter says increasing GST and making property investors pay more tax will raise about $3-billion to $4-billion which can be given back to working New Zealanders. At the same time the Government has ruled out introducing a land tax and a capital gains tax, though the hike in GST is controversial.

14High school students in Christchurch could face criminal charges after making malicious threats and derogatory comments about their principal on the website Facebook.

15The risk of getting cancer is expected to decline in the coming decade, bucking New Zealand's trend of the past 50-years.

16A team of international researchers claims to have found a link between soft drinks and pancreatic cancer.

17Business News

18A prosecution witness has told the High Court in Napier that a man killed in Central Hawke's Bay was wound up and angry the night he was fatally stabbed outside a hotel. Hulio Ataria is charged with murdering Mark McCutcheon outside an Ongaonga pub in January last year.

19Washington DC remains mainly closed for business after heavy snowfalls brought the American capital to a standstill.

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21The police and Ministry of Health are investigating the death of a boy who drowned while under the care of a trust which specialises in looking after the disabled.

22Toyota is recalling its 2010 Prius hybrid vehicle over a problem with its brakes. The car maker's handling of dangerous defects has come under intense scrutiny as recalls spread from floor mats, sticking accelerators and now to brake issues.

23Waatea News

24The doctor for the late singer Michael Jackson has today pleaded not guilty in Los Angeles to charges of involuntary manslaughter over the popstar's death.

25The British prime minister Gordon Brown says the laying down of arms by another Irish Republican paramilitary group is a defining moment in the Northern Ireland peace process.

26The Australian prime minister has weighed in on the question of whether the alcohol drinking age of 18 should be raised to 21.