1Police searching for the missing Christchurch woman Vanessa Pickering accept they may be looking for a body although they hope to still find Vanessa Pickering alive.

2A state of disaster has been declared for the popular tourist destination of Aitutaki in the Cook Islands, which was battered by Cyclone Pat overnight.

3Differences between the Government and its ally the Maori Party seem to be widening over what to do about the Foreshore and Seabed Act. The Prime Minister has suggested that one option could be to rule that no one owns the foreshore and seabed, but that proposal has been rejected by Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia.

4The cost of filling the shopping trolley rose this month, ending five months of declining prices. Across the board the increase is 2.1-percent though it's hike in the price of diary that people are noticing at the checkout.

5The ink was barely dry on a Law Commission report on illegal drugs, before the Government had moved to rule out any softening of the current law. The latest report from the commission says that penalties should be more closely based on the harm caused rather than the blunt and punitive approach being taken now.

6Business News

7The Minister of Finance Bill English has been defending the Government's plan to raise GST and dismissing the Labour Party's accusation that its broken its word on the issue.

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9Frustration is growing in the debate over how to revamp Auckland's Queens Wharf in time for next year's Rugby World Cup. The Auckland City Council has unveiled three new cheaper alternatives for the $100-million plan being promoted by the Government, though no one knows who will pay for them, despite the looming decision.

10The number of houses sold in January tumbled, sparking fears the economy could shrink again in the first half of this year.

11Canada's military are said to be in a 'state of shock 'after the arrest of one of the country's top military commanders for the murders of two women and sexual assault on two others.

12Waatea News

13In Australia, the Environment Minister Peter Garrett is fighting to keep his job as he comes under increasing pressure to reveal when he was alerted to safety warnings about an insulation scheme that has been linked to the deaths of four people.

14Christchurch City councillors have voted in favour of a bylaw to crack down on the boy racers, taking the city one step closer to becoming the first in New Zealand to ban cruising.

15A Canterbury school Methven Primary that received a water bill for almost $20-thousand says there's no way it could have used all of the water it's been billed for.

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17More emphasis on treatment for drug users rather than jail and a greater distinction between the penalities for commercial supply and drug dealing amongst friends are among proposals being put up by the Law Commission for public debate. The ink was barely dry on a Law Commission report on illegal drugs, before the Government had moved to rule out any softening of the current law.

18The Southland District Health Board has voted in favour of merging with its Otago counterpart at a meeting in Invercargill today.

19Diary giant Fonterra is postponing its plan to move thousands of its staff to Telecom XT network after a series of network failures.

20Business News

21Hillside Limited, A company owned by the Crafer family, and with a history of dirty-dairying, has again had to pay for its mistakes this time with a $65-thousand fine.

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23The city that is hosting the 2010 Winter Olympics is becoming home to a vicious drug war.

24The final group of child soldiers who served in the Maoist army during Nepal's civil war have been discharged and re-entered civilian life.

25It's now official, United States cities such as Baltimore and Washington DC have never before recorded as much snow in a season.

26A court in Turkey has sentenced the editor of a Kurdish newspaper to 21-years in prison for publishing material sympathetic to the outlawed Kurdish Workers Party, the PKK.

27Waatea News

28The day that is the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution is just beginning in Iran and supporters and opponents of the government are expected to take to the streets.

29UK MPs have backed holding a referendum on whether to scrap the country's "first past-the-post" FPP voting system.