1Prime Minister Sir Robert Muldoon has announced there is to be a snap election held on July 14th as he no longer has a majority in Parliament following the Caucus withdrawal of National Party back bench MP Marilyn Waring. Governor General Sir David Beattie agreed to dissolve Parliament. Party organisations have quickly switched into election mode in preparation for an election in four weeks time. The Broadcasting Corporation took a Labour Party advertisement off the airwaves this morning, prompting Leader David Lange to accuse them of trying to censor his campaign. The advertisement urged voters to sign up on the electoral rolls before they close on Monday night. The last time New Zealand had a snap election was in 1951, when Prime Minister Sidney Holland's National Party dissolved Parliament at the height of the waterfront dispute. This time there are parallels with industrial action at Marsden Point, making industrial relations a key election issue.

2Prime Minister Sir Robert Muldoon has announced there is to be a snap election held on July 14th. News of the early election will put increasing pressure on returning officers who need to ensure all preparations are made for polling day. However, the pens should all be ready for the voting booths as the order was placed earlier this year with a Dunedin company.

3Britain's Conservative Party has suffered a stunning defeat in the Portsmouth by-election. In last year's general election the Conservative MP won the seat by 12,000 votes, but after his death, the Liberal Social Democratic Alliance won the by-election with a 1300 vote majority. Political analysts say this points to a big swing away from the Conservatives.

4Australia's Labor Government has just been defeated for the second time on an income tax Bill. Does this signal the likelihood of a snap election for Australian in the next few months?

5One crewman was killed and two others are still missing after a crash between two freight trains in Motley, Minnesota.

6The Dutch Government is to delay the deployment of cruise missiles and try to persuade the Soviet Union not to increase its arsenal of SS20 missiles.

7A vast network of secret agents working for the Iranian Government have been uncovered in the United States. It is claimed the Iranians have been operating through South Korean front-men to get American manufacturers to supply them with prohibited military equipment.

8The Indian Army has claimed that huge quantities of heroin and other drugs were found in the Sikhs' Golden Temple after troops captured during Operation Blue Star it last week. Army authorities believe Sikh extremists have been trading the drugs in exchange for weapons.

9A rescue plan has saved the troubled West Coast plywood manufacturer Aorangi Industries.

10A seminar entitled "You Are The Way You Eat" opens in Auckland tomorrow, with the traditional emphasis on dairy and meat products coming under fire from the medical profession. Researchers at the Auckland Medical School have come up with even more reasons why New Zealanders should reduce their fat intake and increase fibre in the diet.

11It is 25 years today since New Zealand's top horticultural crop - the kiwifruit - was given its new name. Prior to 1959 it was known as the Chinese Gooseberry, but since its name was changed it has boomed into a $100 million a year export industry.