1The Government's anti-nuclear ships policy is about to face its toughest test yet - the United States Government has forwarded a note on port visits for its vessels which is currently being considered.

2Moto Kauri Island in Northland has become the subject of a row involving the Lands and Survey Department, a bankrupt couple and the Auckland High Court.

3Air New Zealand Christmas flights are in jeopardy as flight attendants head for a showdown with the airline over a proposed new roster.

4The Watersiders' strike that has closed New Zealand's four container terminals entered its ninth day today.

5The Dairy Workers' Union is to call off its planned strike immediately.

6Door to door inquiries by Police have not produced any new leads in the search for the mother of Baby Helen, who was abandoned under a hedge on Wednesday night.

7A witness has told the Inquiry into the Queen Street Riot of drunken scenes and broken glass in Aotea Square during the riots.

8A huge floating mass of pumice is threatening fishing grounds in Tonga.

9The Indian city of Bhopal is now in the throes of a second mass evacuation of residents as well as the invasion of American lawyers eager to pursue compensation claims against the Union Carbide Company for the deadly gas leak in the city.

10The United States has again criticised Iran for its handling of last week's Tehran hijacking incident in which two Americans were killed.

11Nearly half the population of Stewart Island boarded the ferry Wairua today while a blockade of fishing boats prevented the boat from leaving Half Moon Bay wharf. The protest was over a hike in freight and passenger fares between Stewart Island and the mainland.

12Auckland criminal lawyer Eb Leary was acquitted of a theft charge in the Auckland High Court today.

13New Zealand Steel says a Wellington stockbroker's forecast the steel from the expanded Glenbrook Steel Mill may be too costly is "inaccurate and misleading".

14New Zealand is too tighten up asbestos regulations, making New Zealand one of the toughest countries in the world for asbestos use.

15The rabbit plague in the South island is causing farmers and pest control experts considerable alarm and has prompted strong please for the introduction of the rabbit virus Myxomatosis.

16A study by the New Zealand Planning Council into world demand for agricultural produce has warned that New Zealand should expect intense and often unreasonable competition for dairy milk and other dairy products until the end of the century. The study is titled 'Towards A Strategy For New Zealand Agriculture'.

17Residents of Auckland's Okahu Bay have been witnessing the preparations of the Moscow Circus on Ice at they prepare for their first New Zealand show. The show includes a team of brown bears playing ice hockey.