1New Zealand has secured Australian agreement to increase joint military exercises to fill the gap left by the United States.

2Job sharing with more flexible working hours is listed as the top priority in a report from the twenty-one Women's Forums held last year.

3The Government is boosting its hospital spending this year to over $1.2 billion.

4The speed limit on the open road could rise to 100 kilometres per hour next month. However, traffic officers are pioneering new sophisticated equipment to catch speeding drivers.

5John Frederick Gillies, jailed for his part in the Bassett Road machine gun murders in 1963, is to be released from jail on life parole.

6Queen Elizabeth II and The Dyke of Edinburgh will visit New Zealand for ten days early next year. Today, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester arrived in New Zealand for a ten-day visit.

7Lebanese Government troops have come under fire by Christian and pro-Israel militia groups near Sidon as the army prepares to send reinforcements to gain control of the area.

8The latest Eyewitness News Heylen poll shows that Opposition leader Jim McLay has suffered another heavy drop in public support. The poll also showed that public opinion generally does not favour either a Goods and Services Tax (GST) or the Perks and Fringe Benefits Tax.

9Transport MInister Richard Prebble today faced Stewart Islanders who are angry at increased charges on the Wairua ferry, their only sea link with the mainland.

10New Zealand has secured Australian agreement to increase joint military exercises to fill the gap left by the United States. However, Defence MInister Frank O'Flynn hinted that increased military spending may mean spending cuts in other areas. A look at some of the lighter moments from the Defence press conference.