1Industrial action by broadcasting journalists in support of pay demands has been suspended following an offer by the Broadcasting Corporation (NZBC) to discuss their demands.

2The French Government has delayed the release of its official inquiry into possible French Secret Service involvement in the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior. The refloated ship is to be placed in the Devonport dry dock tomorrow.

3Opposition Finance spokesman Bill Birch says last night's Budget will be irrelevant when it takes effect in fourteen months. New Zealand Democrat leader Bruce Beetham has called for an immediate introduction of the tax cuts promised in last night's Budget. The New Zealand Party's new leader, John Galvin says the Government's tax reform has not been comprehensive enough.

4In his Budget last night, Australian Treasurer Paul Keating unveiled plans to assist low income families, the unemployed and farmers.

5Broadcasting Minister Jonathan Hunt hugged Wellington Central MP Fran Wilde in Parliament today as the Adult Adoption Bill survived attempts to radically amend it today.

6The path has been cleared for New Zealand Vietnam Veterans affected by Agent Orange to claim their share of the settlement agreed to in the the United States.

7The lives of critically ill patients at Auckland hospitals could be endangered because of a shortage of senior nurses.

8The Operation Deep Freeze summer scientific programme in Antarctica will begin tomorrow morning after mechanical problems prevented an American Air Force Hercules taking off from Wellington today.

9New Zealand diplomats in Canada are trying to sort out a row which led to the banning of New Zealand wine there.

10Hundreds of tonnes of asparagus, exported from New Zealand to Japan each year, are in jeopardy because Japan intends to ban a chemical dip used on the vegetable.

11Another 45 people have been killed in car bombings in Lebanon. Fierce artillery duels between Muslim and Christian forces in Beirut have continued overnight.

12Security forces are on full alert in India following two political assassinations.Sikh leader, Harchand Singh Longowal was killed while he addressed a convention just hours after a leader of Rajiv gandhi's Congress Party was shot dead by suspected Sikh militants.

13An Israeli diplomat has been shot dead by gunmen in Cairo.

14Tunisia says it has expelled 253 Libyans for spying.

15Benjamin Moloise, a Black South African poet due to hang tomorrow for murder, has been granted a three-week stay of execution by the South African Supreme Court. Anti-apartheid leader Bishop Desmond Tutu has been condemned as a "phoney" by American churchman Reverend Jerry Falwell, who has just spent five days in South Africa.

16The Japanese Government is launching an investigation into the operations of Japan Airlines (JAL) following ten major accidents in the past thirteen years, causing 731 deaths.

17The South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty was tabled jointly by Australia and New Zealand at the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva today.

18Police want the right to prevent homosexuals from joining the force.

19Police investigating the Ruatoria axe murder say they are not close to making any arrests.

20There has been a big improvement in the condition of former National Party Cabinet MInister Colin McLaughlin.

21All of the New Zealand Army's Scorpion Tanks should be bank in use by next month, following repairs to the 26-strong fleet.

22The New Zealand Wheat Board is to tender for wheat for the first time in its history.