1An American expert on radiation-related illnesses is currently on his way to Moscow after Soviet authorities asked for his help to treat people affected by the Chernobyl nuclear accident.

2South African riot police wielding shotguns have killed five Blacks tonight as violence erupted in Black townships just hours after mass May Day strikes which became the largest anti-apartheid protest in South Africa's history.

3British police are seeking dozens of prison escapees who remain at large tonight after riots which caused extensive damage to at least ten jails.

4North Island rail freight and some passenger services are expected to be disrupted tomorrow as union action spreads in response to Railways Corporation plans to phase out guards.

5Five men have been arrested in Auckland after an attempted drug rip-off led police to 600 cannabis plants valued at between $500,000 and $1 million.

6Lands Minister Koro Wetere has ended the controversy over the name of Taranaki's mountain, by deciding it can have two names - either Mount Egmont or Mount Taranaki.

7The level of public support for the rebel rugby tour of South Africa will be tested tomorrow when the Cavaliers play Transvaal at Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg.

8In three weeks time the Government's working party on restructuring farm debt is expected to report back. Yesterday Prime Minister David Lange spelled out the Government's decision not to adhere to pressure from farmers to change its economic policy, and challenged farmers on several points. However, Federated Farmers says it rejects the suggestion that the Prime Minister's comments were his strongest criticism yet of the farmers' case. Interview with Federated Farmers President Peter Elworthy.

9Details of a plan to establish a nationwide heroin network have unfolded in the Auckland High Court this week. Four men have appeared on charges of attempting to supply heroin, and one faces charges of attempting to import the drug. The court has been informed of an alleged scheme to deal millions of dollars worth of heroin, and how police and customs officers bugged cars, houses and a motel in massive surveillance operation.

10Overseas Trade Minister MIke Moore has rejected calls to capitalise on the Chernobyl nuclear disaster by marketing New Zealand goods as nuclear-free, saying it is "a crass response to someone else's suffering". Meanwhile, the Veterinary Association is concerned about the Government's lack of contingency plans in case of a full-scale nuclear war.