1Brierley Investments and Capital Markets today unveiled a joint venture for an offshore bank, to be licensed in the Cook Islands.

2British newspaper reports that the British Government has stopped exchanging secrets with New Zealand because of the New Zealand's anti-nuclear stance have been dismissed by Prime Minister David Lange.

3A ruling by the Waitangi Tribunal has cleared the way for the optional use of te reo Maori in courts and in dealings with Government departments, local authorities or other public bodies. They say legislation should be passed to endorse the Maori as an official language of New Zealand and believe the Crown has failed in its efforts to protect the language.

4Prime Minister David Lange has rejected an appeal for a special inquiry into the murder conviction of hunger striking prisoner Dean Wickliffe.

5In Tokyo, the leaders of the seven major Western nations have agree on the need for united action to combat terrorism and increase nuclear safety in the wake of the Chernobyl disaster. Five rockets were fired at the guest house hosting the summit.

6Three experts form the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have been invited to Moscow to help the Soviets as they clean up after the Chernobyl nuclear power accident. Today the Soviet Union released the first pictures of the disaster and confirmed that 49,000 people have been evacuated since the accident.

7More than eighty people have been arrested and two hundred injured in a violent clash between demonstrators and police outside a London printworks belonging to newspaper tycoon Rupert Murdoch.

8Former United Nations (UN) Secretary General Dr Kurt Waldheim failed to gain an outright majority in the Austrian presidential elections today. A second round of voting will now take place in five weeks.

9Afghanistan's communist leader Babrak Karmal has resigned, three days after returning from a medical check-up in Moscow. The new Communist Party leader is Security Chief Mohammad Najibullah, however Karmal retains the largely ceremonial position of President.

10Diana, Princess of Wales has been criticised for being a dull dresser during her present tour of Canada, however now she is causing a furore within fashion circles at her choice of a 'mannish' tuxedo-style suit.

11Is former Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos really heading for the Cook Islands, bearing a $40 million hand-out for the Cook Islands Government? Tomorrow, Auckland based newspaper The Cook Islands Times, printed by expatriate Rarotongans, will carry a story quoting three anonymous MPs from Rarotonga who claim that Cook Islands Prime Minister Sir Tom Davis is offering Marcos a 100 acre isolated atoll. However, it is very difficult to distinguish fact from fiction.

12The Federation of Labour (FOL) annual conference begins tomorrow, with employers and unions till arguing over the future of industrial relations. The Employers' Association has renewed its attacks on the national award structure and compulsory unionism. The union movement is seeking assurances that both will be kept. This conference could prove one of the most significant conferences in the organisation's history. At issue is the FOL's relationship with what some regard as an unorthodox Labour Government.

13More than eighty people have been arrested and two hundred injured in a violent clash between demonstrators and police outside a London printworks belonging to newspaper tycoon Rupert Murdoch. A look at what led to the dispute and why printers are so strong in their opposition to Murdoch's new high-tech Wapping premises.