1The Maori Affairs loan scandal has snowballed today. The Government has released a preliminary report on the bid by the head of the Department of Maori Affairs, Dr Tamati Reedy to raise $600 million overseas. The loans appear to have been intended for a multi-million hotel complex in Hawaii, as well as a variety of other projects.

2Figures show a drop of just over 2% in the purchasing power of wage and salary earners' income for the September quarter, before the introduction of the Goods and Service sTax (GST).

3The Bluff oyster industry has announced it walve next year's quota.

4New Zealand property magnate Bob Jones has purchase an office block at 32 Wall Street in New York for $120 million.

5Moors murderer Myra Hindley has revisited the Yorkshire Moors where she and her lover Ian Brady buried at least three of the children they tortured and murdered two decades ago, in an effort to try to help police recover the bodies.

6The United States Senate has named a special Committee of Inquiry into the Iran Arms scandal which will run in conjunction with the Senate Intelligence Committee investigation. Today, United States President Ronald Reagan asked the Committee of grant limited immunity to two key figures in the affair, former National Security Advisors John Poindexter and Colonel Oliver North, so they can testify openly.

7A United States State Department report released today, claims that Afghan resistance forces are now using sophisticated United States missiles in the fight against Soviet troops.

8The decision by European Community EEC) Farm Ministers to cut milk production in Europe has resulted in an early Christmas bonus for New Zealand's dairy farmers.

9Christchurch taxis may become the most modern taxis in New Zealand from next year, despite the opposition of many taxi drivers. The Ministry of Transport (MOT) is calling for all Christchurch taxis to be retired at the age of seven years, and if successful, may roll the programme out to other New Zealand centres.

10A pub crawl throughout Auckland today aimed to demonstrate to revellers that one does not need excessive amount of alcohol to have a good time this Christmas.