1Two thousand people are known to be homeless in the Cook Islands following the devastation of Cyclone Sally. Property damage is extensive with 80% of buildings destroyed in Avarua, and all export crops devastated. New Zealand officials met in Wellington today to discuss how best to administer aid to the Cook Islands.
2Forty-nine people have died in an air crash in a remote part of the Ivory Coast.
3At least 23 people were killed when a wooden bridge collapsed in Nigeria, dropping them into a canal.
4The strike on the French railway system has continued into its eighteenth day. The stoppage is viewed as a major challenge to Jacques Chirac's right-wing Government.
5United States President Ronald Reagan has entered hospital in Washington DC to undergo prostate surgery.
6Retiring Police Commissioner Ken Thompson says reintroduction of the death penalty may be the best solution for New Zealand;s rising murder rate.
7The New Zealand Scout Jamboree hosted a public carnival in Rangiora this afternoon.
8Actor Michael Billington is currently in New Zealand for ten weeks, to play a lead role in a stage production. He is best known for his role in the television programme The Collectors.