1The British Government is facing a political storm following its failure in an Australian court to stop former Secret Service MI5 agent Peter Wright from publishing his memoirs.

2A run of successful prosecutions against organised crime in the United States came to an abrupt halt today when John Gotti, reputed to head the New York Mafia's Gambino Family, was found not guilty on a racketeering charge.

3Fans are pouring into Western Springs ahead of tonight's concert by rock band ZZ Top. There have already been over 90 arrests.

4A state of civil emergency continues in Southland and the Invercargill Airport remains closed.

5The National Meat Schedule, a forty-year tradition in setting the price paid to farmers for export meat, has been scrapped without warning. Freezing companies will now set their own individual prices for stock.

6Hundreds of businesses have applied for the right to sell Lotto tickets.

7The estimated death toll from last week's Channel ferry disaster has been increased to 209.

8Thirteen workers were killed in a fire today, on board a shop that was undergoing repair in the Adriatic port of Ravenna, Italy.

9More than 150 cars and trucks were involved in a spectacular pile-up near Lille, in France during heavy fog. No one was killed, but seventeen people were injured, four of them seriously.

10HUndreds of people converged on the Christchurch Botanic Gardens at dawn this morning, for a ceremony to mark the opening of the Te Maori Exhibition.