1Maori leaders have begun a last ditch legal battle to stop the Government transferring thousands of hectares of disputed Crown land to the newly established State corporations. They fear that if the lands are handed over, they will lose any chance of ever having it returned to them.

2The first of the nine new State corporations was formally created today at the Beehive. The Government Property Corporation is worth will nearly $1 billion and will manage 250 buildings around New Zealand.

3The New Zealand Dairy Workers' Union has had four officials served with million dollar writs by the Dairy Industry Association. They are now the third unon to face damage claims from employers.

4Opposition leader Jim Bolger has unveiled details of the National Party's election year economic policy. A future National Government will continue to float the New Zealand dollar, deregulate the economy and place no restrictions on foreign investment.

5West Coast MP Kerry Burke loses two of his three Cabinet portfolios when he resumes his MInisterial responsibility later this week. He remains as Immigration MInister, but his former portfolios of Employment and Regional Development will be permanently assigned to other Ministers, who will be announced next Monday. Burke has been on extended leave to care for his wife, who has cancer.

6Headline News 1. An Auckland High Court judge has sentenced a Mongrel Mob gang member to five and a half years in prison for his part in the rape of a Mangere woman during the gang's convention late last year. 2. Former Greytown commune leader Andy Narain has been remanded on bail again by the Masterton District Court today. 3. The Government opposes plans by the Broadcasting Corporation (BCNZ) to free up rules around liquor advertising on television and radio, and is prepared to legislate to prevent such advertising if necessary.

7British Prime MInister Margaret Thatcher will begin talks with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in Moscow in a few hours. She has used her first full day in Moscow to gain extensive media coverage by the British press prior to the upcoming British election.

8Philippines President Corazon Aquino, has endorsed the idea of employing unarmed citizens' groups in the fight against Communist rebels.

9Police have begin an internal enquiry following claims of misconduct made by a Ruatoria Rastafarian. Interview with the Police Association President Keith Morrow and a background to Ruatoria's arson problems.

10Tokelau Islands are still reeling after their fragile economy was destroyed by a Cyclone Tusi and the following tidal wave. This has temporarily diverted the attention of Tokelau authorities away from solving the problems of the future, in order to concentrate on the country's immediate needs.

11Champion race horse Bonecrusher has come in only third in a race in Sydney. Will the mystique of Bonecrusher return ?

12Worldwatch British Prime MInister Margaret Thatcher will begin talks with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in Moscow in a few hours. Topics for discussion are certain to include nuclear arms reduction and the Soviet Union's human rights record. She has used her first full day in Moscow to gain extensive media coverage by the British press prior to the upcoming British election.

13Worldwatch The Soviet Union of today is very different from that of even five years ago. It has more Westernised and liberal appearance, thanks to the policies of Mikhail Gorbachev, who has only been in power for two years. However his policy of Glasnost (openness) has met with strong opposition from more Conservative Members of the Communist Party. A look at the level of success Gorbachev's push for reform has had within the Soviet Union.

14Worldwatch Relations between Greece and Turkey remain strained tonight, following a crisis over mineral wealth in the Aegean Sea. War has been temporarily averted, but both sides are claiming they have taken the upper hand following the latest standoff.

15Worldwatch A trade war is brewing between the United States and Japan amidst growing talk of protectionism. Analysis of the worsening relationship between the two countries and the trade imbalance between them. However, despite the souring of relations, Japan continues to invest huge sums in the United States, especially in Hawaii. With the threat of a trade war developing between the United States and Japan, one course of action gaining increasing support in the United States is protectionism - guarding local industries by charging high import duties. However, this is a highly controversial issue.