1Searchers looking for New Zealand yachtsman Colin Akhurst, lost in the Coral Sea, have found the emergency locator beacon from the wrecked yacht Castaway Fiji, but there was no sign of Akhurst.

2Public Services Association (PSA) President Colin Hicks today hed out an olive branch to the Government. However, Auckland PSA members are threatening a 24-hour strike if they do not receive a satisfactory response from State employers.

3Justice Department officials today promised prison officers at Auckland's Mount Eden Prison that 100 inmates will be moved out as soon as possible.

4A prison officer in Northern Ireland has been taken hostage by Loyalist inmates, as sectarian violence spills over in HMP Magilligan Prison, a maximum sectarian jail in Londonderry.

5Pope John Paul II was told today that both the Chilean military Government under General Augusto Pinochet and its opposers are both bringing a culture of death to the count

6Headline News 1. Three men appeared in court in Gisborne today, charged with a number of arsons in Ruatoria. 2. The Fire Service Commission has asked the High Court for an order to stop the daily one hour strikes by firefighters in the lower North Island 3. The manager of the rebel New Zealand Surf Lifesavers in South Africa says he would have to think hard before leading another tour to the Republic.

7Two directors of the newly formed Board of the Coal Corporation (CoalCorp) have resigned. Analysis with economics reporter, Rob Neale.

8Watties is to lay off nearly 400 workers in Hastings and Gisborne as part of a restructuring that it hopes will make the company more competitive internationally. It has also told Gisborne tomato growers that its crops are no longer needed.

9A decision on whether or not the Luggate Dam will be built could be reached this week. A look at the impact of the decision on the workers and the wider community.

10Worldwatch The United States is building a new embassy in Moscow. However, some Congressmen and intelligence sources believe the whole compound was bugged by Soviet listening devices, and claim the project will never be totally secure. This comes on top of the Sex for secrets scandal plaguing the old American embassy in Moscow.

11Worldwatch United States President Ronald Reagan is making a fleeting visit to Canada, for wide-ranging talks with Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. Today they made no progress on the issue of acid rain, a big issue for Canadians, who balme American air pollution for damaging their lakes and wildlife.

12Worldwatch Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev today postponed a trip scheduled for tomorrow to Czechoslovakia. Is he purporting to have a cold in order to mask a diplomatic disagreement with the more conservative Czechoslovakian authorities who disagree with Soviet reforms?

13Worldwatch A $3 million campaign has been launched in Australia to make people more aware of the disease acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), and the makers are unapologetic about the shock tactics they are using in the ads.

14Worldwatch in Brief 1 A ceasefire signed today, means that for the first time in months, there is hope for regular food supplies to two Palestinian refugee camps in Beirut, which have been blockaded by Shi'ite militia. 2. In North Dakota, a fire that raged through drums of hazardous chemicals has finally been extinguished. Thirty five people were harmed by poisonous fumes. 3. Students have clashed with police in South Korea over the dismissal of 47 students for alleged radical activities. Meanwhile, Opposition politicians belonging to the New Democratic Party turned to fisticuffs over whether to expel a party member accused of disloyalty.

15Worldwatch There has been a hint tonight that relations between North Korea and the United States may be beginning to thaw. Trade links may be improve if North Korea agrees to certain conditions, including taking part in the 1988 Olympic Games to be held in Seoul.

16Worldwatch Speculation is rife in the United Kingdom over the possible date and outcome of the next general election. The most likely date is May 7th, and Margaret Thatcher's Conservative Government is widely favoured to win. A recent poll gives the Conservatives a nine point lead, with the Labour Party in third place, behind the Social Democrat-Liberal Alliance.

17Worldwatch Three million people are unemployed in Britain, and most sectors have been hit, including the stockbrokers and bankers. Many London financiers have benefitted from the high salaries paid in the post-Big Bang era, since the finance sector was deregulated six months ago. However, for some, the new-found wealth could be temporary, as some firms are taking over others and sharing staff.