1Deregulation of the oil industry came into effect today, with varying outcomes for motorists - bargain petrol in the big cities, but a petrol price rise elsewhere.

2Socialist President Francois Mitterand has achieved a resounding victory in the French Presidential election, with a decisive win over Conservative candidate, French Prime Minister Jacques Chirac. He is the first French President in history to win a second seven-year term by popular vote.

3The New Zealand Government has renewed pressure on France to have the two convicted Rainbow Warrior saboteurs, Alain Mafart and Dominique Prieur returned to Hau Atoll to serve the remainder of their sentences.

4Re-elected French President Francois Mitterand has vowed that his new Government will work quickly to restore peace and dialogue in New Caledonia. However, many of the islands' French settlers are angry at Mitterand's support of the Kanak pro-independence cause. A former Kanak activist, now living in New Zealand, is predicting renewed guerrilla activity in the wake of the killings on Ouvea island. She believes some of the Kanaks were shot in cold blood while trying to surrender.

5The Opposition claims it knows what is contained in the Picot Report on Education, which will be officially released tomorrow.

6The father of the man slain in the Otara machete attack today met the ten men accused of the killing and spent time praying with them.

7The Auckland Hospital Board (AHB) believes it has a solution to deal with the problem of potentially violent psychiatric patients at Carrington Hospital. It will establish a ten-bed safe care unit at Kingseat Hospital within three months.

8The Federation of Labour (FOL) was officially wound up today, and its last President, long serving trade unionist Jim Knox was honoured by his union colleagues.

9The latest business confidence survey shows that New Zealand's business leaders remain pessimistic about the impact of Rogernomics.