1Six months after they disappeared, and despite their bodies still not having been found, police have charged a Paremoremo Prison inmate with the murder of Swedish tourists Urban Hoglin and Heidi Paakkonen. The charge against David Wayne Tamihere creates New Zealand legal history - the first time someone has been charged with murder when no bodies have been found.

2Escaped prison inmate Francis Shaw remains on the run tonight.

3After eleven days idle, New Zealand's four container ports could remain closed well into next week in protest at the Government's new Port Reform legislation.

4Social workers say the fatal stabbing of a five year old West Auckland girl by her mentally ill mother highlights their concerns about the service they can offer, the training they receive and the resources they have available to them.

5A patient with a broken leg waited 15 hours at Middlemore Hospital last night, to be told that his operation was cancelled because there was no blood available. This is the latest example of increasing pressure on hospital resources and staff leading to delays in treatment.

6Politicians are currently trying to sort out the latest hiccup with Tomorrow's Schools. Six Special Education schools have become 'lost in the system' and currently have no funding.

7The Motor Vehicle Securities Register will be launched next month to help protect buyers against buying cars with finance still owing on them.

8There has been a significant increase in the number of Australian tourists visiting New Zealand. Many of these are using flights to and from New Zealand to get them between Australian cities, thus circumventing the domestic pilot's strike in Australia.

9South Africa has released a number of its high profile political prisoners, but not Nelson Mandela.

10The All Blacks have given ground in the row over payment for promotional work.

11People in southern England are puzzled by the sudden increase in appearances of crop circles in their fields.