1Twenty-two people have died in a tragic tour bus crash in Cowper, New South Wales.

2Three men have been charged with the murder of university student Craig Merryweather, who has been missing for two years.

3A body found in a Taranaki river is believed to be that of missing taxi driver Tui Kihi.

4The police have been forced to drop all charges against Kevin Jarden after his kidnap victim Kelly Skinley refused to testify against him in court due to fears for her safety.

5Former National Party leader Sir Robert Muldoon has expressed support for demoted MP Winston Peters. Caucus support for Winston Peters and Opposition leader Jim Bolger is polarizing.

6Changes to law on abortion and sex education, introduced to Parliament last night by Health Minister Helen Clark, are already causing concern among reform opponents.

7Three strong aftershocks have rocked San Francisco, just days after the earthquake that killed at least 270 people.

8A series of powerful earthquakes in China have killed at least 18 people and injured hundreds.

9The Government may put pressure on financial institutions to disclose details about their dealings with South Africa. The new sanctions deal will be put to the vote at the Commonwealth Heads of Government (CHOGM) Meeting in Kuala Lumpur.

10A judicial inquiry has been ordered in the United Kingdom into the arrest and incarceration of the Guildford Four.

11South African authorities have clamped down on the political activities of freed anti apartheid activist Walter Sisulu.

12Woody Jackson and his iconic Holstein cow images have frustrated art critics worldwide, but Woody remains adamant that his works have value in the art world.