1Fire fighters are currently battling an enormous blaze at Avondale College in Auckland.

2Three European hostages held by radical Palestinians have been freed this evening.

3More tests have been ordered on composite wood flooring which has been confirmed as the source of toxic formaldehyde gas in a Christchurch home. The Housing Corporation has called for a code of practice to be set up with building manufacturers to control the use of composite flooring.

4Talks between Air New Zealand and cabin crew broke down again today, with no resolution on pay claims or flying the new 747 jumbo jets.

5Police, Customs and Internal Affairs have broken two sophisticated pornography rings.

6The Bluff Oyster industry is cutting this season's catch by 50% starting today.

7Staff at Middleton Grange, a private school in Christchurch, have voluntarily agreed to a pay cut, instead of saddling parents with higher school fees. However, the Teachers' Union has denounced the move.

8Four Ulster Defence Force (UDF) soldiers have been killed by a bomb in Northern Ireland.

9There has been a third fatal ferry blaze in Europe. A French ship with 700 passengers on board caught fire en route to England, just off the Isle of Wight. One passenger had a heart attack and died. Police continue to question three passengers about yesterday's ferry blaze on the Norrona off the Welsh coast, in which one person died. Meanwhile, the death toll from the Danish Scandinavian Star ferry disaster is now expected to climb to 200.

10The prison siege at Strangeways Prison in Manchester continues, with around 20 prisoners in control of part of the building.

11A leading researcher has found that New Zealanders are missing out on Selenium, a substance which could reduce heart disease in smokers.

12Around 100,000 people gathered in Georgia's capital to remember twenty nationalists who were killed by Soviet troops a year ago. The massacre led to a rebirth of nationalism in Georgia, as the country follows the lead of the Baltic States and demands independence from Moscow.

13The space shuttle Discovery is expected to blast off in a few hours carrying the $3 billion Hubble Telescope. It is hoped the telescope will provide humanity with never-before-seen images of deep space. Tonight's launch is the culmination of two decades of research.

14A World War Two Spitfire stunned onlookers in Blenheim today.

15Fire fighters are currently battling an enormous blaze at Avondale College in Auckland. Live update.