1Samoa is bracing itself for a long legal battle in the wake of the political assassination of Public Works Minister Luagalau Levaula Kamu. His former Cabinet colleague Leata Vitale has pleaded not-guilty to murdering Kamu, who was shot in the back at a political rally last month. However, his son Eletise Leafa Vitale, has pleaded guilty to murder and been sentenced to death. A third man will make his plea next week.

2Auckland man Robert Han has been charged with murdering his wife and their two young children.

3Survivors of the Ansett crash near Palmerston North four years ago are angered by a proposed law change. A Parliamentary Select Committee wants to ban Police from listening to cockpit recordings.

4Rural doctors, struggling with long hours on call and a lack of relief, may soon be offered a lifeline. A new report, prepared for the New Zealand College of GPs offers some solutions to help rural doctors.

5Starship Hospital is under increasing pressure due to its increasing volume of patients and is urging parents to consider whether their children need to be taken to Starship as a first resort.

6Family and friends gathered to remember Hema Erueti, who swam into Wellington Harbour a year ago today and has not been seen since. However, they remain bitter about a mistake they say Police made when Hema first went into the Harbour.

7Captain Todd Blackadder played his 100th game for the Canterbury rugby team today.

8The Israeli Government sent bulldozers in to demolish Palestinian houses near Jerusalem. It says they were built illegally, but the Palestinians claim it is an attempt to keep Jerusalem Jewish.

9Anti-Government protests in Argentina have sparked running street battles in the city of San Miguel. Government workers are demanding four months of unpaid wages and hospitals and schools are on strike over the issue of salary arrears.

10A dispute over Government pensions is causing violence in El Salvador. 18,000 para-military troops fought alongside the Salvadorean army during the civil war, but were not included in a post-war pension plan.

11An anti-Government protest in Kosovo by more than 10,000 ethnic Albanians remained peaceful today. The protesters are demanding the release of loved ones held in Serbian prisons. The Yugoslav Government acknowledges holding about 2000 ethnic Albanians for what it calls 'terrorist actions'.

12Forest fires are burning out of control in Indonesia and it is feared the choking blanket of smog could spread to Malaysia and Singapore.

13There were fiery scenes following a head-on collision between a truck and a car near Rockhampton in Queensland today.

14Film maker Sir Alfred Hitchcock has been honoured at an event marking the centenary of his birth.

15Two more New Zealand sufferers of Cerebral Palsy headed to Australia today, heartened by the success ten year old Luke Thomas has had with a new walker.

16A photographic exhibition about the New Zealand sex industry is touring the country and has led to new calls for prostitution to be decriminalised.

17Petrol prices in New Zealand have risen 9 cents a litre after the price of crude oil reached a 22 month high overnight.

18American rock band Creed is in Christchurch for the first concert of their Australian tour to promote their debut album "My Own Prison".

19Close Up The political process in the United States is under scrutiny with Republican candidates for the Presidency facing their first electoral test tomorrow - an unofficial ballot of voters in Iowa which has traditionally indicated who is the front runner.