1The take-up of the Meridian share float has been extremely disappointing for the Government.. The asset sales programme now looks set to short-change taxpayers by $1.2 billion. However, Prime Minister John Key is adamant that that sale of Genesis Energy will still proceed as planned next year.

2A controversial plan to mine on the Denniston Plateau has been given approval to proceed by the Environment Court.

3The Government has been forced to make a secretive law change after discovering 63 Police officers could have been illegally arresting people, having re-joined the force without being properly sworn in.

4A pilot has been killed when his plane crashed while fighting the devastating forest fires in New South Wales. Two eight year old boys have been caught trying to start a fire, while the Australian Army has accepted responsibility for starting another fire during a training exercise with live explosives.

5A Wellington fire fighter severely burned in a factory blaze last month has revisited the site today.

6New Zealand's most famous forger, Karl Sim has passed away.

7Police are searching for a white ute in relation to a fatal car crash just north of Wanaka early this morning. A man was killed when an unidentified projectile smashed through the windscreen and hit him in the head, His female passenger was uninjured.

8Wakefield Hospital has apologised for sending details of a patient's hysterectomy to a complete stranger.

9The New Zealand First Party's eight MPs have elected Tracey Martin as Deputy Leader of the party.

10German Chancellor Angela Merkel has phoned United States President Barack Obama, demanding to know whether American spy agencies have spied on her.

11British media are reporting that Portugese Police may be about to reopen their investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.

12Prince George was christened in a private ceremony today.

13Labour Party leader David Cunliffe has declared political war in the regions, visiting the Horowhenua town of Shannon, which this week lost 86 jobs when an animal skin processing plant closed. A further 21 jobs were lost at a Wanganui printing plant today.

14Update on a story from five months ago about a three year old American boy who, after an auditory brain stem implant, was able to hear his parents' voices for the first time. he is now catching up to other children his age.