1The deadline for the Christchurch and Waimakariri councils to get insurance cover passed earlier this afternoon. This is as reinsurers are refusing cover for infrastructure like swimming pools and libraries as they have been stung by the earthquakes. Waimakariri have managed to secure cover for fire but not earthquakes.

2A popular and controversial synthetic cannabis has been ordered off the shelves by Health officials because it contains a potent prescription drug used to control anxiety and epilepsy. The herbal high Kronic Herbal Express has been found to be contaminated and the company is not testing its other products. Key words; Light Years Ahead; Stargate Operations; Matt Bowden

3The New Zealand dollar has reached its highest level in 26-years, after the Greek parliament voted in favour of austerity measures intended to save the country from defaulting on its debt

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5A coroner in Auckland has heard about the moment the distraught mother of the Kahui twins, Macsyna King, made a cryptic declaration in 2007. The father Chris Kahui was acquitted of murder in 2008 and no-one has been held responsible for the deaths of the twins.

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7Official papers released today reveal the Government has been considering making KiwiSaver compulsory. Treasury has looked at a range of options bur the government has decided to keep it optional for now.

8NATO has praised the actions of the Afghan Security forces during the attack on the Intercontinental hotel, which killed 21-people.

9Mines rescue teams expect to complete the installation of a temporary seal inside the Pike River mine by tonight. The third day of the operation saw delays because of a false oxygen reading.

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11Some prisoners, desperate for a cigarette, have resorted to dunking their quit-smoking patches in tea to extract as much nicotine as possible. From tomorrow smoking paraphernalia will be banned altogether.

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13The Christchurch city and Waimakariri District councils have from today got no insurance cover for future earthquakes after their existing policies expired at 4pm. This leaves billions of dollars of assets exposed. Also The Canterbury Regional Council, Environment Canterbury, has just discovered it will have no cover when its insurance runs out in 3-weeks.

14AMI, the insurer the Government's had to step in to save, has secured last minute cover from its reinsurers but it has to double its catastrophe cover, so it costs a lot more, despite the one-billion dollar cover available for the earthquake commitments.

15The book about the mother of the Kahui twins banished from shelves by some major retailers is likely to be available in public libraries, as they are not in the role of censoring material.

16Researchers in Australia have developed flexible solar cells that can be painted or printed directly onto a surface, which eliminated bulky and more costly installations. In future it may be able to paint this on, or have it combined with the manufacturing.

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19The Act Party leader Don Brash says he has nothing to apologise for over his 'little Hitlers' comment, used in his speech to a Federated Farmers conference in Rotorua. The Green Party says this is offensive.

20In the UK people are gearing up for the day of disruption over changes proposed to public sector pension plans which affects teachers an civil servants. This will be the biggest public sector strike since the 1980's.

21Three rural schools are the first in the country to experience fast internet speeds as part of the Government's $285 million rural broadband initiative, the first of 700-schools in the initiative. Henderson Valley School could speak the Minister by Webcam.

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