1Police have broken a Trans-Tasman drug ring that was importing cocaine into both Australia and New Zealand.

2Prime Minister David Lange has held informal talks with British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher at her country estate Chequers Court.

3A full State funeral was held for former Governor General Sir Denis Blundell today.

4Thousands of sheep and lambs have died as a result of the weekend's snowstorms and freezing temperatures throughout Otago and Southland.

5Television New Zealand's Chief Parliamentary Reporter says the New Zealand Government ban on nuclear warships has apparently had its first test when France applied to bring in a nuclear ship. The Government declined. Meanwhile, this week sees the start of Triad 84, the third major ANZUS exercise which will bring together air and land forces of Australia, United States and New Zealand and will be the largest gathering of military aircraft in New Zealand since World War Two. However, peace groups say the exercise is inconsistent with the Labour Government's anti-nuclear stand.

6United States military officials have responded to criticism of military involvement in Antarctica, saying they provide transport, equipment and support and see no reason to stop.

7Auckland lawyer Ed Leary faces more charges of professional misconduct in connection with his dealings with the Mr Asia drugs ring boss, Alexander Sinclair.

8Eleven Irishmen have been charged with attempting to smuggle in seven tonnes of arms for the Irish Republican Army (IRA) aboard the fishing boat Morita Ann.

9Three years after Egyptian President Anwar el-Sadat was assassinated, the trial of the militants who participated in the riot that followed has finally ended.

10Career diplomat Graham Ansell has been named as the new New Zealand High Commissioner to Australia.

11There is to be a review into the way in which Governments hand over power after an election defeat, following the Constitutional dilemma Labour was faced with after defeating National earlier this year.

12Energy Minister Bob Tizard has announced that no more private hydro-electricity dams will be built without strict Government scrutiny. Today he opened the Patea Hydro scheme in Taranaki, which suffered a budget blow-out.

13Minister of Labour Stan Rodger has caused a major stir within his own department by intervening in the Clyde Dam industrial dispute,

14The New Zealand Wool Council says more money needs to be put into wool research in order for New Zealand to compete internationally.

15A new campaign is being launched to protect New Zealanders' rights to freedom of association, following Prime Minister David Lange's renewed pledge while in London to try to stop the All Blacks' tour of South Africa next year.

16American sculptor Peter Wolf Toth is on the final leg of his project to honour Native Americans. The Hungarian-born immigrant has undertaken a project to carve a traditional totem pole in every one of the fifty States of America. His project is known as The Trail of the Whispering Giants.