1The Railways Corporation is embroiled in a dispute with the electricity division of the Ministry of Energy because it believes it is being charged too much to electrify the main trunk line. The electrical division has consequently stopped working on the electrifications scheme, putting the entire project in jeopardy.

2Police say they will continue their Coppers For Charity fun run around the country, despite the death of three officers in a helicopter crash at Franz Josef Glacier last night.

3A 24-year old unemployed man appeared in court today charged with the murder and sexual violation of an 81-year old woman in her home in Otahuhu.

4Former Prime Minister Sir Robert Muldoon has today accused the Government of using public money to boost its own image among voters.

5New Zealand is to become a centre for genetic engineering (GE) tests and may eventually collaborate with overseas scientists on international projects.

6A decision made by the Government and the MIlk Board will allow shopkeepers to reduce the price of cartoned milk by 3 cents.

7The United States and the Soviet Union have declared a truce in the diplomatic war, which has seen 90 embassy officials sent home in recent weeks, and have agreed to return to talks on larger international security issues.

8An English woman who had been blind for fifteen years, has just seen her husband and two year old daughter for the first time. She regained her sight after bumping into some furniture in her Chester home.

9Zealcorp Limited, a financial offshoot of the Government corporation Development Finance Corporation (DFC) has spent millions of dollars on palatial offices it is not keen for the public to see.

10Queen Elizabeth II left Hong Kong today after what may well be the last Royal visit to the territory before it reverts to China's control in 1997.

11The 8th New Zealand Polynesian Festival has opened in Christchurch.

12World Safari, a live ninety-minute wildlife programme, mounted by the BBC's Natural History Unit and encompassing sixteen worldwide locations, will screen on New Zealand televisions on Labour Day. The New Zealand segment will be filmed at the Royal Albatross Colony at Taiaroa Head.

13Today marks forty years since New Zealand's first permanent National Symphony Orchestra was launched. The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra (NZSO) held a special lunchtime concert at its original venue, the old Wellington Town Hall.