1Police say some officers are working in siege conditions, and officers in some communities describe their situation as a war zone. The Police Association conference opened in Wellington today and supported the Association's repeated call for more staff.

2Politicians are blaming each other for a $100 million loss on the project to electrify the North Island's main trunk line.

3Police fraud squad detectives are still investigating claims that a Railways Corporation official took bribes.

4A dawn raid under police protection has given State Coalmines a firm foothold on a huntly West farm, after an attempt to get a drilling rig onto the property last week was blocked by environmental protestors.

5A Christchurch High Court judge has sentenced repeat sex offender John Bennett to preventive detention, meaning he can only be released on the Parole Board's recommendation.

6Auckland crash fire officers are threatening a total shutdown of their airport operation from Friday evening because not enough progress has been made on a staffing dispute.

7Whakatu meat workers today rejected Waitaki International's redundancy package, saying it is not good enough.

8Peru has become New Zealand's most important South American export market,especially for lamb, despite Peru being so broke that it has reneged on all its international loans.

9Deregulation of New Zealand's finance market is livening up the conservative world of accounting. New accounting methods have caused concern among some in the industry, who do not believe investors are being given the entire story.

10The Government is proposing to change the way companies pay tax as part of a series of moves aimed at reducing tax avoidance.

11The illegal copying of computer programmes is so widespread and easy that people inside the industry say there is no easy way of preventing it. Software pirates are now even trying to sell their illegally copied programmes back to retailers.

12A fire that swept through hundreds of hectares of bush near Invercargill last night is thought to have affected the area's wildlife.

13Diabetes is the third biggest killer of New Zealanders, after heart disease and cancer. It has reached alarming proportions among Maori and Pasifika people. Health officials are concerned that the death rate is so high, but in South Auckland a group known as Whai Ora is dedicated to fighting the disease amongst the community it hurts the most.

14A major tourist development, estimated to cost over $50 million, is planned for the Glentanner Station in the Mount Cook region.

15Mozambique's President Samora Machel has been given a hero's funeral in Maputo, with over 100 international dignitaries present.