1The Tower Commission, the panel investigating the Iran-Contra scandal, has harshly criticised the actions of United States President Ronald Reagan and his top aides.

2Secret Department of Defence papers leaked today warn of declining standards in the New Zealand military following the collapse of the ANZUS pact.

3The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAF) says that more than half of the pigs slaughtered in New Zealand are unfit for human consumption due to high levels of mercury.

4The Runanga State Mines Union on the West Coast has voted to disaffiliate with the Labour Party, following the announcement that the Government will lay off almost half of State Coal's workforce under its new corporatisation policy.

5The Soviet Union has exploded its first nuclear device in eighteen months, ending its self-imposed ban on testing.

6In Britain, the Church of England's General Synod has voted 2:1 in favour of establishing the ability to ordain women into the Anglican Church.

7Headline News 1. Auckland psychiatric nurses to take industrial action in support of their Otago colleagues 2. Blaze destroys a 100-year old grandstand at Ellerslie Racecourse 3. Study shows that women taking antibiotics while on the pill risk pregnancy

8The Tower Commission Report into the Iran-Contra scandal was released today and the report harshly criticised the actions of United States President Ronald Reagan and his top aides. Reagan was accused of failing to exercise Presidential leadership. An overview of the Iran Arms scandal, and the impact it has had on the Reagan presidency.

9It has been claimed that two of Europe's most wanted terrorists, arrested this week in France, may have stayed in the Bay of Islands over Christmas.

10Worldwatch The Tower Commission Report into the Iran-Contra scandal was released today and the report harshly criticised the actions of United States President Ronald Reagan and his top aides. Reagan was accused of failing to exercise Presidential leadership. An overview of the Iran Arms scandal, and the impact it has had on the Reagan presidency. Four separate reports: 1. A background of the events of the past four months 2. How much did President Reagan know, and if nothing, why was he so ignorant of what was going on? 3. The puzzle of where the money from Iran has gone was not solved by the Tower Commission report 4, The Reagan Presidency has taken a hammering from this scandal, but can the Administration regain lost confidence?

11Worldwatch Three reports on Afghanistan, looking at seven years after the Soviet occupation: 1. As Afghani and Pakistani Foreign Ministers meet for talks at the United Nations (UN), the war crosses into Pakistan 2.The impact of seven years of occupation on the people of Kabul 3. The impact of the war on Pakistan