News, sport and weather.
Main stories:
The Fire Commission is likely to ask the Government to increase its pay offer to permanent fire fighters to avoid strike action next week, although legal action to prevent the strikes is also possible. Speaker: Trevor Roberts (NZ Insurance Council).
The Opposition spokesman on Internal Affairs today criticised the strike threat. Graham Lee told a fire brigades conference in Thames that the strike holds a potential risk for life and property.
Other stories:
The man who exposed the Maori loans affairs says he now plans to turn his guns on the Treasury’s involvement in the case. National MP Winston Peters says Treasury should have advised the Finance Minister and the Minister of Maori Affairs about the loan in writing much earlier than appears to be the case.
Figures from the OECD today show that for the year ending in December New Zealand had the second highest rate of inflation of the 24 member countries.
Relief supplies have reached Palestinians trapped in a refugee camp in Lebanon.
The World Health organisation says there were more than 2000 cases of AIDS reported around the world last month, bringing the total number to more than 40,000.
Soviet authorities have clashed with Jewish dissidents and Western journalists in Moscow.
A court in Alabama has ordered the United Ku Klux Klan to pay $7 million to the mother of a black man who was lynched.
Bishop Desmond Tutu launched a new attack on the apartheid system in South Africa today.
Royal tour of Portugal by the Prince and Princess of Wales.
Queen Margrethe II of Denmark is to leave Auckland to night, ending her six day state visit to New Zealand. Today she visited Christchurch.
The KZ7 road show visited Christchurch and Dunedin today and hundreds of people turned out in Cathedral Square to cheer the crew. Meanwhile Dunedin’s annual festival week procession turned out to be a damp affair.
The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel is being restored.
Sport:
The West Indies beat Auckland in a one day game today.
Australian Masters golf tournament scores.
Susan Devoy has won a special challenge match in England against a 14 year old schoolboy.
Matamata Breeders’ Stakes result.
Peter Knight won the Caltex 1000 Grand Prix speedboat race in Wellington.
Weather.