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Our editors will be looking ahead today to these developing stories ...

Easy win expected for NZ's ruling party

New Zealand's ruling National Party is expected to win an outright majority in today's elections, according to the final two opinion polls held before the vote, ensuring Prime Minister John Key gets a free hand to push through asset sales and welfare reform. The polls showed support for the centre-right party, led by the former foreign exchange dealer, was little changed and holding at 50 per cent or higher. A poll of the five most significant polls puts Key's party on 51.5 per cent, with the centre-left Labour party a distant second on 26.7 per cent.

Go, go, go for cheerleading champs

Teams of cheerleaders from around the world, including Japan, Germany and Venezuela, begin competing in the 6th Cheerleading World Championships, which start today at the Hong Kong Coliseum in Hung Hom. More than 800 competitors from 20 countries and cities will perform in the biennial event.

Nasa's rover set for Martian adventure

Nasa plans to launch its Mars rover Curiosity on what will be the most ambitious 570-million-kilometre, one-way mission yet to the Red Planet. After years of delays and cost overruns, the US space agency believes the 23-month US$2.5 billion Mars Science Laboratory mission will provide crucial scientific information and an unprecedented level of knowledge of the planet's terrain. First among the mission's many objectives is, in Nasa's words, 'to assess whether the landing area has ever had or still has environmental conditions favourable to microbial life'.

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