Wellington - Next month's New Zealand general election might not be the predicted sure thing for the conservative opposition National Party, an opinion poll released Thursday night indicated.

Although the Nationals remained well ahead of the Labour Party, which has led minority coalition governments for the past nine years, the Greens, who are seen as certain potential partners for Labour, are showing their biggest level of voter support in five years, the TV3 poll found.

The Nationals are backed by 45.1 per cent of committed voters while Labour is supported by 37.4 per cent. But the Greens are on 8.8 per cent, which with Labour would produce a virtual tie in the election on November 8.

Wellington - The New Zealand stock market fell by more than 3 per cent Thursday, following the downward trend on markets worldwide, despite an unprecedented 1-percentage-point cut in the central bank's benchmark interest rate.

The NZX50 index ended the day down 92 points to 2,807, a fall of 3.18 per cent from Wednesday's close.

Earlier, the Reserve Bank slashed its benchmark interest rate by 1 percentage point to 6.5 per cent, the third cut in 13 weeks after five years with no reductions.

Wellington - New Zealand's central bank cut its benchmark interest rate by an unprecedented 1 per cent to 6.5 per cent on Thursday, its third cut in 13 weeks after making no reductions for five years.

Governor of the Reserve Bank Alan Bollard cited "ongoing financial market turmoil and a deteriorating outlook for global growth" as main reasons for the record cut, which had been widely predicted.

Wellington - New Zealand's central bank cut its benchmark interest rate by an unprecedented 1 per cent to 6.5 per cent on Thursday, its third cut in 13 weeks after making no reductions for five years.

The Reserve Bank had cut its Official Cash Rate (OCR) to 8 per cent on July 24 after keeping it at 8.25 per cent - one of the highest in the developed world - for 12 months and reduced it again to 7.5 per cent on September 11.

Wellington, Oct 22 : Ice cream tastes better when it''s licked from a cone than eaten from a spoon, according to an expert.

The question of whether ice cream tastes better from a cone than when eaten from a spoon was a tricky hypothesis to prove.

Now, Kay McMath, a sensory scientist from Massey University and chief judge for the New Zealand Ice Cream Awards, has provided a scientific explanation to support the idea that ice cream tastes better when it''s licked, reports the NZPA.