Last updated: December 15, 2013

Weather: Sydney 19°C - 24°C . Morning shower or two.

No happy ending for NZ man and 'Katie'

A NEW Zealand man who begged the internet to help him find a mystery woman "Katie" may have found her - but it seems she's not impressed.

NZ PM 'unidentified' on world stage

NZ PM 'unidentified' o...

SPARE a thought for New Zealand Prime Minister John Key, or as he is known in the rest of the world, the "unidentified guest".

Anger as Pike River charges dropped

Anger as Pike River charges dropped

FAMILIES of 29 miners killed in an explosion at New Zealand's Pike River Coal mine are angry over news charges against from boss Peter Whittall have been dropped.

Magnitude 5 quake near Fukushima

A MAGNITUDE 5.1 earthquake has been registered near the damaged Fukushima nuclear facility

Kiwi wants help to find mystery girl

Reese McKee and 'katie'

A NEW Zealand man is hoping internet sleuths can help him find a girl he met in Hong Kong last New Year's Eve with a number of clues she left him.

Have you already forgotten Haiyan?

Philippines Typhoon

PICTURES: Four weeks after Typhoon Haiyan, the world has moved on. But how are the survivors coping with life after their apocalypse?

Mice in parachutes battle Guam snakes

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Guam has enlisted unlikely soldiers in its battle against an invasive breed of snake: 2000 mice dropped by parachute over the small Pacific Island.

The threat of war on our doorstep

The threat of war on our doorstep

THE drums of war are beating just to our north. Why? A fortune in oil - and a few dozen rocks - are putting us in a hard place.

Man loses climate change refugee plea

Kiribati

A PACIFIC islander has failed in his attempt to become the world's first climate change refugee, after an NZ judge said his case was "unconvincing".

Australian dies in PNG plane crash

Australian dies in PNG plane crash

AN Australian man, aged 38, has been confirmed as one of three people killed in a plane crash in Papua New Guinea. Seven survived the crash.

Husband kept wife prisoner 22 years

Husband kept wife prisoner 22 years

A WOMAN waived her right to anonymity to ensure her ex-husband's name could be published as he was jailed to 24 years for sex and violence charges.

Woman celebrates her mastectomy

Woman celebrates her mastectomy

A WOMAN who had a mastectomy hopes to help remove the fear and mystery about the operation by celebrating it in a picture exhibition online.

No roof, water, power in typhoon hospitals

No roof, water, power in typhoon hospitals

THIS woman is forced to stay by her husband's bed, unable to eat or go to the bathroom because she is manually working a pump to keep him alive in post-typhoon Philippines.

Little relief amid apocalyptic rubble

Little relief amid apocalyptic rubble

A RUN-down, single-story building with filthy floors has become Tacloban's hospital after last week's typhoon. It has little medicine, no facilities and few doctors. What it is not short of is patients.

Anarchy rises as aid dribbles in

Anarchy rises as aid dribbles in

'IT'S survival of the fittest': Desperately needed food, water and medical aid is trickling into devastated Tacloban as thousands jam into the damaged airport.

PNG grenade attack 'kills 34'

grenade

AS MANY as 34 people have been killed in a remote part of Papua New Guinea after a grenade was thrown as part of a tribal war.

Please don't send shoes to typhoon victims

Please don't send shoes to typhoon victims

YOU'VE seen the devastation on TV and want to help. But before you clear out your cupboards, there's one thing they need more than your shoes and teddy bears.

Jackie refused to wipe off blood

John F. Kennedy and his wife, Jacqueline Kennedy, pictured on November 22, 1963.

HER pink suit and white gloves were caked with her husband's dried blood but the more people told Jackie Kennedy to change, the more adamant she became.

Typhoon horror: quake hits Philippines

Typhoon Haiyan

A 4.8-MAGNITUDE earthquake has struck near San Isidro in the Philippines as hunger, thirst, and exposure threaten to take a fresh toll among Haiyan's victims.

Hitchhiker taken on horror ride

backpackers and generic and hitchhiker

A BACKPACKER hitchhiking in New Zealand got a ride he won't forget after being picked up by a man who led police on two pursuits in a stolen car.

NZ 'bad boys' sons of celebrity, cop

‘Roast Busters’: Alleged rape crew revealed

ONE is the son of a minor celebrity. Another is the son of a cop. Together, the 'Roast Busters' have dodged charges for alleged rape and online bullying.

'Facebook rape' scandal enrages NZ

'Facebook rape' scandal enrages NZ

A GROUP of teenage boys who have been getting underage girls drunk, having sex with them and naming them on the internet have been let off by New Zealand police.

Balloon crash pilot had pot in system

Lance Hopping New Zealand balloon crash pilot

THE pilot of a hot-air balloon that crashed in New Zealand killing all 11 people on board had cannabis in his system, a report says.

Chilling photo: Moment a paedophile was caught

Paedophile caught in bed with boy

A PHOTOGRAPH captures the moment police arrest a convicted paedophile in a guest house with a half naked eight-year-old boy.

Tragic climbers' farewell text

Hiroki Ogawa and Nicole Sutton

THE woman who died trapped on a New Zealand mountain managed to send a farewell text message to her father before succumbing to the elements with her partner.

Cat survives crossbow to the head

crossbow cat and moo moo

A CAT in New Zealand is lucky to be alive after being shot in the head with a crossbow.

'Vampire' dad eats young daughter

'Vampire' dad eats young daughter

A MAN, described as a vampire, allegedly murdered his three-year-old daughter by biting her neck, eating her flesh and drinking her blood.

PNG rocked by powerful quake

seismology earthquake

A POWERFUL earthquake measuring magnitude 7.1 has rocked Papua New Guinea. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

Philippines quake toll rises to 107

Philippines earthquake

RESCUE workers are racing to reach isolated communities on a popular Philippine tourist island hit by a huge earthquake, as the death toll climbed to 107.

Mayor embroiled in sex scandal

Len Brown Bevan Chuang

AUCKLAND Mayor Len Brown has admitted to an affair after his former lover revealed details of their tryst to a political blog.

UK quashes NZ murder conviction

Mark Lundy

IN AN unusual intervention, Britain's Privy Council has quashed the conviction of a New Zealander found guilty of murdering his wife and daughter.

US pushes trade talks despite shutdown

US pushes trade talks despite shutdown

TALKS on a Pacific trade pact are forging ahead despite the absence of President Barack Obama due to the US government shutdown.

'Climate refugee' fights to stay in NZ

Kirabati

A MAN who says rising sea levels make it too dangerous to return to Kiribati is fighting to convince New Zealand judges he's a climate refugee.

Royals let us take photos, says Key

Royals let us take photos, says Key

AFTER been dubbed a "galloping colonial clot", New Zealand Prime Minister John Key hits back at the suggestions he breached royal protocol.

UN calls for 'transparent' Fiji elections

UN-GENERAL ASSEMBLY-FIJI

UN CHIEF Ban Ki-moon has called on Fiji's strongman Frank Bainimarama to make sure elections promised next year are transparent and democratic.

Man critical after bar stool crash

bar stool

A 62-YEAR-OLD man is in a critical, but stable condition in Auckland City Hospital after crashing on motorised bar stool.

Sri Lankans still dream of Aussie asylum

Sri Lankan asylum seekers

POOR Sri Lankans are undeterred by Prime Minister Tony Abbott's tough measures to halt asylum seekers arriving on boats.

Stop the bros: Fewer Kiwis move here

Stop the bros: Fewer Kiwis move here

SEEMS our New Zealand bretheren have made their choice, bro. They're staying home, with fewer moving to Australia.

Swastika drawn on stolen shaved cat

Swastika drawn on stolen shaved cat

A CAT has been abducted and a swastika shaved on its back. The cat's owner does not think it's racially motivated.

Third death in PNG trekker attack

Third death in PNG trekker attack

A THIRD man has died from injuries suffered during a bloody ambush on Australian and New Zealand trekkers in Papua New Guinea.

Fawcett auction items sell for $200,000

PERSONAL items belonging to late actress Farrah Fawcett, including her iconic red swimsuit and passport, have fetched $US200,000 at auction.

Aussie held over alleged arson in Thailand

AN Australian man has allegedly attacked a Thai man and set fire to three motorbikes in a dispute over the bike he rented.

Red-suited revellers hit NY bars

THE costumed New York pub crawl known as SantaCon has seen thousands of red suited revellers partying in bars and the snowy streets.

Eight more dead in Bangladesh riots

BANGLADESH police say Islamist supporters torched houses and fought running street battles with officers in towns and cities during a third day of unrest.

Son search ends in Lockerbie grief

A US mother discovers the son she gave up for adoption died in the Lockerbie bombing just after his 21st birthday.

Mexico first for kidnappings

THE security company Control Risk said 20 per cent of all kidnappings worldwide in the first half of 2013 occurred in Mexico.

Snowstorms in US

A PRE-CHRISTMAS winter storm has blanketed a wide swath of the US northeast with a picturesque white layer of snow but caused travel chaos.

Ferry runs aground in Baltic Sea

THE operator of a Finnish ferry that became stuck on rocks in the Baltic Sea says none of the almost 2000 passengers and crew on board have been injured.

Workout 'cuts festive food damage'

RESEARCH shows just a few days of eating too much at Christmas and exercising too little can cause long-term effects on the body.

Protein may aid cancer treatment

RESEARCH in the UK has raised hopes there may soon be available a vaccine to combat prostate cancer.

Macedonia mayor warns about air pollution

SKOPJE'S mayor has warned pregnant women, children, the chronically ill and elderly people to stay at home because of air pollution.

90 UN peacekeepers died this year

THE UN says 90 UN peacekeepers have died on the job this year while working at one of 15 missions.