Pacific
Kids raped as 'bullets rained down'
INDONESIAN security forces intentionally killed and raped children and a large number of civilians at a West Papuan massacre, a tribunal has found.
NZ PM 'unidentified' on world stage
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
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
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?
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
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 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
'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'
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
A CAT in New Zealand is lucky to be alive after being shot in the head with a crossbow.
'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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 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
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
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
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
A CAT has been abducted and a swastika shaved on its back. The cat's owner does not think it's racially motivated.
Germany's grand coalition deal signed
Tue Dec 17 00:57:19 EST 2013 THE new German coalition government is set to be sworn in after an agreement was formally signed by the three political parties.
Mandela signer in group that burned men
Tue Dec 17 00:57:18 EST 2013 THE bogus signer at Nelson Mandela's memorial service was reportedly part of a group that put tyres around two men's necks and set them alight.
Michael Jordan's estate up for auction
Tue Dec 17 00:57:16 EST 2013 THE nine-bedroom, 15-bathroom "gentleman's retreat" of former Chicago Bulls star Michael Jordan is set to go under the hammer.
Many 'think coffee causes cancer'
Mon Dec 16 21:48:56 EST 2013 THE World Cancer Research Fund says there is no scientific evidence that coffee causes cancer or is the key to weight loss.
Millions in UK aid to China criticised
Mon Dec 16 19:51:42 EST 2013 THE British government is being queried over the decision to continue granting aid, up to STG27.4 million in 2012, to a prosperous China.
Tributes pour in for Peter O'Toole
Mon Dec 16 17:47:55 EST 2013 TRIBUTES have poured in for British actor Peter O'Toole, who died after a long illness in London, aged 81.
Hugh Jackman hosts Washington Xmas concert
Mon Dec 16 17:28:15 EST 2013 HUGH Jackman has become the first Australian to host America's annual Christmas in Washington concert.
Avatar films to be made in NZ
Mon Dec 16 13:49:45 EST 2013 THE New Zealand government has signed a deal with Twentieth Century Fox that ensures the next three Avatar movies will be made there.
Oscar-winner Joan Fontaine, 96, dies
Mon Dec 16 13:48:12 EST 2013 JOAN Fontaine, who won an Academy Award as a naive wife in Alfred Hitchcock's thriller Suspicion, has died in her sleep at her home.
Chopper pilot's body recovered
Mon Dec 16 12:48:16 EST 2013 SEARCH and rescue teams have recovered the body of a New Zealand pilot whose helicopter crashed in steep terrain near the Milford Track.
Dairy herd outpacing NZ population growth
Mon Dec 16 12:19:17 EST 2013 NEW Zealand's dairy herd has grown to 6.6 million, but the number of sheep continues to decline, according to new figures.
Auckland mayor sorry after report
Mon Dec 16 09:25:28 EST 2013 AUCKLAND'S mayor Len Brown has offered an apology over his use of funds to councillors.
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.