Dixon takes chequered flag for fifth time
The New Zealand motor racing driver Scott Dixon has won his fifth race in this year's IndyCar Series with success in Edmonton. His first win on a road course this season ...

Bulldogs to take out injunction to stop Williams
The Bulldogs rugby league chief executive Todd Greenberg says his club will look to take out an injunction to stop its New Zealand star Sonny Bill Williams playing rugby. Williams has ...

Stranded dolphin rescued
A young dolphin stranded on a beach on Auckland's North Shore by heavy seas was successfully refloated on Saturday.

Bosnian Serbs march in support of Karadzic
Several thousand Bosnian Serbs have joined hour-long processions throughout the Serb half of Bosnia in support of the detained war crimes accused, Radovan Karadzic.

Karadzic lawyers attempt to delay extradition
Lawyers for the captured former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic say they have filed an appeal against his transfer to the international war crimes tribunal in The Hague.

New Zealand flies high at World Junior Rowing champs
New Zealand has secured gold,silver, and bronze medals in the girls' four, boys eight and girls' quadruple scull at the World Junior Rowing Championships in Austria. Also the New Zealand boy's ...

World 100 metres record holder sounds warning
Jamaica's world 100 metres record holder Usain Bolt has sounded another warning to his Olympic rivals with an impressive winning time of 19.76 in the 200 metres at the London Grand ...

Queenstown golfer well back at Royal Troon
Queenstown golfer,Jim Lapsley is tied in 68th place at plus 12 after three rounds of the Senior British Open at Royal Troon. A five over par 76 has him 18 shots ...

New Zealand women's soccer side gains confidence in Singapore
The New Zealand women's football side has drawn one all against world number nine Canada in the side's final pre-Olympics warm-up match in Singapore. The result comes 13 months since losing ...

Pakistan unconcerned by Trophy boycott threat
Pakistan's cricket chief has defiantly claimed he is not worried about the prospect of top players pulling out of September's Champions Trophy. Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Nasim Ashraf says if some ...

McCaw rated 50/50 chance to start in Auckland
The All Blacks captain, Richie McCaw, is rated a 50/50 chance to play in this weekend's return Bledisloe Cup rugby game in Auckland. Still overcoming an ankle injury McCaw watched in ...

Rotorua hoteliers warn against rates hike
Hoteliers in Rotorua are warning a proposed rates increase could lead to job losses and deter new tourism operators from investing in the area.

Paddison just outside top 20 in Russia
The Wellington golfer, Gareth Paddison, is tied for 21st place at eight under at the Russian Open. A third round three under par 69 has Paddison eight shots off the pace. ...

McClennan's Leeds side tumbles in Challenge Cup semi final
Defending champions St Helens has overcome a spirited Leeds recovery to win the first semi-final of English rugby league's Challenge Cup 26-16. Leeds,coached by former Kiwis mentor Brian McClennan, trailed 18-2 ...

Raiders move into NRL top eight
The Canberra rugby league side has beaten Gold Coast 46-4 to move into the NRL top eight. Meanwhile Penrith has earned some breathing space at the bottom of the top eight ...

Rowing world champs at Karapiro set back a month
The 2010 Rowing World Championships at Lake Karapiro have been moved from the proposed September date and will now run from late October. The change, requested by Karapiro World Championship organisers, ...

Willis finishes sixth in 800 metres in London
The New Zealand athlete Nick Willis has placed sixth in the 800 metres at the London grand prix athletics meet. Willis has finished nearly two seconds behind winner Abraham Chepkirwok of ...

Spainard Sastre poised to win Tour de France
The Spaniard cyclist Carlos Sastre is poised to win the Tour de France after his chief rival, Australia's Cadel Evans, didn't make the in roads expected in the penultimate stage. The ...

Oly Whites square game in Jakarta
The New Zealand men's under 23 football side has scored a two all draw against Persija Jakarta to end the Indonesian leg of their pre-Olympics build-up. Needing to rest several players ...

India crash to worst defeat against India
Spinners Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis have bowled the Sri Lankan cricket side to an innings and 239-run victory in the first test against India in Colombo. It is India's worst ...

England make big start against NZ U19 cricketers
England is 350 for three at stumps on the first day of the first youth test against the New Zealand under 19 cricket side in Taunton. The home side won the ...

New Zealand win Emerging Players cricket tournament
New Zealand has defeated Australia by three wickets in the final to win the 2008 Emerging Players cricket tournament in Brisbane. The New Zealanders have won the tournament for the first ...

Henry says his side needs to restore structure and balance
The New Zealand rugby coach Graham Henry says his side has to re establish its structure ahead of the return Bledilsoe cup test against Australia. The All Blacks started badly in ...

Quake strikes off Taranaki
An earthquake with a magnitude of 4.3 on the Richter scale has struck off Taranaki.

Deadly bomb blasts hit Indian city
At least 29 people have been killed in a string of bomb attacks in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad, a day after fatal explosions in Bangalore.

US housing rescue bill passed in Senate
The US Congress has approved a massive housing market rescue bill, setting up a $US300 billion fund to help thousands of homeowners get cheaper loans.

Obama makes low-key visit to London
White House hopeful Barack Obama has wrapped up his foreign tour in London, after talks with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

Man dies in Meremere house fire
A man has died and a child has been taken to hospital following a house fire in Meremere, in northern Waikato.

Police concerned for teenage runaways
Police in Wellington are concerned for the safety and welfare of two teenagers they say have deliberately run away from home.

Heavy rains pound South Korea
Seven people have been killed and six are missing as heavy downpours pounded parts of South Korea for the fourth straight day on Saturday, emergency services said.

WTO ministers look to capitalise on new optimism
A new sense of optimism surrounded WTO negotiations on a new global trade pact on Saturday, amid hopes of a breakthrough after seven years of deadlock.

Qantas plane investigated after mid-air drama
Australian air safety investigators arrived in the Philippines on Saturday to examine the Qantas plane that was left with a gaping hole in its side when part of its fuselage blew out mid-air.

Obama drops visit to wounded US troops
US Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama dropped a plan to visit wounded American troops in Germany on Friday amid concerns the stop would be viewed as a political event.

Iraq to appeal against Olympic ban
Iraqi representatives will meet members of the International Olympic Committee on Monday to try to reach an agreement that would allow Iraq to participate in next month's games.

Thousands party in Nuku'alofa ahead of coronation
A huge street party was held in the Tongan capital Nuku'alofa on Friday night, in preparation for the crowning of King George Tupou V.

Animal welfare complaints rise
The Ministry of Agriculture is investigating almost twice the number of animal welfare complaints it normally gets in winter.

Hearing association hopes to restore some finances
Elderly members of the Whangarei Hearing Association hope an auction on Saturday will restore a fraction of its shattered finances.

Debts owed by overseas patients
Overseas patients owe Wellington hospitals hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid medical bills.

Women shot in west Auckland armed robbery
A woman has been shot during an armed robbery of a dairy in New Lynn in west Auckland on Saturday.

California bans use of trans-fats
California has become the first American state to ban restaurants and food retailers from using trans-fats, which are linked to coronary heart disease.

Hospital owed nearly $1m by non-resident patients
Outstanding debt from the hospital treatment of overseas patients in Wellington is nearing $1 million.

Hopes of reaching world trade deal revive
Ministers hailed an emerging trade deal on Friday, as compromise proposals revitalised deadlocked talks at the World Trade Organisation, but have warned much work is needed to get full agreement.

Tuqiri wants to win the Bledsiloe Cup
The Wallabies Fiji born winger Lote Tuqiri is hoping this is the year he's in the team that wins the Bledisloe Cup. Australia and New Zealand meet for the first ...

Carter wants good conditions in Sydney
The All Black first-five Dan Carter is hoping for some good weather when they take on the wallabies in their Tr-Nations Bledisloe Cup clash in Sydney tonight. The bad weather ...

Thorn likes Sydney ground
The All Black lock Brad Thorn can't wait to get out onto Sydney's Olympic Park tonight in their Tri-Nations Bledisloe Cup clash with the Wallabies. Thorn, who missed their last ...

Team USA beat Canada in basketball match
Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Michael Redd scored 20 points apiece as the USA dominated Canada 120-65 in a Beijing Olympic basketball tune-up in Las Vegas. Chris Paul handed out ...

ICC admits they can't stop player pullout of Champions Trophy
International cricket chiefs admitted they'll be powerless to prevent any mass pullout from September's Champions Trophy in Pakistan. Responding to suggestions that players and even teams may skip the event ...

Murray beats defending champion
The British tennis player Andy Murray has beaten defending champion Novak Djokovic to reach the semi-finals of the Toronto Masters tennis tournament. 8th seeded Murray made quick work of 3rd ...

Chinese scramble for last Games tickets
Unwashed, unfed and lacking sleep, tens of thousands of Chinese shouted, pushed and shoved for their last chance at Olympic tickets on a hot and smoggy Friday, threatening to break through barricades.

Powell wins again
Former world record holder Asafa Powell grabbed a second pre-Olympics 100 metres win in three days when he cruised to victory at the London Grand Prix Athletics meeting at Crystal ...

Tonight's time trial to decide tour
The Tour de France is likely to be decided tonight in the penultimate stage, 53-km individual time trial. Spaniard Carlos Sastre holds a 1 minute 24 second lead over team-mate ...

Dixon 4th on grid in Edmonton
The New Zealand driver Scott Dixon will start from 4th on the grid for tomorrow's 13th round of the Indy car Series in Edmonton. For the second weekend in a ...

International demand for venison hiking local price
One of the country's biggest venison distributors says international demand for the meat is pushing up the price for local shoppers.

More New Zealanders through to finals at world rowing champs
World champion lightweight single sculler, Duncan Grant, has made the A final at the combined senior and junior world rowing champs in Austria. Grant has won his semi final where he ...

Oil companies drop fuel prices
All major oil companies in New Zealand dropped fuel prices by 4 cents a litre on Friday, bringing the fall in petrol prices over the past 10 days to 12c a litre.

Blackburn sign Paul Robinson
The English football club Blackburn Rovers has signed goalkeeper Paul Robinson from Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur. The 28-year-old, who has 41 England caps but has fallen out of favour with ...

Powell wins 100 metres in London
Commonwealth sprint champion and former world record holder Asafa Powell has won the 100 metres final at the London grand prix athletics meet in 9.94 seconds running into a slight head ...

Steyn ruled out of third test
South African fast bowler Dale Steyn will miss the third cricket Test against England after suffering a fractured thumb. South African team manager Mohammed Moosajee has confirmed Steyn will miss the ...

ICC says it can't force teams to play in Pakistan
The International Cricket Council says its cannot force teams to play in the Champions Trophy in Pakistan in September. Chief executive Haroon Lorgat says all the Council can do is make ...

Pesticide ban 'could give marketing advantage'
Anti-pesticide groups say banning the insecticide, endosulfan would give New Zealand-grown tomatoes a marketing advantage over imports from Australia.

US stocks rise on economic news
Stocks gained in jittery Wall Street trading on Friday as nagging worries about the credit crisis shaded optimism over stronger economic data.

Funding boost for Southland insulation scheme
The Government has increased its contribution to a project which insulates homes in Southland.

Oil hits seven-week low on faltering demand
Oil dropped more than $US2 to a fresh seven-week low on Friday, extending a decline that has knocked more than $US24 off crude in two weeks as high fuel prices continue to batter demand.

Sir Bob misses cut at Seniors British Open
Queenstown golfer, Jim Lapsley is seven over,10 shots off the pace after the second round of the Senior British Open golf championship at Royal Troon. He's tied in 38th place. Sir ...

Fire in Richmond bitumen plant
Firefighters equipped with breathing apparatus and foam put out a blaze in a bitumen plant near Nelson.

Diesel spill in Southland river contained
Southland's regional council says less diesel and rubbish than originally thought spilled into the Makarewa River following a truck crash on Thursday night.

Reserve Bank cuts interest rate to 8%
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand cut the Official Cash Rate to 8% on Thursday as the domestic economy slows. It was the first cut in five years.

Rugby World Cup Sevens qualifying in Samoa this weekend
The latest phase of qualifying for Rugby World Cup Sevens 2009 takes place this weekend with the Oceania region men's and women's tournaments in, Samoa. Samoa, Tonga, Papua New Guinea, Cook ...

Paddison and Wilkinson off the pace
The Wellington golfer, Gareth Paddison, is eight shots off the pace after two rounds of the Russian Open. A second round one under 71 has Paddison tied in 35th place and ...

Nineteenth stage leaves top four standings unchanged in Tour de France
The nineteenth stage of the Tour de France cycle race has left the top four standings unchanged. Frenchman Sylvain Chavanel, with a maiden stage victory,has beaten compatriot Jeremy Roy in a ...

Broncos grind out much needed win
The Brisbane Broncos rugby league side has ground out a much needed 18-12 NRL win over Cronulla at Suncorp Stadium. Broncos utility Greg Eastwood scored the match-winning try in the 72nd ...

Henry says he understands pressure on Deans
All Blacks coach, Graham Henry, says he understands the pressure his countryman and opposite number Robbie Deans is under ahead of tonight's Tri-Nations test against Australia at the Olympic stadium. Deans ...

Muralitharan has India reeling
Sri Lankan cricketer Muttiah Muralitharan has snared four wickets to leave India struggling on 159 for six when bad light ended play early on the third day of the first test ...

Champions trophy boycott looms
A boycott of September's Champions Trophy looms a day after the International Cricket Council decided to retain Pakistan as the venue despite safety concerns by many teams. The ICC says the ...

Ryder says he'd go to Pakistan
The New Zealand cricketer Jesse Ryder says he's been making the most of his return to the game at the emerging players tournament in Australia after a hand injury cost him ...

HIV drugs may give 13 more years of life
Life expectancy for people with HIV has increased by an average of 13 years since the late 1990s thanks to better HIV treatment, a study says.

Election loss deals another bitter blow to Brown
Britain's ruling Labour Party lost one of its safest parliamentary seats, results showed on Friday, deepening doubts within the party about Prime Minister Gordon Brown's ability to win the next election.

Asia-Pacific markets lower
Markets in the Asia-Pacific region have ended the trading week down.

Stead appionted coach of N.Z. women's cricket team
The former international Gary Stead has been appointed coach of the New Zealand women's cricket team. Stead replaces Steve Jenkin after his surprise resignation earlier this month after three years ...

IOC bans Iraq from Beijing Olympics
The International Olympic Committee has confirmed a ban on Iraq from competing in the Beijing Games in a major blow to seven Iraqi athletes who had hoped to travel to ...

N.Z. Cricket and Players Association to meet over security concerns
New Zealand Cricket will meet with the Players Association early next week to discuss whether they still intend sending the Black Caps to the Champions Trophy in Pakistan, in September ...

Dragons coach irresponsible says Melbourne Storm CEO
The Melbourne Storm's CEO has desribed the attack on his club by Dragons national rugby league coach Nathan Brown as incredibly irresponsible. Brown lashed out at the Storm yesterday, saying ...

Van Dyk unlikely to be moved to goal attack for Silver Ferns
Silver Ferns coach Ruth Aitken has backed the move by the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic to move star shooter Irene Van Dyk further further out of the attacking circle ...

Deans admits to mixed feelings about test against All Blacks
The Australia coach Robbie Deans admits to having mixed feelings about tomorrow's Tri-Nations and Bledisloe cup test against New Zealand but has made it clear there are no doubts about ...

China says terrorist cell discovered
Chinese authorities say police in Shanghai have broken up an international terrorist group that had planned to attack an Olympic football preliminary match in the city.

Solid Energy seeks to extend West Coast operations
Solid Energy has applied to the Department of Conservation to extend its mining operations on the Stockton Plateau, north of Westport.

France scraps 35-hour working week
France's parliament has passed a law which effectively ends the country's compulsory 35-hour working week.

National to seek support for electoral law change
The National Party says it would seek multi-party support before making any changes to the controversial electoral finance law.

Questions over planned Maori economic agency
The National Party says the Government is attempting to pilfer money from the Maori Trust Office to set up a separate Maori economic development agency.

National's workplace policy 'unfair on new employees'
The Council of Trade Unions says the National Party's new employment and workplace relations policy would reduce workers' rights.

Anonymous donations under scrutiny
Political parties are facing fresh scrutiny over anonymous donations amid questions about money received by New Zealand First leader Winston Peters.

Whangarei mayor labels critics 'whingers'
Whangarei mayor Stan Semenoff has criticised ratepayers who have accused him of undemocratic practices.

Court orders name change for Taranaki girl
The Family Court has ordered a name-change for a Taranaki girl whose parents called her "Talula does the Hula from Hawaii".

Obama pledges stronger ties with Europe
American presidential candidate Barack Obama has told a crowd of 200,000 in Berlin that he will renew the partnership between the United States and Europe if he is elected to the White House.

New Zealand sharemarket down
The New Zealand sharemarket fell during trading on Friday morning, with the NZX 50 down 21 points to 3265 just after midday, on turnover of $65 million.

Oil rebounds from seven-week low
Oil prices rebounded from a seven-week low on Thursday, with US light crude settling at $US125.49 a barrel, up $US1.05.

Finance watchdog to investigate Hanover
The Commerce Commission has begun an investigation into Hanover Finance. The company has frozen investments and repayments totalling $554 million.

Wall Street tumbles, led by financials
US stocks tumbled more than 2% on Thursday after a report showing yet another drop in US home sales prompted investors to take profits in financial shares.

Proposal could destroy wool industry, say exporters
The Wool Exporters' Council says the industry may be destroyed by a proposal from New Zealand's new strong wool company to restructure the industry and do away with the auction system.

Peters to face critics over donations
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters says he plans to explain the facts about political party funding at a news conference on Friday.

Plan for shared mobile phone towers
The Commerce Commission hopes plans to allow mobile phone companies to share cell towers will lead to greater competition in the telecommunication industry.

Some players will be doubtful starters for Champions Trophy
Some cricketers are likely to decide against playing the Champions Trophy in September now that the ICC has confirmed that it will be played in Pakistan. The ICC discussed the ...

Players Association boss says no to trip to Pakistan
The New Zealand Cricket Players Association says they'll be recommending that the Black Caps do not go to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy tournament in September. The ICC discussed the ...

Morning Report: local papers
Investigation into Hanover Finance; Banks under pressure to lower mortgage rates; PM rejects calls to grill Winston Peters over donations to New Zealand First.

Paddison handily placed in Moscow
The Wellington golfer Gareth Paddison is handily placed after an opening round of 68 at the European Tour's Russian Open in Moscow. Paddison's tied for 16th, three strokes from the ...

Lapsley best of three Kiwis at British Seniors Open
The Queenstown golfer Jim Lapsley is doing best of the three New Zealanders at the British Seniors Open championship in Scotland. Lapsley had a 5-over par 76 on the first ...

Australia still unconvinced about Champions Trophy security
Australia's involvement in September's Champions Trophy one day cricket tournament remains in doubt despite the ICC's confirmation that Pakistan will host the event, due to start on September the 11th. ...

Mosley wins legal action
World motorsport boss Max Mosley has won a legal action against a British Sunday newspaper over claims an orgy he took part in had Nazi overtones. The High Court ruled the ...

Nadal closes in on world number one
Roger Federer's long reign as world men's tennis number one is looking perilous after he crashed out of the Toronto Masters in his first match since Wimbledon. Federer, who had ...

Rush out of action for rest of year
The Cardiff Blues rugby captain Xavier Rush could be sidelined until Christmas with a knee injury. The former Auckland and All Black back row forward will undergo surgery in a ...

Iraqi athletes banned from Olympics
Athletes from Iraq have been banned from taking part at next month's Beijing Olympic Games. The team was already the subject of an interim ban after the Iraqi government replaced ...

Sri Lankan first innings continues
The Sri Lankan cricketers have finished the second day of the opening test against India at 422 for 2 in their first innings in Colombo. Opener Malinda Warnapura scored 115, ...

ANZ stadium not sold out for Bledisloe test
The Australian Rugby Union is at a loss to explain as many as 4,000 unsold tickets for tomorrow night's Tri-Nations Bledisloe Cup test against the All Blacks in Sydney. A ...

Pakistan to host Champions Trophy
The International Cricket Council says September's Champions Trophy event will remain in Pakistan, after appointing a special task force to ensure security. The ICC discussed the possibility of moving the ...

NZ Olympic football team beaten
The New Zealand men's Olympic football team has been beaten 2-1 by Indonesia in an Olympic warmup match in Jakarta. The New Zealand under 23 side was down 2-nil after ...

No change to top four on Tour of France
The top four placings are unchanged after the latest stage on the Tour de France. The Spaniard Carlos Sastre who took the overall lead yesterday, finished with the main bunch ...

McCaw out of test
The All Black captain Richie McCaw will not play in Saturday's Tri-Nations clash with Australia in Sydney. McCaw returned to training with the All Blacks this week and had been ...

Motorsport boss wins case over orgy
World motorsport boss Max Mosley has won a legal action against a Sunday newspaper over claims an orgy he took part in had Nazi overtones.

Karadzic to fight extradition to The Hague
Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic may not be taken to prison in The Hague until next week.

Britain agrees plan to tackle online music piracy
Britain's six biggest Internet providers have agreed a plan to tackle piracy within the music and film industries, pledging to send warning letters to users suspected of illegal file-sharing.

Government sets freshwater goal
Making New Zealand's freshwater of a swimmable standard within a generation is the goal the Government's proposed national policy statement on freshwater management, released this week.

Govt to look at reopening railway engine plant
An old locomotive plant in Lower Hutt may be taken out of mothballs and used to assemble new engines under a Government plan to invest $80 million in upgrading commuter services. The plant was built in 1929.

NZ market higher as central bank cuts interest rate
The New Zealand sharemarket rose 2.7% on Thursday as it reacted to the Reserve Bank cutting the benchmark interest rate.

Colourful banknotes issued to combat counterfeiting
The Governor of the Central Bank in Samoa is confident brightly coloured new banknotes now circulating will help authorities to crack down on counterfeiting operations.

Law passed to enact free trade deal with China
The New Zealand Parliament has passed legislation to enact a free trade deal with China.

Thanou intent on competing in Beijing
The Greek sprinter Katerina Thanou, who was at the heart of a doping scandal at the Athens Olympics four years ago, says she intends competing at next month's Beijing Games. ...

NZ to meet Australia in Emerging Players cricket final
New Zealand will play the Australian Institute of Sport in the final of the Emerging Players cricket tournament in Brisbane. New Zealand topped the league phase after beating India by 4 ...

Elliott and Killen could see playing time in second to last Olympic warm up match
Over-age players Simon Elliott and Chris Killen could both see some playing time when the New Zealand Olympic football team play the Indonesian national team in Jakarta tonight. New Zealand ...

Canberra league officials deny claim that former player was asked to lie to police
Canberra Raiders rugby league officials are denying a claim that former player Steve Irwin was asked to lie to police to protect the NRL club's star playmaker Todd Carney. Police ...

Bulldogs duo stood down
The Bulldogs pair Ben Roberts and Lee Te Maari have been fined and stood down from Monday night's NRL match against St George Illawarra over their involvement in an altercation ...

Federer dumped in first round of Toronto Masters
The world tennis number one Roger Federer was upset 2-6 7-5 6-4 by the in-form Frenchman Gilles Simon in his opening match of the Toronto Masters. Back on court for ...

Wallaby captain says All Blacks won't be weakened with the loss of Richie McCaw
The Wallabies stand in captain George Smith says New Zealand won't be weakened by losing openside flanker and All Black captain Richie McCaw. McCaw has been ruled out of the Tri ...

World record crowd for netball final on the cards
The inaugural trans Tasman netball grand final is set to be a world record record crowd with ticket sales breaking the 10,000 barrier. Monday's clash between Waikato Bay of Plenty ...

Temepara George considers playing for Samoa
Temepara George is contemplating a return to international netball next year but it may not be with the Silver Ferns. Yesterday George announced she would be back for the Mystics ...

Eales says pressure on Henry more than Deans ahead of Bledisloe Cup test
The Wallabies great John Eales believes last year's Rugby World Cup flop will still be playing on the minds of the All Blacks, and putting immense pressure on coach Graham ...

Thorn can't wait to play in Sydney
The All Black lock Brad Thorn admits his forced week off wasn't a pleasant experience and he can't wait to get back into action this weekend against Australia in Sydney. ...

Colourful banknotes issued to combat counterfeiting
The Governor of the Central Bank in Samoa is confident brightly coloured new banknotes now circulating will help authorities to crack down on counterfeiting operations.

Hungry bears trap Russian geologists
A team of geologists are trapped in their camp by 30 hungry bears on the Kamchatka peninsula in Russia's far east. Two workers were attacked and killed there last week.

Coolstore blaze ruled accidental by Fire Service
The Fire Service in Hastings has concluded a huge fire which destroyed a coolstore on the northern outskirts of the city was not started deliberately.

Man committed to trial for murder of toddler
A Tokoroa man charged with murdering a toddler who died from severe burns has been sent for trial.

Power savings campaign to end
The last television advert in a $2 million power savings campaign is due to screen on Sunday, although the hydro lakes are still only a third full. Critics say its success was due to luck, not judgement.

Cyclone Nargis bill put at $1.5 billion
The cost of relief and reconstruction work in Myanmar after Cyclone Nargis has been put at more than $1.3 billion.

PM grilled again in House over Peters
Prime Minister Helen Clark on Wednesday faced a second day of questioning in Parliament over donations received by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters.

V8 race gets tick by independent review
An independent review of the Hamilton V8 supercar race in April shows that 172,522 people attended the three-day event and that all resource consent conditions were met.

NZ dollar falls after cut in interest rate
The New Zealand dollar has fallen in response to a cut in the Official Cash Rate by the Reserve Bank.

NZ market likes OCR cut
The NZX 50 index rose 1.8% on Thursday after a cut in the Official Cash Rate by the Reserve Bank. However, the Australian stock market opened lower.

War medals stolen from Huntly house
Seven war medals from World War I have been stolen amongst other goods, from a house in Huntly over the weekend.

Companies shortlisted to build Whangarei stadium
Five companies have been short-listed to develop plans for a $16 million rugby stadium in Whangarei.

No change in tax policy, says Key
National Party leader John Key says tough economic times won't force changes to the party's tax cut policy.

Irrigation hearing moves to Darfield
A hearing into the $400 million Central Plains Irrigation Scheme has moved out of Christchurch for two days, to Darfield.

Two deaths in fire ruled as suicide
A Coroner has ruled that the deaths of two people in a Christchurch house fire in April last year, were the result of suicide. The deaths of two other people are described as an unlawful killing.

Temporary manager appointed at rest home
Another rest home has been assigned a temporary manager due to safety problems.

RBA tipped to raise interest rate
There is renewed speculation that the Australian Reserve Bank will raise interest rates before Christmas. Inflation for the year to June is now 4.5%. Rates are currently 7.25%.

Accused killer described as paranoid
A former partner of a samurai swordsman, who attacked her in 2003, has testified against him in a murder trial in the High Court in Auckland - describing him as paranoid. He also used to say he was a 'chosen one'.

Winter weather keeps coming
More bad weather is rolling over New Zealand. MetService warns that wind, rain and snow will bring unsettled conditions to many areas.

Hanover TV ads should have ended sooner - specalist
An insolvency specialist says Hanover Finance should have withdrawn its television advertising when problems first became apparent. The campaign promised to protect deposits 'whatever the economic weather'.

National issues industrial relations policy
The National Party has issued its industrial relations policy.

Porn movie charges follow DVD raid
A man facing charges relating to a movie pirating operation is to appear in the Hamilton District Court on 27 additional charges relating to pornographic movies.

Illegal letting of state houses listed
The National Party has listed 44 cases of state housing premises being illegally sub-let by their tenants. In one case, it was for eight years.

Firefighters strike gold at Mt Eden blaze
Firefighters struck gold at a blaze at a commercial metal casting premises in Mt Eden on Thursday. Steel security doors had to be cut through to get at the blaze.

US market rises
Stocks in the United States rose on Wednesday on hopes lawmakers will approve a rescue plan for mortgage finance companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. European shares have also ended higher.

Dog owner charged after boy attacked
Police have charged the owner of four hunting dogs that mauled a Waikato boy. He had more than 100 wounds.

Even money on interest rate review
It's even money on whether the Reserve Bank of New Zealand will cut the Official Cash Rate at 9am on Thursday. The rate is currently 8.25%. It was set in July 2007.

Price of oil slips
Oil prices have fallen slightly to $US128.12 a barrel, extending a two-week decline. Prices have fallen by almost $US20 since 11 July.

Hurricane Dolly lashes Gulf Coast
Hurricane Dolly has made landfall in Texas, bringing winds of up to 160km an hour and heavy rain to coastal areas of the state and northern Mexico. Dolly is the second hurricane of the 2008 season.

Road conditions
State Highway One between Pukerua Bay and Paekakariki north of Wellington is now clear.

NZ First donation confirmed by Jones
Businessman Sir Robert Jones has confirmed he gave $25,000 to the New Zealand First Party. He also gave the party $50,000 when it was founded.

Commuter train line in capital closed after slip
The Wellington - Johnsonville train line is closed after a slip caused a minor derailment amid heavy rain on Wednesday evening.