Arlene Paredes

The outbreak of hepatitis A affecting nine Auckland schools is now under control, but the kids in the affected zones are not yet entirely safe, according to the region’s public health service.

North Coast musician Brian "Birdy" Burdett, 52, and his daughters Sky, 10, and Kayla, 8, were among the five people who died in tragic road accidents in southwest NSW over what seemed to be a long weekend of tragedies.

The Warehouse is inspired by a significant increase in online sales during the first half of its financial year, the New Zealand Herald reports. The Auckland-based company says internet revenue rose 60 per cent during the six months to January 29 this year.

New Zealand is becoming a favourite dwelling place for billionaires around the world, the New Zealand Herald reports. The Herald lists American Facebook billionaire Peter Thiel, Russian steel billionaire Alexander Abramov, and New York Empire State Building’s Tony Malkin as among those who have recently been drawn to New Zealand.

New Zealand’s Telecom has cut 400 jobs in 2011, most of which are out of redundancies while others were resignations that were not replaced, the company said in its latest report.

The road to recovery is going to be long and exhausting for North Wagga Wagga as residents are not yet allowed to move back in although they are allowed to visit for clean ups, News.com.au reports.

Kiwis expecting to see a brilliant show of Aurora lights have been disappointed Thursday night as elements did not line up for it to happen.

Wellington College is seen to be housing the brightest young Kiwi students for the school year. Preliminary results show Wellington College has gained the most number of NCEA (National Certificate of Educational Achievement) scholarships - 126 to be exact - since the exams began.

Dugongs and sea turtles are facing a serious threat against illegal meat trade activities in Queensland, ABC's 7.30 reports. The program reveals a black market in animal meat, with activist Rupert Imhoff filming the hunting of the turtles and dugongs, which are both listed as vulnerable to extinction.

America has voted for American Idol's Top 12. The results came in, lights were dimmed, and the audience found out the bottom three among the girls and the boys, respectively.

America has voted for American Idol's Top 12. The results came in, lights were dimmed, and the audience found out the bottom three among the girls and the boys, respectively.

Sydney has not seen in many years a bout of ferocious weather as nasty as what is hitting the city now, bringing its transport systems to a halt and forcing evacuations. Residents of southwest and central west NSW continue to deal with major flooding, with Griffith and Forbes as main focus for emergency services Thursday.

Thousands of spiders in Wagga Wagga have woven a vast web network in accessible paddocks in a desperate bid for survival amid rising floodwaters.

A NZ Treasury report suggests the Government should be exhausting means to yield public sector savings of $250 million a year. The Treasury’s suggestion could mean a further slashing of 2400 public service jobs, Dominion Post reports.

The captain and officials of MV Rena made “a series of poor decisions,” which led to the ship’s crash into Astrolabe Reef off Tauranga in October, says Tauranga Mayor Stuart Crosby.

Filipina-Mexican Jessica Sanchez draws the second to the last spot in American Idol’s Top 13 Performance Night, and she showed off her explosive talent, belting out Whitney Houston’s I Will Always Love You, and nailing it. The 16-year-old is in it to win it, to borrow the judges’ cliche.

Filipina-Mexican Jessica Sanchez draws the second to the last spot in American Idol’s Top 13 Performance Night, and she showed off her explosive talent, belting out Whitney Houston’s I Will Always Love You, and nailing it. The 16-year-old is in it to win it, to borrow the judges’ cliche.

A kite surfer was picked up by a strong gust of wind on a Melbourne beach Wednesday afternoon. The 50-year-old kite surfer was at Altona beach when he was picked up and tossed about by a gust of wind, and it is believed his head suffered a bad hit in the process.

A study that highlights the importance of circumcision in New Zealand is pushing for routine practice on male infants in the country, but medical experts in the country disagrees, the New Zealand Herald reports.

The New Zealand Immigration has been asked to review its visa-waiver agreement with South Africa amid fears that terrorists could easily obtain a fake passport from the country to gain NZ entry.

The angel investors are being more careful with their money decisions, with ninety-seven ventures gaining $30.7m in New Zealand in 2011, according to a report by the NZ Venture Investment Fund (NZVIF).

“I don't want to go to jail, I don't want to go to jail,” an 8-year-old Wellington boy who was in his pyjamas told a TVNZ reporter after he was seen having trouble driving a 4WD Range Rover. The reporter thought he has just spotted a drunk driver around the streets in inner Wellington early Monday morning until he caught a good view of the kid’s profile.

Construction workers fled a building which was undergoing renovations in Melbourne's CBD after it caught fire Monday morning, putting in grave danger the lives of those on-site.

New Zealand’s Pastoral Dairy Investments (PDI) is looking to raise $75 million, with a minimum of $25 million to be acquired through an initial public offering at $1 a share to invest in larger-than-average dairy farms, each with about 600-1000 cows, the New Zealand Herald reported.

A new social networking site (SNS), which boasts of live video-broadcasting capability, is being introduced to internet users, and it is about to go public with more than 80 million shares offered in a bid to raise A$10 million.

Police officers are calling on Tregear residents who may have witnessed a man climbing in the bedroom window of a 5-year-old boy to come forward and make a statement to help in the authorities’ search, ninemsn.com.au reports.

New Zealand’s North Island will have to recover from long-term damages after very strong winds brought by ill weather battered the region this weekend.

It is official now: America, or at least American Idol voters, love Heejun Han! His videos have not gone viral in vain. There will probably be more of “mostly water” quips, hilarious one-liners and funny faces from this New York-based Korean guy, who videotaped himself prior to Hollywood rounds saying his mother should probably not pack too much clothes because he was afraid it was just going to be a short trip.

It is official now: America, or at least American Idol voters, love Heejun Han! His videos have not gone viral in vain. There will probably be more of “mostly water” quips, hilarious one-liners and funny faces from this New York-based Korean guy, who videotaped himself prior to Hollywood rounds saying his mother should probably not pack too much clothes because he was afraid it was just going to be a short trip.