Most read stories for Monday, July 28

1. Kiwi killed in Gaza gunfight

A young soldier killed in a firefight with Hamas gunmen in the southern Gaza Strip was born in New Zealand - and his family had planned to return here before he and his sister reached the age of military conscription in Israel.

Staff Sergeant Guy Boyland, a combat engineer for the Israeli 7th Armoured Brigade, was born in New Zealand and lived in Taupo as a baby. When he was 5, he moved to Israel with his older sister Kim, his Israeli mother, Adva, and his Kiwi father Glenn.

Photo error: Apology to Boyland family

Yesterday, Staff Sergeant Boyland's Taupo-based grandfather, Jim Boyland, paid tribute to the bravery and patriotism of the 21-year-old, who was killed on Friday.

2. Air NZ plane suffers engine trouble

More than 200 Air New Zealand passengers stuck in Hawaii overnight after their flight was aborted shortly before take-off are set to resume their journey tonight.

Flight NZ9 from Honolulu to Auckland was aborted "at speed mid-runway" late last night, with 227 passengers then taken off the plane and given hotel rooms for the night.

It was believed the plane suffered engine trouble.

Air New Zealand today said the flight has been rescheduled for 10pm on Sunday local time [8pm Monday NZT].

It had undergone an inspection by engineers, the airline said.

3. Putin faces lawsuit over MH17 disaster

Vladimir Putin is facing a multimillion-dollar legal action for his alleged role in the shooting down of a Malaysia Airlines passenger jet over eastern Ukraine.

British lawyers are preparing a class action against the Russian President through the American courts. Senior Russian military commanders and politicians close to Mr Putin are also likely to become embroiled in the legal claim.

The case would further damage relations between Mr Putin and the West, but politicians would be powerless to prevent it.

4. Japanese schoolgirl accused of killing classmate

A 15-year-old Japanese schoolgirl was arrested on suspicion of murdering a classmate and dismembering her body, local media reported.

The suspect, whose name was not released as she is a minor, has admitted to strangling the victim and severing her head and left hand, according to the Kyodo news agency.

She allegedly delivered blows to the head of 15-year-old Aiwa Matsuo with a metal instrument before strangling her in the city of Sasebo, in Nagasaki Prefecture, southwest Japan.

5. Silver for sevens side

New Zealand's golden era of dominance in the Commonwealth Games sevens came to a painful end at Ibrox Stadium with a 17-12 defeat to South Africa.

Sir Gordon Tietjens is not used to losing at these Games, but his record of winning every tournament since the 1998 inauguration was shattered in front of 45,000 in Glasgow.

- nzherald.co.nz, NZ Herald, APNZ, Daily Telegraph UK, AFP