Latest FromAustralasia
![Police dog bit innocent man relieving himself in carpark](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
Police dog bit innocent man relieving himself in carpark
A police dog handler whose animal bit a suspected criminal, who turned out to be an innocent man relieving himself in a car park, has been cleared of any wrongdoing.
![Drowned man's last texts dismissed](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
Drowned man's last texts dismissed
A desperate man managed to send two text messages to his partner after his boat sank, but they were dismissed as a joke.
![Te Papa to defrost new colossal squid](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
Te Papa to defrost new colossal squid
Scientists at the Te Papa museum are hoping a colossal squid now in their possession is a male - making an already rare find an extraordinary one.
![National gets $500,000 boost](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
National gets $500,000 boost
National's election war-chest has been given a half-million dollar boost by the estate of a wealthy Christchurch businessman.
![National MP referred to police over ad](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
National MP referred to police over ad
National's Hamilton West MP Tim Macindoe has been referred to police along with Free FM in Hamilton for allegedly airing an election advertisement outside the proper period.
![Plain packaging damages taste - study](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
Plain packaging damages taste - study
Plain packaging makes cigarettes taste worse than branded cigarettes and makes all cigarettes taste the same, new research suggests.
![Japan's $212 billion pachinko pastime](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
Japan's $212 billion pachinko pastime
The pachinko industry in Japan wants casinos, driven by attendance that has sunk more than 60 per cent since the mid-90s and an uncertain legal status.
![BBC rejects Rolf Harris investigation](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
BBC rejects Rolf Harris investigation
The BBC explains why it won't investigate Rolf Harris's career at the corporation.
![NZ's subsidies of coal and rail nothing like Australia's](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
NZ's subsidies of coal and rail nothing like Australia's
Australian state governments spent A$17.6 billion on subsidies for mineral and fossil fuel industries over six years, including A$8 billion to help transport coal.
![Aussie foils RBA as growth rivals kiwi, pound](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
Aussie foils RBA as growth rivals kiwi, pound
Australia is forecast to be among the fastest-growing economies this year, making it harder for the central bank to convince currency investors it won't raise interest rates.
![Booze ban for Gallipoli](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
Booze ban for Gallipoli
An alcohol ban at Gallipoli where New Zealanders and Australians gather every year to honour those killed in World War I is a step closer.
![Bad 'monks' target Sydney’s Vivid show](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
Bad 'monks' target Sydney’s Vivid show
Bogus Buddhist monks are trying to rip off sightseers at Sydney's Vivid festival.
![Bali 'arak' warning from travel insurer](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
Bali 'arak' warning from travel insurer
A travel insurer has warned tourists about the risk of drinking arak, a locally made alcohol in Bali.
![Police should be more mobile: report](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
Police should be more mobile: report
Police stations in Victoria should be replaced by supersites, mobile stations, self-service kiosks and online portals, a report suggests.
![Our kiwi is no Aussie](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
Our kiwi is no Aussie
New, startlingly bizarre findings have finally solved the 150-year-old mystery of how the kiwi arrived here in New Zealand.
![Head-bomb man strips naked, surrenders](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
Head-bomb man strips naked, surrenders
A man who appeared to have a bomb strapped to his head led police on a chase down a Melbourne motorway before stripping naked and surrendering.
![Zipline thrill ride could harm koalas](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
Zipline thrill ride could harm koalas
Environmentalists say trees that will support a new zipline tourism attraction on the Sunshine Coast are koala habitats.
![Harris witness describes pub incident](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
Harris witness describes pub incident
An Australian woman says she stopped eating and became a 'shell' of her former self after Rolf Harris assaulted her at a London pub.
![Defining moments of midwifery care](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=793)
Defining moments of midwifery care
Today is International Day of the Midwife and we reflect on the changing face of midwives in New Zealand.