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.

The BBC explains why it won't investigate Rolf Harris's career at the corporation.

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.

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.

Bogus Buddhist monks are trying to rip off sightseers at Sydney's Vivid festival.

A travel insurer has warned tourists about the risk of drinking arak, a locally made alcohol in Bali.

Police stations in Victoria should be replaced by supersites, mobile stations, self-service kiosks and online portals, a report suggests.

New, startlingly bizarre findings have finally solved the 150-year-old mystery of how the kiwi arrived here in New Zealand.

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.

Environmentalists say trees that will support a new zipline tourism attraction on the Sunshine Coast are koala habitats.

An Australian woman says she stopped eating and became a 'shell' of her former self after Rolf Harris assaulted her at a London pub.

Today is International Day of the Midwife and we reflect on the changing face of midwives in New Zealand.

Prince George has met Bilby George in a successful first official engagement in Australia for the youngest royal.

Burglars who stole guns from a Whakatane property last night repeatedly rammed police cars and even threw a chainsaw at pursuing officers as they made their getaway.

Invercargill police used illegal and unjustified excessive force by letting a police dog bite and drag a suspected burglar for almost a minute, an IPCA probe found.

A transgender Oamaru woman sentenced on Wednesday to nine months' imprisonment in a men's jail could apply to be moved to a women's prison.

A transgender Oamaru woman has been ordered to serve a jail sentence in a men's prison, despite a request for home detention.

If you're in your 20s and about to buy a house, you're best off in Wanganui and worst off on Auckland's North Shore.

A drunk teenager's deadly eight-storey fall from a Wellington apartment building has prompted a warning for suburban youths to be aware of the risks of high-rise buildings.

A family in Texas claim to have shot and killed a chupacabra, a mythical creature with a reputation for sucking blood from live-stock across America.

Prime Minister John Key and six ministers will fly to Sydney this week for a joint cabinet with Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott and ministers.

Forgetfulness, lack of interest and simply not getting around to it have been revealed as the most common reasons for not voting in the past two general elections.