An historic day for the Dutch and Uruguay left Brazilian fans to wonder what might have been.

The Netherlands stormed into the semi finals by stunning five-time champions Brazil, who were reduced to 10 men in the second half.

A woman who was disgruntled when an Iranian cleric preached that female cleavage causes earthquakes has caused her own social networking phenomenon.

NZ is the fourth most economically free country in the world according to a US think tank and the Wall Street Journal.

NZ diplomatic staff have made contact with about 250 Kiwis in Chile after the country was rocked by an 8.8 earthquake on Saturday.

Lifeguards say they do not want the power to arrest people who ignore beach closures, despite calls for them to be given enforcement powers.

New Zealanders with relatives in Chile faced an anxious wait for news of their loved ones after the huge earthquake disrupted communications.

New Zealand's tsunami alert has been cancelled but people in coastal areas of the country are still advised to take caution.

Hundreds of New Zealanders who raced to beaches to watch a potentially catastrophic tsunami were 'stupid', says Civil Defence Minister John Carter.