Labour leader David Cunliffe has announced over-65s will be added to the groups who get free doctors' visits under a major funding boost for primary health care.

The revelation that Shanghai Pengxin is buying Lochinver Station should not be a surprise to anyone watching the capital flows out of China, writes Bernard Hickey.

Prime Minister John Key made an assurance no more than 2 per cent of New Zealand's farmland was foreign-owned.

Labour Leader David Cunliffe yesterday adopted an even tougher stance on the proposed sale of the huge Lochinver Station to China's Shanghai Pengxin.

Samsung, the global leader in mobile-phone sales, is being outflanked in the key markets of China and India by newcomers, Xiaomi and Micromax, catering to domestic tastes.

Three Chinese banks have leased offices in Auckland's central business district, putting further pressure on the stretched sector, says a leasing agent.

The revelation that a Chinese company plans to buy the Lochinver Station in the central North Island is manna to Winston Peters.

Commodity prices fell for a fifth straight month, led by whole milk powder, reflecting a build-up of inventory in China and strong local milk production.

Chinese regulators met with managers at Microsoft in four cities in preparation for a potential probe into whether the company engaged in monopolistic practices.

We read about it or see it in the news every other week. But very few of us can pronounce it, let alone put a name to it. Even fewer of us genuinely understand it.

Xi Jinping's version of what the move to the free market means China-style is said to come down to the "invisible hand of the market guided by the visible hand of Government".

The US space agency's Opportunity rover has now clocked more kilometres on Mars than any man-made vehicle to reach another celestial body, Nasa has said.

The eastern Chinese city of Suzhou is joining a national rush for the sky with what's slated to become the world's third-tallest building.

Finance centre Hong Kong is revealing a greener side, hidden in her outlying islands and among the densely packed streets. Sophie Barclay investigates.

In just four years, Xiaomi has evolved from startup to outselling Apple in China by offering inexpensive devices packed with high-end features.

A modern-day Chinese emigration wave is already underway, and the US is their preferred destination, with buyers snapping up $11b worth of US properties last year.

Competition among banks to attract companies trading in the fast-growing market between New Zealand and China is ramping up

Buyers from Greater China spent $22 billion on US homes in the past year, up 72 per cent from the same period in 2013.

The tech world is abuzz with speculation on what Microsoft is planning for the next generation of its operating system to replace Windows 8.

Boeing predicts demand in Asia will push commercial aircraft sales to $5.2 trillion over the next 20 years.

The "smell-free lavatory" study from the Chinese Academy of Science was declared the "ultimate" cure for an "urgent" national issue.

Not all beer drinkers want to grab a cold one. Molson Coors Brewing discovered this in China where drinking cold liquids is widely seen as undesirable.

Samsung said 59 suppliers failed to provide adequate safety equipment for workers as the smartphone maker struggles to improve labour standards in China.

New Zealand commodity prices fell for a fourth straight month in June, led by apples, logs, whole and skim milk powder.

Sovereignty in outer space is always a tricky subject, but out of all the lifeless rocks in the Solar System it was safe to say Mars was more American than most.

Alibaba plans to list its shares on the New York Stock Exchange, instead of the Nasdaq, cementing the 222-year-old market's newfound strength in technology companies.