The wild winds forecast for Canterbury tonight are unlikely to reach full force in Christchurch.

Safety first is the message authorities want to convey as many displaced locals face a second night away from their homes.

Some residents in the earthquake zone may be without power until the end of the week, says lines company Orion.

A formal curfew is now officially in place in the Christchurch central business district until 7am and those who breach it may be arrested, say police.

President Barack Obama has brought down the curtain on the seven-year conflict in Iraq.

Police Commissioner Howard Broad has criticised the appointment of an officer - who was censured for trying to pass information to the Brad Shipton defence team - to a senior role.

An Australian soldier has been shot dead in a fierce firefight with Taleban insurgents.

The CIA has videotapes of a September 11 plotter being interrogated in a secret prison.

The Green Party wants to bring our most elite troops home from Afghanistan following reports of links to the torture of prisoners.

In a warehouse packed with dignitaries and military officers, mourners today heard how NZ had lost a fine young leader, 28-year-old Lieutenant Tim O'Donnell.

The death of Lieutenant Tim O'Donnell in Afghanistan was a tragedy on a number of levels, the Governor-General told the slain soldier's military funeral today.

NZ's first Afghanistan war casualty has been returned to his home town of Feilding, after an emotional ceremony at nearby Ohakea Air Force Base.