A potential disaster was narrowly avoided at a Hamilton petrol station last night after an agitated man allegedly set fire to a car and assaulted a man.

A distinguished mathematician who died when his car crashed off a bridge in south Westland probably fell asleep at the wheel, a coroner has found.

A pair of Muslim extremists who hacked a soldier to death on a London street had to be dragged from the dock after they screamed at a judge during sentencing.

A pedestrian was seriously injured when she was struck by a truck reversing at the Countdown supermarket car park in Auckland's Grey Lynn this morning.

A pair of Rosenbauer CA5 Panther fire trucks were unveiled at Wellington Airport today.

The gas bottle explosion that rocked central Invercargill yesterday, seriously injuring the man transporting it in his ute, is extremely rare and will take some investigating to find out why it blew up, fire experts say.

The death of a person in the south Auckland suburb of Flat Bush yesterday is not suspicious, police say.

'How the hell he got out, we're still shaking our heads.' Rescuers believe the driver of a vehicle who survived a 40m plunge over a bridge should buy a Lotto ticket.

The death of a person in south Auckland yesterday is being investigated by police.

Investigators are picking through shards of glass and twisted metal to work out why a gas bottle exploded in Invercargill today, injuring two people

A male has died in a suspicious fire at a Northern Canterbury sleepout today, police say.

A boy who saved six family members in a house fire tragically died while trying to save a seventh person.

The fatal plane crash yesterday in Canterbury, which caused a fire so hot it melted the fuselage, was witnessed by glider pilot John McCaw, uncle of All Black Richie McCaw.

A Picton paraglider has been rescued after a traumatic flight carried him around 30 kilometres off course.