A Wellington landlord incensed by a meter reader who defecated in a bag and left it on his doorstep has had his compensation claim knocked back from $200kto $800.

On the way to Washington, British Prime Minister David Cameron says he wants to talk about Afghanistan, Middle East peace prospects and the global economy. Everyone else wants to talk about BP.

The Government is backing down on its decision to mine conservation land in the face of furious public protest, according to reports.

Cabinet is due to make a decision today on mining high value conservation land.

An NZ company has developed a way of generating electricity from passing cars.

Stocks in Europe, Brazil and Canada fell, as did oil prices, amid increasing signs that economic growth was cooling globally.

The brown spots run like a trail of blood down the deserted coastline near this fishing village. Just underneath a handful of sand lies spilled oil.

New ETS charges and images of the Gulf of Mexico oil rig catastrophe are giving impetus to the fledgling bio-fuels sector.