Iran has sentenced a woman facing execution for adultery to 99 lashes for allowing an unveiled photo of herself to appear in a UK newspaper.

"It was like a giant had picked up our house and was just shaking it, shaking and shaking," said one resident.

A final decision on who will govern Australia for the next three years is not expected until next week.

The Govt will spend $3.5m to upgrade tsunami warning systems across the Pacific, Murray McCully announced today.

Just in time for Spring the Code of Professional Conduct for Authorised Financial Advisers (AFA) has blossomed.

Julia Gillard is now just two seats short of the 76 she needs.

Julia Gillard is closer to retaining power in Australia with one of the four independents choosing her over Tony Abbott.

Former Deputy PM Michael Cullen has outlined a proposal which would see Parliament elect the Head of State, telling a conference there was "inevitability" about NZ becoming a republic.

The former boss of Lehman Brothers has let loose his bitterness at the US government's failure to save his firm in 2008.

Peter Dunne's bill is unfair, unaffordable and unlikely to happen, writes Brian Fallow.