After a seismic shift in Western politics and the deaths of many celebrities, it's clear 2016 is public enemy number one. But there was also a lot to smile about this year.

Like flared trousers, words come in and out of fashion. These are about to go out permanently.

Three Chinese hackers made more than $5.8 million in illicit profits after breaking into the servers of top deals law firms in New York.

From hospitals, business, and government no target is too big for today's sophisticated cyber criminals, not even an election.

From new realities to smart fridges, technology in 2017 will see inter-connectivity reach new heights. Here are the top picks for emerging trends.

Bridget McMenamin worked on the Lisa Blakie murder inquiry. She has launched a Facebook page to investigate the 2000 case again.

COMMENT: Selfies have taken over and our humanity might be about to go down the gurgler.

A woman faces being banned for life from a Kentucky mall following a racist rant that was caught on cellphone camera.

A kitten who had been evading fire crews for weeks made a 'leap of faith' from a towering palm tree yesterday while trying to make a run for it again.

The massive Chinese online marketplace Alibaba has been named again on the US 'Notorious Markets' for allegedly selling fake goods.

The Commerce Commission has backed away from Spark's wholesale voice services and asks Simon Bridges revisit the issue in two years.

Students using a school laptop to put together a yearbook came across porn a teacher had stashed on the device.

Facebook risks a multimillion-euro fine for allegedly misleading EU merger watchdogs when it won approval to buy the WhatsApp messaging service.

The Porirua community is rallying around their local Santa after his sack was stolen just weeks before Christmas.

COMMENT: Looking back at what happened in 2016 makes me a bit dark about what 2017 bring. I blame the internet for that, Juha Saarinen writes.

Two attorneys who used legal loopholes to buy copyright for porn films, upload them to torrent websites, then sue downloaders, face criminal charges.

A mother humiliated over her children's bad behaviour by a fellow supermarket shopper has posted a heartbreaking open letter on Facebook.

Parents are urged to stop forcing their children to hug and kiss other adults at Christmas family gatherings.

Facebook has struggled for months over whether it should crack down on false stories and hoaxes being spread on its site.

At a time when online use will undoubtedly rise, parents are worried about the content their kids can access.

Lance Armstrong has arrived in New Zealand, touching down in Auckland early this morning.

Woman whose odd auction on TradeMe reaped $6500, will fly to Miami to have the artwork done - and we reveal what the tattoo will say.

Why does it take companies so long to tell us we've been hacked?

The President-elect has started a new media feud, this time with Vanity Fair magazine, which published a negative review about one of his restaurants.

Yahoo today announced a major hack which occurred in August 2013 affecting over a billion people.

What do GeoNet, Donald Trump, Joseph Parker and how to make pancakes all have in common?

MPs in Britain are to investigate allegations workers are threatened with the sack if they take time off sick.

Now that Gisborne is out of the unexpected chaos and back to the usual Christmas mayhem, locals are reflecting on how it all started. Made with funding from NZ On Air.

COMMENT: A new enterprising type of script kiddie has evolved that sets up cyber crime businesses online.

Waikato towns are on the list but businesses are sick of waiting for ultra-fast broadband. And some have even taken matters into their own hands. Made with funding from NZ On Air.