A series of errors over 20 years led to the catastrophic collapse of the CTV building in the second major Christchurch quake, a Royal Commission has found.

Families of Canterbury Television building collapse victims have welcomed the findings of a royal commission into the building's collapse.

Leading Aircraftman Rochelle Wech had just set up home in Wallingford Way with her boyfriend after a six-month deployment in East Timor when the tornado hit.

A strong earthquake struck the same Japanese coast devastated by last year's massive quake and tsunami, generating small waves but no immediate reports of heavy damage.

All non-residential buildings and high-rise, multi-unit apartments in NZ will be assessed for earthquake risk and the results made public under new proposals.

A shock jump in the unemployment rate to 7.3 per cent would have been worse without jobs being generated from the Christchurch rebuild.

As the death toll rose and waters began to recede, Romney's campaign did try to "walk back" his old FEMA comments, writes Tracey Barnett. "Good luck with that."

Falling trees, floods and electrocution from downed power lines all play a part in deaths of scores of people in the devastating US storm.

There has been much talk of an "October surprise", writes Anne Penketh. "But nobody would have predicted that it would come from Mother Nature."

Engineers will today pack explosives into huge boulders that have closed Milford Rd in Fiordland, as residents face their fifth day cut off.

An independent weatherman has hit out at the MetService, claiming it was too slow to issue a severe weather warning for Auckland at the weekend.

Is the IMF over-stating any potential economic growth for New Zealand. One leading economist thinks so.

The World T20 faces the threat of increased Duckworth-Lewis Method intervention with early monsoon rains lashing Sri Lanka.