Picturesque Astoria is the oldest American settlement west of the Rockies, where the mighty Columbia River empties into the ocean.

A victory for the New Zealander at Rhode Island, US.

Jacques Marais risks life and limb in a legendary land of hair-raising, bone-jarring, biblical grandeur - and loves every minute.

Mel Gibson faces potential jail time if Los Angeles sheriffs find evidence supporting his former girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva's claims the Australian-raised Oscar winner assaulted her.

Murder She Wrote meets Californication.

The New Zealand dollar gained on a weakening greenback after comments from the Reserve Bank of Australia yesterday spurred traders' appetite for high-yielding currencies.

NZ won't extend the number of refugees it accepts and needs to address the increasing risk of people-smuggling boats hitting our shores, says the PM.

Spy suspect Anna Chapman is embarrassed by media reports about her - but still wants to stay in America.

A top drug gang enforcer says he ordered the killing of a US consulate worker because she helped provide visas to a rival gang.

More than 180,000 people packed into the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum over two days for a rave party last weekend.

The Chicago City Council on Friday approved what city officials say is the strictest handgun ordinance in the United States

BP and the Obama administration face mounting complaints that they are ignoring foreign offers of help and making little use of volunteers

A look at the minipark inside Universal's Islands of Adventure theme park, in Orlando, Florida.