The Independent

Bid for sheep shearing at the Olympics

18 January 2012 12:00 AM

It was a world record, even if it passed much of the world by: last week a New Zealander, Kerri-Jo Te Huia, became the first woman to shear more than 500 lambs in eight hours.

Indonesia: Lethal deterrent for 'train surfers'

18 January 2012 12:00 AM

Indonesia has gone to imaginative extremes to try to stop commuters from illegally riding on the roofs of trains, including hosing down offenders with red paint, threatening them with dogs and appealing for help from religious leaders.

Grounded cargo ship breaks up off the coast of New Zealand

08 January 2012 09:12 AM

A cargo ship grounded off the New Zealand coast since October has split in two, spilling sea containers and debris and sparking fears of a fresh oil spill, maritime officials said today.

Eleven killed in New Zealand hot-air balloon disaster

08 January 2012 12:00 AM

A small New Zealand farming community was in mourning yesterday after a hot-air balloon clipped power lines and burst into flames, killing all 11 people on board. The accident at Carterton, north of the capital, Wellington, was witnessed by horrified locals and some family members, including two sisters who had bought the sunrise flight for their parents as a Christmas present.

Eleven die after hot air balloon hits power lines and bursts into flames

07 January 2012 12:00 AM

Eleven people were killed last night when a hot air balloon on a pleasure flight burst into flames and plunged 500ft to the ground in New Zealand.

The time jump means that Samoa's 186,000 citizens, and the 1,500 in the three-atoll United Nations dependency of Tokelau, will now be the first in the world to ring in the new year, rather than the last.

Samoans celebrate skipping Friday

30 December 2011 01:59 PM

Sirens wailed and fireworks exploded over Samoa as the tiny South Pacific nation jumped forward in time, crossing westward over the international date line and effectively erasing Friday, 30 December, 2011, from the country's calendar.

Video: Killer whale attacks sharks

29 December 2011 11:57 AM

Amateur video shows an orca attacking a group of sharks off the coast of Blue Cliffs Beach, Tuatapere, New Zealand.

When the sun goes down in Samoa tonight, it will rise next on the 31st

The country that's going to bed tonight and waking up on Saturday

29 December 2011 12:00 AM

The shift to a new time zone means that Samoans will never see Friday, 30 December – and they're not happy about it

Elvis swims next to the lawnmower he dragged into his pool at the Australian Reptile Park

Cut! Elvis the testosterone croc silences the mower

28 December 2011 10:04 AM

Australia’s saltwater crocodiles are notoriously fond of human flesh. But yesterday it was a lawnmower that took the fancy of Elvis, a 16-foot croc living in a reptile park north of Sydney.

Australian military seeks UK soldiers facing redundancy

28 December 2011 12:00 AM

In Britain, thousands of defence jobs are being axed because of public spending cuts. In Australia, the armed forces are struggling to maintain staffing levels as they compete with the booming mining industry. Now British service personnel earmarked for redundancy are being targeted by Australian recruiters offering the sweetener of a fast-tracked path to citizenship.

Residents try to free a car stuck in a liquefaction sink hole

Christchurch hit by another series of earthquakes

24 December 2011 12:00 AM

Another series of strong earthquakes struck the city of Christchurch yesterday, rattling buildings, sending goods tumbling from shelves and causing panic among Christmas shoppers.

Christchurch hit by new earthquakes

23 December 2011 07:14 AM

A series of strong earthquakes struck Christchurch, New Zealand, today, rattling buildings, sending goods tumbling from shelves and prompting terrified Christmas shoppers to flee into the streets.

New inquest to be held into dingo baby case

20 December 2011 12:00 AM

Fresh information on dingo attacks could definitively exonerate parents of Azaria's murder

New Zealand: Earth moves for Foo Fighters fans

16 December 2011 12:00 AM

The Foo Fighters' latest concert in New Zealand rocked. Literally.

Two PMs and rival police chiefs leave Papua New Guinea in chaos

15 December 2011 12:00 AM

Papua New Guinea, the resource-rich, volatile Pacific nation to Australia's north, is entering a fourth day of political chaos today, with two men vying to run the police force, two men – each with his own cabinet – claiming to be the prime minister, and a governor-general dumped for taking sides.