odtonline

A former West Coast man has died after reportedly being beaten up in Nadi, Fiji, several days ago.

The first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the series of explosion at the Pike River coal mine on the West Coast which killed 29 workers was completed in Greymouth today, with former company boss Peter Whittall testifying.

The bones of Adolf Hitler's deputy, Rudolf Hess, have been removed from their grave in a small Bavarian town that had become a pilgrimage site for neo-Nazis.

The NRL are set to vote today on two changes to the competition which include a New Zealand 'State of Origin' match and an extra round that could see two games played at Eden Park in one night.

The Government should act now and appoint a chief inspector of mines to improve mine safety standards, says a mine safety expert, amid revelations calls from inside the Pike River mine went to answerphone and subsequent fires at other coal mines.

The draw for rugby's ITM Cup for 2011 is as follows:

The weekend road toll climbed to three last night, with a Central canterbury crash that left one person dead and a woman with serious injuries.

Police have arrested a second young man allegedly involved in a road rage shooting incident in Nelson.

Police say they are following up leads in their hunt for the man who abducted a Palmerston North schoolgirl this week.

A medical expert says it was "bizarre and unusual" that the Kahui twins were not taken to hospital after one of them stopped breathing and turned blue, despite four adults being present at their home.