Horror holiday season sees 43 people die in accidents
A horrifying holiday season has so far seen 43 people die in accidental deaths, including eight children.

Hailstorm leaves crop farmers reeling
A hailstorm which hit parts of Canterbury on Saturday has caused more than $1 million damage to crop farms, Federated Farmers says. more »

Cervical cancer vaccinations extended
A free vaccination programme to help protect girls and young women against cervical cancer will be extended this year to include all young women, aged 12-18 years, in Canterbury. more »

Gaza hospital overwhelmed by dead, wounded
Wailing in grief, Salah Samouni banged his head against a wall inside the hospital morgue where the bodies of his three young nephews lay on the floor on Monday.

UN contradicts Israel over depth of crisis in Gaza
The United Nations said on Monday there is an "increasingly alarming" humanitarian crisis in Gaza, directly contradicting Israeli denials that its offensive caused the growing problem. more »

Search starts for Kansas boy now missing 10 years
The Kansas parents who failed to report their 11-year-old adopted son missing nearly a decade ago are "people of interest" as authorities search for him nationwide, a sheriff said on Monday. more »

Djokovic upset in first round in Brisbane
Top-seeded Novak Djokovic was upset in the first round of his season-opening tournament on Tuesday, losing in straight sets to Latvia's Ernests Gublis at the Brisbane International.

Hareb bows out of world junior champs
Top New Zealand surfer Paige Hareb bowed out of the world junior championships in the quarterfinals here today. more »

Venus Williams has no plans to retire soon
Despite watching some of her biggest rivals hang up their rackets in recent years, five-time Grand Slam-winner Venus Williams says she still has plenty of goals to achieve in tennis. more »

GM says China '08 sales up but growth slows
General Motors Corp. said on Tuesday its 2008 sales in China rose six percent to 1.09 million vehicles, but the growth rate slowed as consumers held back amid the economic downturn.

Philippine December inflation eases
Inflation in the Philippines slowed in December to eight percent as fuel and other basic commodity prices continued to decline, the government said on Tuesday. more »

Toyota to suspend production for 11 days in Japan
Toyota is suspending production at all 12 of its Japan plants for 11 days over February and March, a stoppage of unprecedented scale for the nation's top automaker as it grapples with shrinking global demand. more »