Budget 09
The National Government announced its first budget for ten years today against the backdrop of a black economic global forecast; its projections include a decade of deficits against a background of shrinking growth, falling revenue and higher borrowing.
Promised tax cuts have file to materialise, but the short-term belt tightening will pay off in the long run, according to Finance Minister Bill English.
US to unveil Afghan strategy 'within days'
WASHINGTON (AFP) - US President Barack Obama will announce a history-shaping decision "within days" on whether to escalate the war in Afghanistan with tens of thousands more troops, the White House said Tuesday.
November 25, 2009, 3:39 amTHE HAGUE (Reuters) - Two Congolese militia leaders commanded forces that raped, killed and looted civilians in an attack that killed 200 people during the Congo war, a war crimes prosecutor said on Tuesday.
November 25, 2009, 3:14 am
China executes two over tainted milk scandal
BEIJING (AFP) - China executed two men on Tuesday for their roles in a contaminated milk powder scandal last year that led to the deaths of at least six infants and sickened up to 300,000, state media said.
November 25, 2009, 2:57 amWASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama will announce his decision to send more troops to Afghanistan in days, concluding a 3-month review punctuated by differences in his administration and concerns about corruption in Kabul.
November 25, 2009, 2:37 amQueensland's CMC inquiry into the possible fraudulent use of taxpayer funds granted to the Queensland Rugby Union continues on Wednesday in Brisbane.
November 25, 2009, 2:31 amWASHINGTON (AFP) - US economic growth in the third quarter was slower than initially estimated, the Commerce Department said Tuesday, cutting its estimate to a 2.8 percent annual pace of expansion.
November 25, 2009, 2:13 amTHE HAGUE (AFP) - Two Congolese militiamen pleaded not guilty on Tuesday when they were accused at The Hague of planning to wipe out a village where their forces killed civilians, raped women and enslaved child soldiers.
November 25, 2009, 2:13 am
French postal workers, teachers on strike
PARIS (Reuters) - Thousands of French postal workers and teachers went on strike on Tuesday in separate protests over the future of two of France's biggest public sector institutions.
November 25, 2009, 1:59 amLANDIKOTAL, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistani soldiers killed 18 militants on Tuesday in a campaign to break a network orchestrating attacks on Western forces' supplies to Afghanistan and carrying out bombings, a security official said.
November 25, 2009, 1:47 am
Philippines imposes emergency; massacre toll reaches 46
AMPATUAN, Philippines (Reuters) - The Philippines placed two southern provinces and a city under emergency rule on Tuesday after gunmen killed 46 people in a brutal election-related massacre that has shocked the country.
November 25, 2009, 12:26 amHungry Jack's has been roasted over the nutritional value of one of its new burgers, which was found to contain well over the recommended daily intake of salt.
November 25, 2009, 12:07 amWASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will announce his decision on whether to send more U.S. troops to Afghanistan "within days" after he held a final strategy session with top aides, the White House said on Tuesday.
November 25, 2009, 12:07 amA modest reduction in violence by men against their female partners would save 74 lives and save governments more than $330 million a year, a study has found.
November 25, 2009, 12:02 amThey used to be pals across the political divide, but it would appear that is no longer the case.
November 25, 2009, 12:02 amBritain and the US were at odds over whether to overthrow Saddam Hussein two years before the pair teamed up to invade Iraq in 2003, an inquiry has heard.
November 24, 2009, 11:46 pmMOSCOW (Reuters) - A police investigator and a court bailiff were found beheaded in a car trunk in Russia's mainly Muslim region of Kabardino-Balkaria, Interfax said on Tuesday, underscoring spreading violence on Russia's southern flank.
November 24, 2009, 11:16 pm
Massacre toll rises to 46 in Philippines
The Philippines has declared a state of emergency in parts of the south as anger spiralled over a savage massacre that has left at least 46 people dead.
November 24, 2009, 11:08 pm
Slaughter of animals begins in Nepal
Up to a million Hindu devotees have gathered in a Nepal village to witness the mass sacrifice of hundreds of thousands of animals.
November 24, 2009, 11:00 pm
Italy finds proposal to skip lunch hard to digest
ROME (Reuters) - Food-loving Italy responded with indignation on Tuesday to a minister's comments that lunchbreaks -- still a sit-down ritual for many Italian workers -- are bad for waistlines and the economy, and should be skipped.
November 24, 2009, 10:55 pmSelect your region to see news and weather for your area.