The captain of a ship which ran aground off New Zealand spilling hundreds of tonnes of fuel oil was taking a short cut, a new report suggests.

The largest solar storm in five years is due to hit Earth, amid fears it could disrupt power girds, satellite navigations systems and airline routes.

US Republican candidate Mitt Romney's campaign says his rivals cannot catch him, but the other nomination hopefuls refuse to stand aside.

A leading EU official urges private holders of Greek bonds to sign up to a vital debt swap deal ahead of a deadline later on Thursday.

How little blue penguins keep the peace

Syria's deputy oil minister says he is resigning and joining the anti-government revolt, denouncing President Bashar al-Assad's crackdown as "brutal".

A man pleads guilty to breaking into a teenage girl's home and locking her to a fake "collar bomb" in Australia last year.

After talks with President Raul Castro in Havana, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos says he will not invite Cuba to next month's Americas Summit.