New Zealand

SYDNEY, Australia, June 19, 2008 - On June 11, the entertainment heavyweight that is WWE® descended upon the shores of Australia and New Zealand. The tour swept through seven cities in seven days, playing in front of fanatical crowds in Auckland, Christchurch, Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney, and Newcastle before finishing up in Brisbane on June 17, making it the longest live event tour to date in the region.

Along with more than 68,000 WWE fans who attended the seven live events, ringside to watch the drama unfold were top TV comedian Rove McManus, Australian cricket hero Shane Warne, former champion boxer Jeff Fenech, as well as stars from Newcastle Knights, Sydney Swans, The NZ Warriors and Geelong Football Club.    » read more »

29 March 2008 -- Australians switched off their lights for 60 minutes Saturday to mark "Earth Hour," a campaign by environmentalists to raise awareness about global warming. The event was started a year ago in Sydney by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The campaign has spread to major cities worldwide - from Dublin to Chicago and Bangkok to Manila - making Earth Hour 2008 a global movement.

Sydney's symbolic act of switching off some of its lights has caught on.

Tens of thousands of people have taken part in the event in Australia and across the Tasman Sea in New Zealand.

Environmentalists say more than 370 towns and cities across Asia, Europe and North America will also take part in Earth Hour this year.    » read more »

Feb. 25, 2008 -- Melissa Dixon, a 12-year veteran of The Walt Disney Company, has been promoted to Vice President and General Manager, Disney Channels Australia and New Zealand, the market leaders in kids' TV entertainment, it was announced today by Rich Ross, President, Disney Channels Worldwide, to whom she will report. A native of Melbourne, Ms. Dixon will relocate to Sydney from Disney Channel's regional office in Hong Kong in April.    » read more »

14 February 2008 -- Iron Maiden’s year has got off to a roaring start with the February 4th release of the band’s long-awaited DVD Live After Death smashing straight into the UK music DVD charts at Number One not only outpacing its nearest competitor by three to one, but outselling the rest of the Top 6 combined!    » read more »

February 8, 2008 -- Disney Channel rolled out its newest animated series, “Phineas and Ferb”, in groundbreaking fashion on Friday, February 1, 2008, with the series debuting worldwide on the same day in 150 international markets -- and its continued rollout over ten days with original episodes representing a first in television history.    » read more »

5 November 2007 -- New Zealand, a small country with large ambitions, hopes to become the world's first truly sustainable nation, according to Steve Maharey, New Zealand's Minister of Research, Science and Technology.

Maharey spoke at a 31 October breakfast seminar sponsored by AAAS and the Washington Science Policy Alliance. Maharey led a delegation of New Zealand science officials who were in Washington to renew a long-standing agreement with the United States for cooperation on science and technology.    » read more »

16 October 2007 -- A series of strong earthquakes measuring up to magnitude 6.7 have struck off the coast of New Zealand's South Island.

New Zealand authorities say a large quake early Tuesday was followed by a series of strong aftershocks.

The quakes were widely felt by the island's residents.

Authorities say the quakes caused small landslides but no major damage or injuries.

Source: VOA News

L.A. Galaxy will face Wellington Phoenix FC in friendly

09/18/2007, CARSON, Calif. -- The Los Angeles Galaxy will play Hyundai A-League side Wellington Phoenix FC in an international friendly at Phoenix's home ground Westpac Stadium in the New Zealand capital on Sunday, December 2.    » read more »

For Third Consecutive Year, Citi Wins Majority of Internet Bank Awards in Asia

August 28, 2007, Singapore/Hong Kong – Citi has picked up the majority of awards for the World's Best Internet Banks in Asia Pacific from Global Finance magazine. This is the third year in a row that Citi has dominated the Global Finance magazine awards in Asia Pacific, underscoring Citi's continued commitment to invest in technology to meet the evolving needs of its clients.    » read more »

August 26, 2007, Osaka, Japan (By David Byrd) -- American sprinter Tyson Gay has won the gold medal in the men's 100-meters race at the World Athletics Championships in Osaka, Japan.

Tyson Gay blasted out of the starting blocks and never looked back until the finish. The American took the gold medal with a time of 9:85. Gay said afterwards that he knew he could not rest until he had the gold.    » read more »