Oceania News

Dutch and Australian authorities put their troops on standby for deployment to secure the rebel-held crash site of Malaysian flight MH17 in east Ukraine, where fighting between the army and separatists Friday claimed over a dozen more lives.

Australia will transfer 157 Tamil asylum seekers it has been holding at sea for nearly a month to a mainland detention centre, a government source told Reuters on Friday, in a setback for Prime Minister Tony Abbott's tough refugee policies.

ON THE TRAIL: Conservative Party leader Colin Craig spoke to a full house at the Nelson Suburban Club last night.

Jakarta: Prime Minister Tony Abbott should travel to Jakarta to attend the inauguration of the new Indonesian president, Joko Widodo, in an attempt to forge a strong personal relationship to shore up fragile bilateral ties, one analyst has said.

To some, he is the leader of a marginal political party representing business interests.

It was a sombre mood at St Mary's Cathedral in Perth where hundreds gathered for a memorial held for the victims of the MH17 tragedy.

The Perth-based parents of Fatima Dyczynski, who is believed to be a MH17 victim, are on their way to the flight's Ukrainian crash site, still holding onto the hope that their daughter is alive.

A man who saw a plane flown by an Indiana teen who was killed during an around-the-world flight attempt says the aircraft was flying low but didn't show any obvious signs of distress before diving into the ocean off American Samoa.

Here in southeastern Virginia, our biggest city, Norfolk, is saddled with an unwanted claim to fame.

Virginia State Police say two were killed and at least 20 injured when a fierce storm slammed a campground on the state's Eastern Shore.

Ngai Tuhoe will take the lead role in the future of their homeland, including Te Urewera, under a landmark settlement that includes a Crown apology for wrongful killings, illegal land grabs, and scorched earth warfare - recognised as some of the worst atrocities in New Zealand history.

New Zealand's mineral sector contributes $1 billion to the economy, minister of energy and resources Simon Bridges says.

Newcrest is warning it's facing a hit of up to A$2.5 billion after reviewing its mining assets.

CHILDREN being held in detention on Christmas Island are regressing, sick and suffering symptoms consistent with post-traumatic stress disorder, the human rights watchdog says.

Annie Hayat said the plane flown by 17-year-old Haris Suleman went down shortly after leaving Pago Pago in American Samoa Tuesday night.

A teenage boy from Indiana, who was flying around the world with his father on a single engine plane, was killed when their plane crashed earlier Wednesday.

Price growth in almost all capital cities in the three months to June has helped the median Australian house price soar almost 11 per cent in just 12 months.

PM Tony Abbott says two of the Australian victims of the MH17 disaster will be transported to the Netherlands this afternoon, but many bodies are still unaccounted for.

Retirement village company Oceania Group has confirmed a possible capital raising after Fairfax published speculation that it could float on the NZX.

A woman has been charged with murder over the stabbing death of a younger woman in a shopping centre car park in Western Australia's Kimberley region.