New Zealand's central bank said Thursday it would hold the official interest rate at a record low 2.5 percent and signalled the first rise was likely around the middle of the year. Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) Governor Alan Bollard said the New Zealand economy was recovering and growth should rise further through this year. "Trading partner ...

In a world first, scientists in Australia announced on Wednesday they had extracted DNA from the fossilised eggshells of extinct birds, including iconic giants such as the moa and elephant bird. The achievement marks a major step towards drafting the genome of birds wiped out by human greed, although the scientists warn this does not mean an extinct species should ...

New Zealand will next month close a wholesale funding guarantee introduced at the height of the global financial crisis, Finance Minister Bill English said Wednesday. The guarantee, to be scrapped at the end of April, was introduced in November 2008 to offer a guarantee on funds raised by New Zealand banks in global markets. "It helped our banks access funding ...