The Defence Force's Reservist of the Year title has been won by Private Michael Rennie from Gisborne, who is studying for a law degree at Victoria University in Wellington.

Navy Reservist Lieutenant Paul Eady recently returned to New Zealand after six months monitoring the military armistice in Korea with United Nations Command Military Armistice Commission (UNCMAC).

Khartoum/Geneva - The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) today facilitated the handover to government authorities of 35 members of the Sudanese army, who were released by the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) this week.

Fighting, mines and road blocks are preventing many people in the conflict-affected areas of Afghanistan from getting to hospital. The ICRC is reacting by training local surgeons in war surgery skills and giving basic first-aid training to people directly involved in the fighting.

Last week we sent out the following release featuring two RNZN officers, Sub Lieutenant Nick Foster and Ensign Kendra Titheridge, who are on an RNZN/CF exchange programme embarked on the HMC Ships ATHABASKAN and HALIFAX.

New Zealand has triumphed in competitions held as part of the St John International Youth Festival in Lincoln, University.

After two years of planning, the St John International Youth Festival has finally arrived.

The first day of the Festival is tomorrow, Monday 25 January at Lincoln University, Canterbury.

Significant amounts of emergency aid have arrived in quake-struck Port-au-Prince. The challenge now is to get it to survivors as quickly as possible.

World Vision is increasingly concerned about vulnerable children as it begins it relief efforts in the devastated Haitian capital Port-au-Prince.

Auckland, Dec 30 NZPA - Controversy over a seaside stall on the country's most photographed beach continues to grow as the stall owner says tourists are happy he is there but locals want to send him packing.