March 2, 2013 THE Japanese whaling fleet was headed north, out of its designated Antarctic hunting grounds late on Friday, lifting conservationists' hopes that they forced the whalers to quit.

March 2, 2013 The next Pope has to address sexual abuse and Vatican reform, writes Barney Zwartz.

March 2, 2013 Japan is determined to continue hunting as it tries to ensnare Sea Shepherd's assets, writes Andrew Darby.

March 2, 2013 THE International Security Assistance Force in Kabul has confirmed that it is investigating ''possible allegations of civilian casualties'' involving Australian forces in Afghanistan.

March 2, 2013 JETSTAR refused to shift a booking for the mother of shark victim Adam Strange to fly to Auckland after his death.

March 2, 2013 DAVEYTON: South Africa has opened a murder investigation into the death of a Mozambican taxi driver who was filmed being dragged by a police van through the streets, in a case that has sparked widespread outrage.

March 2, 2013 Steven Spielberg's Lincoln does not feature Lincoln's assassination. We don't see it happen. His assassin, John Wilkes Booth, is not even named.

March 2, 2013 The date of the conclave to elect the next Pope will not be known for days, according to a Vatican briefing on Friday.

March 1, 2013 The separate, but deeply entwined, stories of US Army private Bradley Manning and WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange have taken another step towards resolution.

March 1, 2013 The Obama administration is asking the Supreme Court to overturn California's ban on gay marriage and take a sceptical view of similar bans elsewhere.