DHAKA, Oct 11, 2008 (AFP) - All-rounder Jacob Oram smashed an unbeaten 75 to help New Zealand recover from a precarious position to post 212-9 in the second one-day international against Bangladesh here on Saturday.

The dashing left-hander's innings came off just 62 balls and lifted the tourists after they had struggled to 86 for 5 after losing the toss.

LONDON, Oct 11, 2008 (AFP) - Warrington second rower Louis Anderson has won the right to switch allegiance from New Zealand to Tonga ready for the upcoming World Cup.

Anderson, 23, appeared 13 times for the Kiwis but if he can get over an arm injury in time he is now set for a debut with the Tongans in their encounter against Ireland in Parramatta on October 27.

MADRID, Oct 10, 2008 (AFP) - Alinghi skipper Brad Butterworth said Friday he was 'very disappointed' by the suspension of his New Zealand teammate Simon Daubney for two years for testing positive for substances linked to cocaine during last year's America's Cup.

WELLINGTON, Oct 9, 2008 (AFP) - New Zealand have been forced to make two changes to their rugby league World Cup squad after the loss of fullback Brent Webb and prop Jeff Lima through injury.

St George Illawarra winger-fullback Jason Nightingale and New Zealand Warriors front rower Evarn Tuimavave have been brought into the squad as replacements.

DHAKA, Oct 9, 2008 (AFP) - Scoreboard after New Zealand's innings in the first one-day international against Bangladesh at Shere Bangla National Stadium here on Thursday.

J. Ryder c Riyad b Mortaza 34

B. McCullum c Rasel b Mortaza 14

J. How lbw b Mortaza 7

R. Taylor c Ashraful b Hossain 2

S. Styris lbw b Razzak 4

D. Flynn c Riyad b Razzak 6

DHAKA, Oct 9, 2008 (AFP) - Bangladesh paceman Mashrafe Mortaza (4-44) and spinner Abdur Razzak (3-32) dominated to restrict New Zealand to 201-9 in the first one-day international here on Thursday.

Bangladesh, seeking their first win against New Zealand, bowled with venom with 25-year-old Mortaza leading the way after the home team won the toss and elected to field.

WELLINGTON, Oct 8, 2008 (AFP) - New Zealand's double Olympic gold medal-winning identical twins, Caroline and Georgina Evers-Swindell, said Thursday they would retire from rowing.

Their departure comes after they defended their double sculls gold medal at the Beijing Olympics following success in Athens in 2004.

DHAKA, Oct 9, 2008 (AFP) - Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful won the toss and sent New Zealand into bat in the first one-day international at Shere Bangla National Stadium here on Thursday.

The home team gave a one-day debut to off-spinning all-rounder Naeem Islam and left out paceman Mahbubul Alam from their squad of 12.

DHAKA, Oct 8, 2008 (AFP) - New Zealand are aiming for a clean sweep against Bangladesh when their three-match one-day series starts here Thursday, but captain Daniel Vettori admits his team still need to play their best to win.

WELLINGTON, Oct 8, 2008 (AFP) - New Zealand fast bowler Chris Martin has been ruled out of the two Tests against Bangladesh so he can complete his recovery from a hamstring and lower back injury.

Martin will be replaced for the Tests later this month by Mark Gillespie, who is already in Bangladesh for the one-day series starting on Thursday.

PARIS, Oct 8, 2008 (AFP) - New Zealand's rugby league World Cup hopes suffered a setback on Wednesday when full-back Brent Webb was ruled out after undergoing spinal surgery.

The 27-year-old Leeds player needed an operation to resolve the back injury that ruled him out of Saturday's Super League Grand Final at Old Trafford.

WELLINGTON, Oct 7, 2008 (AFP) - New Zealand 24-member squad named Tuesday for the rugby league World Cup from October 25 to November 22:

WELLINGTON, Oct 6, 2008 (AFP) - The New Zealand government Monday slashed its economic growth forecast to nearly zero and said its accounts would fall deep into the red amid the country's first recession in a decade and global financial turmoil.

DHAKA, Oct 6, 2008 (AFP) - Bangladesh have included three youngsters to boost their depleted squad for an upcoming one-day series against New Zealand, selectors announced here on Monday.

Opener Imrul Kayes, middle-order batsman Naeem Islam and paceman Mahbubul Alam Robin were the newcomers in a 14-man squad for the three-match series starting here on Thursday.

DHAKA, Oct 5, 2008 (AFP) - New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori said on Sunday that Bangladesh remained a 'formidable' team at home despite an exodus of players to a rebel Indian Twenty20 league.

OSLO, Oct 5, 2008 (AFP) - New Zealand dominated the 13th Golden Shears World Championships in sheep shearing held in Norway this weekend, taking home four of the six titles up for grabs on Sunday.

New Zealand won both the individual and team events in wool handling and machine shearing.

SYDNEY, Oct 3, 2008 (AFP) - The 2009 season Tri-Nations rugby fixtures released by SANZAR on Friday (kickoff times are local):

July 18 - New Zealand v Australia, Auckland 19:35

July 25 - South Africa v New Zealand, Bloemfontein 15:00

Aug 1 - South Africa v New Zealand, Durban 15:00

Aug 8 - South Africa v Australia, Cape Town 15:00

SEOUL, Oct 2, 2008 (AFP) - South Korea's food safety agency said Thursday it has banned the import of milk products from New Zealand which were used in baby formula after discovering traces of the harmful chemical melamine.

Government officials said it was the first case of melamine-tainted food from a country other than China.

LOS ANGELES, Sept 30, 2008 (AFP) - A New Zealand-born drug dealer kept the body of his former stripper girlfriend frozen in a plastic bin in his California hotel room for up to a year, it was reported Tuesday.

LONDON, Sept 27, 2008 (AFP) - Australian, New Zealand and South African expats in Britain were raising a glass this weekend at the Toast festival, their big annual bash celebrating all things Antipodean.

PARIS, Sept 26, 2008 (AFP) - Under-fire Toulon coach Tana Umaga will remain coach of the newly-promoted French first division team, according to club president Mourad Boudjellal.

WELLINGTON, Sept 26, 2008 (AFP) - New Zealand fell into its first recession for a decade during the first half of this year as the global credit crunch took hold, official figures showed Friday.

Tight credit conditions and rising food and fuel prices cramped household spending, while drought cut production in key agricultural industries, Statistics New Zealand said.

WELLINGTON, Sept 25, 2008 (AFP) - New Zealand's parliament Thursday passed legislation to settle the largest ever claim by indigenous Maori over lost lands and resources.

LONDON, Sept 25, 2008 (AFP) - The Australasian invasion of European dancefloors shifts up a gear this week with the release of the eponymous debut album by New Zealand singer-songwriter Ladyhawke.

Real name Pip Brown, Ladyhawke combines 1980s synth-pop with an introspective edge, producing a sound which has received widespread praise and led to predictions of imminent stardom.

WELLINGTON, Sept 24, 2008 (AFP) - The world's largest dairy exporter, New Zealand's Fonterra, said Wednesday it was 'appalled' its Chinese joint venture failed to report complaints over tainted milk products for eight months.

WELLINGTON, Sept 24, 2008 (AFP) - The death of an Australian scientist at the South Pole by methanol poisoning remains a mystery eight years on, a New Zealand coroner ruled Wednesday.

Astrophysicist Rodney Marks, 32, died while working at an Antarctic research base operated by the United States National Science Foundation (USNCF).

WELLINGTON, Sept 24, 2008 (AFP) - New Zealand fast bowler Chris Martin has withdrawn from the one-day series against Bangladesh next month because of a hamstring strain.

Team manager Lindsay Crocker said Wednesday that Martin would be replaced by Michael Mason for the early part of the tour to Bangladesh.

SYDNEY, Sept 24, 2008 (AFP) - A candy linked to China's contaminated milk product scandal will be removed from sale in Australia after New Zealand authorities warned it contains a toxic chemical, officials said Wednesday.

Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) said retailers in Australia had been asked to remove White Rabbit Brand Candies from their shelves.

UNITED NATIONS, Sept 22, 2008 (AFP) - The United States has agreed to join Singapore, New Zealand, Chile and Brunei in a free trade agreement which could set the pace for a broader Asia-Pacific free trade area, officials said.

UNITED NATIONS, Sept 21, 2008 (AFP) - The United States has agreed to join Singapore, New Zealand, Chile and Brunei in a free trade agreement that could set the pace for a broader Asia-Pacific free trade area, officials said.

DHAKA, Sept 22, 2008 (AFP) - Bangladesh has called up six rookies in a list of 24 probables to shore up its depleted national team for next month's home series against New Zealand, officials said on Monday.

The youngsters belong to the country's cricket academy and have excelled in domestic matches over the past year, chief selector Rafiqul Alam told AFP.

PERPIGNAN, France, Sept 22, 2008 (AFP) - All Blacks flyhalf Dan Carter, one of the best players in the world, said he was delighted to be in town at his official presentation Monday to several thousand fans of new club Perpignan.

WELLINGTON, Sept 21, 2008 (AFP) - Results from the Davis Cup Asia-Oceania Group II final following the reverse singles played in New Plymouth on Sunday:

China 3 New Zealand 2

Yan Bai (China) bt Daniel King-Turner (New Zealand) 6-4, 6-3, 6-3

Peng Sun (China) bt GD Jones 6-3, 6-7 (5/7), 7-5, 4-6, 6-3

WELLINGTON, Sept 21, 2008 (AFP) - China fought back to win both reverse singles and snatch a 3-2 victory over New Zealand in the Asia-Oceania Group II Davis Cup final in New Plymouth Sunday.

China, who were staring at defeat after the opening day on Friday, when they lost both singles matches to trail 0-2, will now be promoted to the regional Group I next year.

BARCELONA, Spain, Sept 21, 2008 (AFP) - All Blacks flyhalf Dan Carter, one of the best players in the world, arrived here on Sunday before his presentation to new club Perpignan on Monday.

WELLINGTON, Sept 20, 2008 (AFP) - Davis Cup Asia-Oceania Group 2 final results following the doubles on day two in New Plymouth Saturday.

New Zealand 2 China 1

Zeng Shao-Xuan/Yu Xinhuan (China) bt Daniel King-Turner/GD Jones (New Zealand) 6-2, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4.

Rubin Statham (New Zealand) bt Yan Bai (China) 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-2