Wellington - New Zealand's election on November 8 pits Helen Clark, a parliamentary veteran and one of the astutest politicians the country has seen, against John Key, a political learner who would be the most inexperienced prime minister elected in more than a century if he wins.

Clark, 58, has been a Labour member of parliament since 1981 and, not satisfied with making history as the only leader of the party to win three consecutive elections, is bent on winning a fourth for another three years in power.

Key, 47, did not enter parliament - where he is the richest member, having made a fortune as a foreign currency dealer overseas - until 2002, and he has led the main opposition conservative National Party less than two years.

Wellington - New

Wellington- Two men appeared in court Thursday after a
plain-clothed New Zealand police officer was shot dead and another
wounded when they were disturbed while installing a tracking device on
a suspect vehicle.

A 32-year-old man was charged with the murder of Sergeant Don
Wilkinson, 46, and another man, 34, was charged with assault, news
reports said.

Both men, whose names were suppressed by the court, were remanded into custody until September 23.

Police said the two officers ran off when they were discovered in

Wellington- Kelly, the last dolphin in captivity in New Zealand, has died at 38 at the Marineland marine park in Napier on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island, the City Council said Thursday.

Kelly, who died Thursday night after a short illness, lived almost twice as long as the normal life span of a common dolphin in the wild.

She had entertained thousands of visitors at Marineland since 1974 when she was taken there with her pool mate Shona, who died in April 2006.

Wellington - New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark said Thursday that she would not immediately sack Foreign Minister Winston Peters, who is the subject of a parliamentary inquiry into claims of secret donations to his party.

After Peters defended himself Wednesday night at a hearing of Parliament's powerful privileges committee, Clark issued a statement saying the proceedings provided no basis for her to remove him.

Wellington  - New Zealand's foreign minister, battling for his political life over claims of secret donations to his party, defended himself at a hearing of Parliament's powerful privileges committee Wednesday night.

Winston Peters rejected testimony to the committee by expatriate billionaire businessman Owen Glenn on Tuesday that the minister had personally asked for money, and later thanked him for a cheque for 100,000 New Zealand dollars (about 67,000 US dollars) that he donated in 2005.