World news: 'Pulverised' quake bodies may never be recovered

The bodies of some victims of New Zealand's devastating earthquake may never be recovered because they were pulverised by the buildings that collapsed around them, police said today.

Superintendent Dave Cliff said five more bodies had been pulled from rubble by recovery teams in Christchurch overnight, bringing the latest death toll to 160.

But many more people remain missing and Mr Cliff has said the final tally is likely to be around 240.

More than 900 disaster specialists were picking through the remains of wrecked buildings and clearing away debris, as the massive operation moved into its second week.

No-one has been pulled alive from the rubble since 26 hours after the February 22 quake and authorities are pessimistic about finding any other survivors.

The operation to recover bodies has been slowed by near-constant aftershocks.

Authorities have appealed for patience from families waiting for news of missing relatives, saying the remains of some people caught in falling buildings can be identified only through DNA tests.

Lohan wants to be movie great

Troubled actress Lindsay Lohan says she wants to be identified with great films in the future, not the personal problems that have stalled her career in recent years.

"I don't want that to be what I'm known for anymore - the tabloid stuff," she told US TV show Extra.

Refugees flee Libya chaos

Violence and chaos in Libya have triggered an exodus of more than 140,000 refugees to Tunisia and Egypt, a UN official said, as aid workers warned the situation at the Tunisian border has reached crisis point.

Officials say the situation has been made even more volatile by humanitarian aid workers being blocked from reaching western Libya, patients reportedly being executed in hospitals, or shot by gunmen hiding in ambulances.

Korean propaganda drive

South Korean activists vowed today to send propaganda material into North Korea including footage of protests in the Middle East despite its threats to open fire on the South in retaliation.

Friction between the Koreas is already heightened following Monday's start of annual South Korean-US military drills.Sony sorry for 'Nazi' band

A SONY music unit has apologized for a rock band under its management that dressed up like Nazis on a national TV broadcast.

Sony Music Artists said it regretted the incident after Kishidan appeared on an MTV show a week ago in black uniforms with red arm bands.

Government minister is shot dead in Pakistan

Gunmen shot and killed Pakistan's government minister for religious minorities today, the latest attack on a high-profile Pakistani figure who had urged reforming harsh blasphemy laws that impose the death penalty for insulting Islam.

Shahbaz Bhatti, a Christian, was on his way to work in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, when unknown gunmen riddled his car with bullets, police officer Mohmmad Iqbal said.