Just hours after the Sydney siege ended with the death of two hostages, crowds gathered to pay their respects.

Pop stars, comedians and Kevin Rudd's daughter are among critics of Rupert Murdoch for his insensitive tweet about the Sydney hostage crisis.

Hostages caught in Sydney's siege have revealed how some of them managed to escape when the gunman's back was turned.

Haron Monis was known to authorities for a string of offences.

Some hostages held in the Sydney cafe may have had thoughts of attacking the hostage takers as survival instincts "come to the fore", a psychologist says.

The MP who chaired the anti-terrorist legislation rushed through Parliament last week, MarkMitchell, says the bill was "100 per cent" justified.

One or two words can be enough to turn a hostage situation, so language and rapport is everything, a former New Zealand hostage negotiator says.

Aucklanders can be confident the measures Sydney has in place to deal with hostage or terrorism emergencies would be available here - but on a smaller scale, a senior police source says.

The siege comes months after Australia's biggest ever counter-terrorism raids and follows repeated warnings by ASIO, the domestic spy agency, of the growing threat of a homegrown domestic....

The country’s highest Islamic office holder has condemned the actions of a gunman responsible for a hostage situation in Sydney’s CBD.

A flurry of loud bangs erupted just after 4am NZ time as a swarm of heavily armed police stormed a downtown Sydney cafe where a gunman had taken hostages.

As the Sydney siege threatens to open up old prejudices, hashtag #illridewithyou has led a call for unity.

Here's what we know now about the situation in Sydney where a gunman has seized hostages.

The hostage drama in central Sydney has shut down the city's CBD. Click here for live updates from AAP.

New Zealanders caught up in the area where a hostage drama is unfolding in central Sydney - some who are still in lock down - have spoken about their experiences.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott is urging Australians to go about their lives as normal despite the terrorist siege in Sydney’s CBD.

Qantas is diverting its planes away from central Sydney to free up space for authorities dealing with the siege in a city cafe.

Click here for the latest photos from the scene, where more than a dozen hostages are being held at gunpoint in a Sydney cafe.

Qantas' spate of incidents is "unusual" but there's no evidence of slipping safety standards, an aviation expert says.

A fourth Qantas plane has been forced to turn back mid-flight, marking a second day of trouble for the airline - but its boss says "it happens all the time".

Two children and their mothers have been flown from rising flood waters on the NSW coast as wild storms batter the region.

If you're going to be whacked by a golf ball, it may as well be hit by one of the greats, finds Cameron McMillan.

A post-mortem is due to be carried out today on the body of a baby found by two young boys digging on a beach in Sydney.

Cricketer Phil Hughes’ condition remains critical after he underwent further scans on Wednesday.

The moment an elderly man fell 25 metres from a cruise ship travelling between Auckland and Sydney was caught on a CCTV camera.