A luxury cruise ship that allegedly left a woman behind on a remote island had reportedly been struggling with mechanical problems before the fatal incident.

With RNZ reporter Jamie Wall covering the All Blacks in Chicago, our sports correspondent tonight is sports writer and author of the weekly newsletter Sport Review, Richard Irvine.

One Island Bay home was "completely gutted" with neighbours urged to close doors and windows to avoid exposure to smoke.

The latest news from Melanesia.

Middle East correspondent Jacob Brown spoke to Lisa Owen about major developments from Sudan's civil war, as well as more progress in the Gaza Ceasefire agreement.