diff --git a/NEWS b/NEWS
index caf8532..975da77 100644
--- a/NEWS
+++ b/NEWS
@@ -1,6 +1,21 @@
-This is ShadowIRCd 6.3, Copyright (c) 2005-2011 ShadowIRCd team.
+This is ponychat-ircd 6.5, Copyright (c) 2013 ponychat-ircd team.
 See LICENSE for licensing details (GPL v2).
 
+-- ponychat-ircd 6.5
+
+additions
+ - Channel owner mode (+y)
+ - away-notify, account-notify and extended-join client capabilities
+ - DNSBL hit and m_post HTTP proxy rejection server notices are global
+ - IPv6 DNSBL support
+ - Away rate limiting added
+ - Added snotes for failed SASL authentication attempts if need_sasl flag is set
+
+bugfixes
+ - Reject nicks with '~' in them, rather than cutting at the '~'
+ - Fix possible memory leak of certificate fingerprints
+ - Printed error message on unreadable config file rather than just a log entry
+
 -- ponychat-ircd 6.3.4
 
 bugfixes
diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 5b00636..08f7380 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 #! /bin/sh
 # Guess values for system-dependent variables and create Makefiles.
-# Generated by GNU Autoconf 2.69 for ponychat-ircd 6.5-rc2.
+# Generated by GNU Autoconf 2.69 for ponychat-ircd 6.5.
 #
 # $Id: configure.ac 3516 2007-06-10 16:14:03Z jilles $
 #
@@ -579,8 +579,8 @@ MAKEFLAGS=
 # Identity of this package.
 PACKAGE_NAME='ponychat-ircd'
 PACKAGE_TARNAME='ponychat-ircd'
-PACKAGE_VERSION='6.5-rc2'
-PACKAGE_STRING='ponychat-ircd 6.5-rc2'
+PACKAGE_VERSION='6.5'
+PACKAGE_STRING='ponychat-ircd 6.5'
 PACKAGE_BUGREPORT=''
 PACKAGE_URL=''
 
@@ -1303,7 +1303,7 @@ if test "$ac_init_help" = "long"; then
   # Omit some internal or obsolete options to make the list less imposing.
   # This message is too long to be a string in the A/UX 3.1 sh.
   cat <<_ACEOF
-\`configure' configures ponychat-ircd 6.5-rc2 to adapt to many kinds of systems.
+\`configure' configures ponychat-ircd 6.5 to adapt to many kinds of systems.
 
 Usage: $0 [OPTION]... [VAR=VALUE]...
 
@@ -1364,7 +1364,7 @@ fi
 
 if test -n "$ac_init_help"; then
   case $ac_init_help in
-     short | recursive ) echo "Configuration of ponychat-ircd 6.5-rc2:";;
+     short | recursive ) echo "Configuration of ponychat-ircd 6.5:";;
    esac
   cat <<\_ACEOF
 
@@ -1488,7 +1488,7 @@ fi
 test -n "$ac_init_help" && exit $ac_status
 if $ac_init_version; then
   cat <<\_ACEOF
-ponychat-ircd configure 6.5-rc2
+ponychat-ircd configure 6.5
 generated by GNU Autoconf 2.69
 
 Copyright (C) 2012 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
@@ -2092,7 +2092,7 @@ cat >config.log <<_ACEOF
 This file contains any messages produced by compilers while
 running configure, to aid debugging if configure makes a mistake.
 
-It was created by ponychat-ircd $as_me 6.5-rc2, which was
+It was created by ponychat-ircd $as_me 6.5, which was
 generated by GNU Autoconf 2.69.  Invocation command line was
 
   $ $0 $@
@@ -10100,7 +10100,7 @@ cat >>$CONFIG_STATUS <<\_ACEOF || ac_write_fail=1
 # report actual input values of CONFIG_FILES etc. instead of their
 # values after options handling.
 ac_log="
-This file was extended by ponychat-ircd $as_me 6.5-rc2, which was
+This file was extended by ponychat-ircd $as_me 6.5, which was
 generated by GNU Autoconf 2.69.  Invocation command line was
 
   CONFIG_FILES    = $CONFIG_FILES
@@ -10166,7 +10166,7 @@ _ACEOF
 cat >>$CONFIG_STATUS <<_ACEOF || ac_write_fail=1
 ac_cs_config="`$as_echo "$ac_configure_args" | sed 's/^ //; s/[\\""\`\$]/\\\\&/g'`"
 ac_cs_version="\\
-ponychat-ircd config.status 6.5-rc2
+ponychat-ircd config.status 6.5
 configured by $0, generated by GNU Autoconf 2.69,
   with options \\"\$ac_cs_config\\"
 
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index e506b42..100bc63 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ AC_PREREQ(2.57)
 dnl Sneaky way to get an Id tag into the configure script
 AC_COPYRIGHT([$Id: configure.ac 3516 2007-06-10 16:14:03Z jilles $])
 
-AC_INIT([ponychat-ircd],[6.5-rc2])
+AC_INIT([ponychat-ircd],[6.5])
 
 AC_CONFIG_HEADER(include/setup.h)