Meet the Texan who could have more say over New Zealand's long-term economic future than Bill English; plus the 10 worst predictions of 2008
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What's in a name, Mr Barack Hussein Obama?
Barack Hussein Obama is going the whole name hog in his inauguration and in so doing he may well define a new political generation. Names it seems are critical in top US politics – think Clinton, or Kennedy or Bush…
Read MoreNational News Brief, Tuesday December 23
Deficit climbs to 92 percent of GDP; Waitangi Tribunal judge steps aside; debate on school hours; don't lick the batter bowl; tasers may kill, says Amnesty; gaming machines "worst" form of gambling
Read MoreA mangled Christmas message
John Roughan reckons he's found religion but he misunderstands the meaning of Christmas
Read More2008 redux: Farewell Awards
Spreading the Christmas cheer before he takes time off to finish his next book, Jon reviews 2008's stand-out political performances, for good and ill,
Read MoreNational News Brief, Monday December 22
Clinics weigh tough choice on abandoned embryos; drug education needed in primary schools: report; Christmas shoppers say 'bah humbug'; another quarter of recession predicted; and more
Read MoreAn exceedingly pluvial country....
Sir Geoffrey Palmer once sympathised with flood victims by noting the rainy nature of New Zealand's climate. As weather patterns change and water becomes a political issue, we might yearn for a bit more pluvialism
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Friday December 19
Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, Norway and others follow US Fed in cutting rates; Chrysler to shuts down US factories for one month; Russia suffers as oil prices fall; 33 Latin countries propose historic economic union; and more
Read MoreNational News Brief, Friday December 19
68,000 to lose their jobs; Government advised to use embryos for research; judges get 4.8 percent pay increase; iwi to buy land at Miramar Peninsula; Fiji standoff unresolved; Labour Party staffers allegedly stole wine from press gallery party
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Thursday December 18
British will pull out of Iraq "by the end of May"; Bird flu is back; China's reveals new property stimulus package; Zardari rejects Mumbai bombing claims; and more
Read MoreThe tragedies behind the Bush Victory Lap of the Middle East
The Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at George W. Bush has refocused attention on the plight of an occupied people
Read MoreNational news brief, Thursday, December 18
Economic forecast worse than we thought; Commerce Commission says Shell ads misleading; $258 million iron sands deal fails; Griffins closes Lower Hutt factory; taxi-cams could become compulsory; 33-year-old woman allegedly pregnant to 15-year-old
Read MoreThe politics of urgency
The real challenge confronting John Key's new National-led Government is the rush to judgment on its sense of urgency
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Wednesday December 17
ANC faces first political challenger as "non racial" COPE launches; China resumes website bans; India "pauses" peace process; US Fed cuts rates to near zero; and more
Read MoreNational News Brief, Wednesday December 17
Government defies Fijian ultimatum; Corrections predicts four new prisons will be needed; Chris Kahui speaks out; teens happier but exposed to more violence, World Cup ticket prices revealed; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Tuesday December 16
Giant fraud rattles banks, could prompt more regulation; New Thai Prime Minister elected; Bush makes final tours of Iraq and Afghanistan; ANC rival grows in South Africa; and more
Read MoreThese are the people in your neighbourhood
Appearances are deceptive in one of Auckland's "up-and-coming" suburbs
Read MoreNational News Brief, Tuesday December 16
Redundancy plan offers nothing to some workers; Fiji to expel another NZ diplomat; NZ journalist detained in Fiji; mortgages affordable again; Air New Zealand will defend price-fixing claims; Peter Ellis may get another Commission of Inquiry
Read MoreWhy isn't National more stimulating?
While the government sends parliament into urgency to pass stale bills, its response to the global financial crisis is about as urgent as a tortoise
Read MoreThe Beltway Blues: Random Thoughts from Inside the Bubble
Cue harmonica: It looks like the more things change in parliament, the more they stay the same.
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