US arrests Russian spies, rattling relationships with the Kremlin (+ analysis); Iran sets conditions on further nuclear talks and reserves right to defend ships; Protests in Spain and Greece as loans run out; Google backs down on China site; and more
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G20: the return to austerity and its effect on NZ
The rest of the world is about to start reining in all those stimulus packages that took the edges off the recession. That could be really good for New Zealand, or really, really bad
Read MoreRight-Wingers are Hard-Assers - True or False?
If we went back several centuries and peeled away all the legislation which forced us to care for each other, would mankind be voluntarily philanthropic and benevolent?
Read MoreHow Kevin Rudd won and lost Australia
Rudd's remarkable run in power was driven by state politics, factions and Wayne Swan; and it was those same forces that brought him down
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Tuesday June 29
G20 fails to settle on plans for bank regulation (+ analysis); Obama urges continued spending while summit leaders vow to cut deficits; South Korea promised US FTA by November; Germany comes under pressure to start buying; and more
Read MoreSmoking bans and crime: post hoc ergo propter hoc
Banning smoking in prison stops crime. The Daily Telegraph says so. It must be true.
Read MoreThe yellowcake story: gone by lunchtime, but was it unlawful?
“Gone by lunchtime”… If only the same could be said of the debate that wouldn’t die: carbon tax vs emissions trading
Read MorePigs at the trough and wannabe thespians
After a Fiji holiday, the MPs' spending scandal looks incredibly tame; plus university reminiscences
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World News Brief, Friday June 25
Obama says Afghanistan strategy will remain, but McChrystal is gone; strategists rethink Afghanistan strategy; China arrests 10 "hardcore terrorists"; Julia Gillard is Australia's first female Prime Minister; Iran is ready for fuel sanctions; G8 in Canada open to developing nations
Read MoreAfghanistan: Leaving the Labyrinth
President Karzai has lost his preferred commander – General McChrystal falls on his sword – and New Zealand’s commitment to Afghanistan has not changed. Does anyone know what’s really happening in the labyrinth?
Read MoreGay adoption: redux
The High Court has just said that straight de facto couples jointly can adopt a child. Great - now what about the rest of the community?
Read MoreA policeman's lot is a happy one ...
Would electing a serving police officer be a valuable addition to a local authority, or a threat to our very constitution? Whatever your view, you're too late ...
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Thursday June 24
McChrystal resigns, replaced by Petraeus as Obama promises to continue strategy (+ link to Rolling Stone article); Analysts say McChrystal deserves credit yet had to go; Europe rallies behind bank tax ahead of G20; Spain's labour reforms seek to cut unemployment; and more
Read MoreBringing the Budget down to Earth
Green MP Ken Graham’s Public Finance (Sustainable Development Indicators) Amendment Bill, newly introduced to the members’ ballot, would revolutionise the annual government budget
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Wednesday June 23
General McChrystal apologises for criticism of Obama administration, flies to Washington (+ analysis); Kyrgyz refugees return home in tears; Obama wary of too much austerity as G20 frets about debt; Japan wary of Chinese growth; and more
Read MoreMan Up, Russel
What did Green Party co-leader Russel Norman expect when he exploited his position as an MP and waved the Tibetan flag at China's vice-president Xi Jinping? Enough grandstanding already
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Tuesday June 22
Yuan surges as China loosens currency controls (+ analysis and background); Japan points to tax reform to tackle debt; Iran bans nuke inspectors over "false" reports; BP's spill costs hit $2 billion as companies try to overturn deepwater drill moratorium; and more
Read MoreWelfare: even the debate gets privatised
Second Wellington welfare conference in two weeks locks out all but the wealthy or well-funded
Read MoreThe purpose of protest: In defence of Russel Norman
The debate over the Green party co-leader's protest in front of Xi Jinping is drawing out all kinds of criticisms, but surely the thing to remember is that protest is designed to confront
Read MoreThe good oil, on two biofuel bills
New Zealand’s biofuel market is, apparently, a model of sustainability and transparency; it might be our route to fuel independence. Fitzsimons’ Bill to regulate it looks likely to be rejected
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