US announces new sanctions against North Korea as Kim Jong-Il talks up six-party talk; Biden in Iraq as combat comes to an end; Japanese "kingpin" to challenge PM; Israelis and Palestinians both promise not to concede too much ahead of peace talks; and more
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Five things NZ can learn from Aussie elections
With the Australian election result still hanging in the balance, what can political strategists on this side of the Tasman learn? Five tips, plus the insight of one old man
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Tuesday August 31
As Bernanke asks for private sector help, more dismal economic news expected (+ analysis); What will be in Obama's big Iraq speech?; Burma's big leadership reshuffle; US risks losing peace in Sudan; and more
Read MoreMiddle/Muddle East Peace/Piece Talks resume...again
As the players in the latest round of Middle East Peace Talks assemble in Washington later this week, the issues confronting them only seem to have grown in the two years they have been on hold, so are they just going through the motions?
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Friday August 27
Bernanke to announce new economic plans amid worrying numbers (+ analysis); Leadership bid hits Japanese ruling party; Kim Jong-Il visits China; America's contradiction: Corrupt Karzai aide on CIA payroll; and more
Read MoreRoy leaves her garden to sow seeds of trouble, while Hide kicks-off Election 2011
Heather Roy's return to parliament this week was a bit rich – Katherine Rich, that is. By following the former National MP's example, Roy has bought herself some time, but is it borrowed? And will the right-wing parties can together or divide?
Read MoreLetter from an Auckland courthouse
Either Cameron Slater deserves our pity, or he deserves our contempt as the Peter Bethune of the right.
Read MorePower’s hidden costs: what Meridian wouldn’t tell us
Meridian is sticking to the letter of resource management law. It risks big power generation decisions being made, at big environmental cost, without full cost-benefit analysis
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Thursday August 26
Dozens killed in Iraqi bombings designed to undermine local security forces (+ analysis); Chinese traffic jam could last until mid-September; Carter visit to North Korea set to ease tensions; al-Qaeda in Yemen now ranked top threat; and more
Read MoreConservation land mining and the green genie
Mr Brownlee may have dug a big hole for the mining industry, by eyeing up Schedule 4. Conservationists' price: a better Schedule, and a higher test for mining access rights
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Wednesday August 25
Taliban and warlords scare of candidates, disenfranchise 1.5m in Afghan elections; Zardari: Pakistan will take three years to recover from floods as epidemics threaten; Six Somali MPs killed in terror attack; Philippine government criticised over kidnappings; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Tuesday August 24
Netanyahu says peace talks "difficult" but "possible", as pressure goes on settlements (+ analysis); Gillard and Abbott battle to secure independents' support; Iran opens first nuclear plant; Tens of thousands more Pakistanis evacuated as floods hit the south; and more
Read MoreGod bless America
Where the F word is not a dirty word, and what a breath of fresh air that is.
Read MoreOf Mosques and Madness and Mid-term Elections
The concept of a mosque a couple of blocks from Ground Zero has unleashed the ugly side of American politics, where those who profess tolerance have none themselves. Instead they have a hefty dose of prejudice, jingoism and stupidity and it is all on display.
Read MoreGeorge and the beanstalk: vege myths and legends?
In which intensive vertical vege farming, 30 stories pie-in-the-sky, is dismissed as magical thinking by a bright green man
Read MoreIs Rodney Hide a Bully?
A short history of the ‘primitive combat' that is practiced internally by the ACT Caucus.
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Friday August 20
Last American combat troops leave Iraq, with no government formed – mission accomplished? (+ analysis); Immigration key issue in Australian campaign's final days; Russia's new push into Afghanistan; One million civil servants on strike in South Africa; and more
Read MoreHide, Roy & ACT: Two strikes down, one to go (if Epsom allows)
The party that introduced the three strikes law is itself one strike away from permanent political imprisonment. Its fate now lies in the hands of others, as it looks more like a party of past
Read MoreHow is a brothel for women "progress"?
Pam Corkery's proposed brothel for women--a world first--is another triumph for female equality. Yeah, right
Read MoreBillets doux for Gerry Brownlee
Turning the draft energy strategy upside down, to shake some ‘step change’ out of it
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