Does the change of political leadership at Federated Farmers amount to a quiet, green revolution? Are farmers realising just how much they've lost touch with urban New Zealand and doing something about it?
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World News Brief, Thursday September 1
Rebels in Tripoli divided along geographic lines with no unifying leader; Libyan rebels rejected UN's offer of peacekeeping troops to help with transition; Australia's High Court blocked Julia Gillard's plan to send 800 asylum seekers to Malaysia; latest WikiLeaks release includes names of Australians linked to Yemeni terror groups; Hurricane Irene damage estimated at $7 billion; economic growth in South Africa slows; and more
Read MoreNew Zealand's strange relationship with prisons
New Zealand is widely perceived as a safe country and yet we don't seem to feel safe -- and 20,000 Kiwis spend time in prison each year
Read MoreLatest polls - conservatism triumphant & the accidental leader?
For all the volatility in the latest round of polls, not much has changed. Indeed, change seems to be the last thing voters want right now
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Wednesday August 31
Libyan rebels are giving Qaddafi loyalists until Saturday to surrender; Qaddafi's whereabouts unknown--some of his family members are sheltering in Algeria; People's Bank of China is reining in lending; Japan's sixth prime minister in five years elected; Pentagon wasted $30 billion on wartime contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan, says report; Angela Merkel warns indebted eurozone countries to make substantial efforts to reduce debt; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Tuesday August 30
Libyan rebels advance on Qaddafi's home town and call for further airstrikes; Human Rights Watch reports Tripoli war crimes; Analysis: peaceful transition unlikely, Transitional Council could split; Japanese party chooses new PM; Close election in Singapore; Indian faster wins concessions; US hopes to finish off al-Qaeda; and more
Read MoreCars’ cost: not smart transport
Some imaginary reasons, some ideological reasons, and some surprising ones: why we don’t follow rich Switzerland’s lead by investing in public transport
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Friday August 26
Rebels and loyalists still in heavy fighting across Tripoli and in Qaddafi's hometown; US seeks to unfreeze Libyan assets (+ analysis); North Korea and Russia to build gas pipeline; Pentagon says Chinese military growth "potentially destabilising"; Japan intervenes in yen's rise; Nationwide strike in Chile and more
Read MoreNow it’s millions for Libya – Why?
It was nice of the Prime Minister to tell us his government committed to recognizing the new government of Libya some weeks ago and would provide it with “millions” of dollars in aid – but it would be better if he told us why.
Read MoreConfessions of a first-time author
Two years after the idea was born, Confessions of a Coffee Group Dropout is on the shelves
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Thursday August 25
Rebels capture Qaddafi's compound and relocate headquarters to Tripoli; experts say public disorder and instability could emerge in Libya after Qaddafi regime falls; Kim Jong-Il meets with Russian president to discuss ending its nuclear weapons programme; Moody's downgrades Japan's economy; Israel claims to have killed Islamic Jihad militant; US markets respond to possible monetary stimulus; and more
Read MoreOr are we heading for another 1963?
Looking back over New Zealand elections past, 1963 is another with a familiar look about it
Read MoreDSK free to 'love' again
As Dominque Strauss-Kahn treated the cameras to a hint of a Gallic grin, it wouldn't be out of the question to ask both who was really on trial here and if the self-satisfied satyr could himself pass the lie test that set him free.
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Wednesday August 24
Qaddafi's son claims loyalist troops have broken the backbone of rebel surge in Tripoli; Oman, Bahrain and Egypt have recognised the rebels as official governing authority of Libya; Japan's prime minister to quit; US expresses concern over detention of dozens of Vietnamese protesters; Standard and Poor's president to resign; UN Human Rights Council will investigate alleged human rights abuses in Syria; Strauss-Kahn cleared; and more
Read More2002 repeat? Nah, it's 1951 all over again
If we want to gain insight into this election by looking at elections past, we have to look way back – to the last time National was as dominant in the polls, to a time with some uncanny similarities
Read MoreHow to rehabilitate prisoners
Rehabilitating prisoners requires more action than rhetoric, says the author of a new book on the justice system
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Tuesday August 23
Libyan rebels take most of Tripoli, but fighting continues outside Qaddafi compound; Obama declares rebel leaders "legitimate", but where's Qaddafi?; Biden insists US securities are "safe"; Some charges against Strauss-Kahn to be dropped; Rockets attacks continue on Gaza border; Indian PM talks of reform as hinger strike continues; and more
Read MoreAssad flips the bird to the international community
The Americans have finally ramped up sanctions and told Bashar al-Assad to resign as Syria's leader, but the thug's response is that he's there to stay and those who oppose him will be punished. He's can't work out the difference between blood and reform.
Read MoreNo easy way out of Afghanistan for SAS
It's looking increasingly as if 2014 will be a false deadline in Afghanistan, with more SAS hand-holding needed for years to come. With the government expected to come under renewed pressure to make a greater commitment, what choice is the PM likely to make?
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Friday August 19
Libyan rebels take control of oil refinery outside city of Zawiyah--they are now just 30 miles from Tripoli; Joe Biden begins visit to China to strengthen economic relations; Japan records trade surplus for second month in a row; UK pledges another $48 million to Somali famine relief; protesters in Madrid take to streets to demonstrate against Pope's US$72 million taxpayer-funded visit; and more
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