At least 13 killed in failed hostage rescue in Yemen; China sentences eight people to death; Japanese economy slows even more than anticipated; US and NATO end combat mission in Afghanistan; six Guantanamo detainees released to Uruguay; and more
Read MoreUncategorized
Is safety just a big disguise, that hides among the other lies?*
Parliament has passed public protection orders. But will they really be a last resort to contain the most dangerous? Or a means to pursue a more vindictive agenda?
Read MoreSuckerpunched by the actor formerly known as "Crusher"
The last thing you might think Judith Collins would be is boring. But apparently that's just what the new, true version really is.
Read MoreGrumbling About Political Grumblers
It is one thing being in Opposition complaining about what has happened in government; it is another thing to have a viable policy.
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Thursday December 4
ISIS significantly weakened by air strikes in Iraq and Syria, says John Kerry; Taiwan's Kuomintang party chairman resigns; Japan launches six-year space mission;
Read MoreIsrael's surreal snap election call
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is playing games by forcing a snap election because he is desperate to coalesce with the extreme religious right, rather than the centrists who have called him to account.
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Wednesday December 3
Putin scraps $40 billion gas pipeline project; Hong Kong's Occupy Central leaders turn themselves in; rescue effort continues in Bering Sea after South Korean fishing boat sinks; Ukraine and Pro-Russian separatists reach agreement 'in principle'; early elections expected for Israel; and more
Read MoreOur Peter Jackson of Children’s Literature?
How New Zealand businesses succeed internationally.
Read MoreMubarak triumphs
The Egyptian Court's sweeping exoneration of Hosni Mubarak, his henchmen and his sons is an insult to Egyptians who give their lives in support of democracy and human rights. It is also a signal that the new and brutal man in charge has done his job regaining lost ground for his old boss.
Read MoreShe was practiced at the art of deception
In which a little spy agency finds that sometimes you can always get what you want, even if its not what you need.
Read MoreJohn Banks isn't (yet) innocent
Or, rather, he hasn't (yet) been found not-guilty of filing a false election return. That probably will happen later.
Read MoreProlongation of Life and the Quality of Life.
How economists think about valuing life when allocating resources for healthcare purposes.
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Wednesday November 26
Iran nuclear talks extended, allowing Iran to access frozen funds; protestors and police clash at Hong Kong protest site; Burma to adopt proportional voting system; Turkey sends arms to Iraqi Kurdish forces fighting ISIS; violence flares in Ferguson, Missouri; and more
Read MoreJohn Key: The buck doesn't stop with me
The Gwyn reports reveals much about the failings of the SIS, but it and the government's response to it also reveals much about the political machinations of this Prime Minister
Read MoreI'm not ALWAYS wrong ...
A brief cut-and-paste revisit of what I said at the time about the Dirty Politics allegations about the SIS, OIA and certain bloggers whom we don't name.
Read MoreAre New Zealand Economists Going in the Right Direction?
The Secretary of the Treasury appears to have doubts.
Read MoreLabour the winner on the day...
... but there's a long way to go as Labour's new self-described 'coach' tries to mould a winning team from the Bad News Bears of previous years
Read MoreThe dangers of ignoring context
The rising violence between Israelis and Palestinians is extremely worrying, but it is not all one way, and its context cannot new conveniently ignored.
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Wednesday November 19
Attack on synagogue in Jerusalem raises tensions; Japanese PM Shinzo Abe calls for early elections; Hong Kong police begin to clear protest sites; 40 mafia suspects arrested in Northern Italy; state of emergency called in Ferguson, Missouri; and more
Read MoreA new climate target – no more can kicking
Over the next year, John Key faces a choice between his – and New Zealand's – international reputation on one hand and National's support base on the other as he wrestles with reducing our carbon footprint
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