Governments around the world are getting it in the neck for doing too much or too little to pull their economies out of the global recession. So why should John Key go scot-free when he talks about bailing out F&P Appliances – and what is he doing to stimulate the rest of us?
Ideological gaps over Israel on both sides of Atlantic
Americans have long tended to be more sympathetic towards Israel in Middle Eastern disputes than Europeans, but since 9/11 they have become more staunch in their support
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Wednesday February 18
Hillary heads to Asia; Japanese government could collapse; Cambodia war crimes tribunal begins first hearing; Obama to sign stimulus package; first anniversary for Kosovo
Read MoreNational News Brief Wednesday, February 18
Corrections boss could lose job; cheaper flights but fewer of them; potential bailout for F&P--but what of other struggling companies?; brawl at Hutt Valley High; more very young fathers; daily news readership "steady"
Read MoreLeaked: National plans reveal the government's continued reluctance to spend
Leaked Cabinet plans list the government's infrastructure projects and show that even facing the worst economic crisis in half a century, the government intends to restrain its spending
Read MoreNational News Brief, Tuesday February 17
Government could bailout struggling Fisher & Paykel; boot camps for "worst" teens; more wind farm "bribery" deals revealed; German tourist tells of being trapped in a "horror house"; and more
Read MoreOwn grown
Gardening for food is not just about saving the world, although that is one compelling outcome
Read MoreNational News Brief, Monday February 16
Domestic airfare price war expected; Meridian Energy paid DoC for not opposing wind farm project; boot camp for young offenders; National Library to shed jobs; police warn about meeting internet amours in person; prices rise sharply at Birthcare
Read MoreThe truth about National's so-called stimulus: not a penny more
Pundit has finally received answers from Bill English's office about the government's stimulus package. Contrary to the spin, the government is re-announcing already promised money, it has not added a cent to its spending since December, and while the rest of the world ups the ante, New Zealand is sitting on its hands
Read MoreSo what happened to that Buy American rule?
Just what the final US stimulus package says about only buying US-made goods remains vague, but here we explain the issue and what's at stake
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Friday February 13
US congress agree $789b stimulus plan; North Korea gears up for another missile test; Australian police detain pair over bushfires; Pakistan admits involvement in Mumbai bombings; and more
Read MoreNational News Brief, Friday February 13
Auckland swelters under record temperatures; Wellington and Dunedin councillors in stadium rows; Shell Oil looks to sell out of New Zealand; government admits what Pundit told you on Wednesday; and more
Read MoreHelen Clark's OE
While the Machiavellian world of United Nations appointments means Helen Clark won't find it easy securing her international role, it's one to which she's ideally suited
Read MoreMessage to Obama: Toughen Up
Three weeks into the job and Obama may have just reaslied he has to toughen up if he is to stay ahead of the great Republican machine and pass the legislation his team wants to get through – after all, they won the election didn't they?
Read MoreHappy birthday Charles Darwin!
New Zealand scientists are celebrating the bicentenary of Charles Darwin's birth – even though he described New Zealand as "not a pleasant place".
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Thursday February 12
Obama's bank rescue plan; China exports tumble; Australian fire clean-up continues; close vote in Israel; Afghan suicide bombings; Zimbabwe's leader sworn in
Read MoreNational News Brief Thursday, February 12
NZ man arrested "trying to enter al Qaeda stronghold"; international students coming to NZ for a bargain; $100 million electricity grid upgrade; haka part of historic Treaty deal; heavy rains today; David Bain to get another court hearing next week
Read MoreThe $9 billion bait and switch
National claims its $9 billion stimulus package is one of the largest in the world and will protect New Zealand from the worst of the recession. But much of package is in fact old spending re-announced, including most of the previous government's 2008 Budget and the purchase of KiwiRail that National so vehemently opposed
Read MoreBrassicas, bees, and GM botch-ups
New Zealanders are wary about genetically engineered foods. A Crown Research Institute's field trial botch-up justifies the skepticism and asks some hard questions of the scientists responsible
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Wednesday February 11
Obama urges swift passage of recovery package; details of what's in the proposed package; Israelis go the the polls; China fears deflation; political violence in Madagascar; and more
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