Sacha Baron Cohen, aka Borat, aka Bruno, is hilarious, insightful and cool in an ironic, knowing way... unless you don't get the joke
Read MoreReality, Sarah Palin style
Is it wrong to hope Sarah "hockey mom" Palin will remain on the world stage simply for our own entertainment? And does that make us as bad as the folks who convinced her she has a shot at choosing the drapes for the Oval Office?
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Wednesday July 8
Russia and US to dismantle hundreds of nuclear warheads; more Chinese protests defy lockdown (+backgrounders); Italy struggles to prepare for G8; Mousavi vows to fight on; and more
Read MoreBiofuels revisited
Jeanette Fitzsimons’ Sustainable Biofuel Bill has been drawn from the Member’s ballot. It’s sustainable, all right—defying repeal—and the first real test of this Government’s green credentials
Read MoreGreenland gets Warmer - But Not Greener
Melting ice provides Greenland with an economic lifeline. Should it grab hold?
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Tuesday July 7
Obama meets with Russian leaders; 140 killed in China protests; Myanmar pledges to hold open election; Zelaya attempts to return to Honduras
Read MoreCould the beach be to New Zealand what abortion is to the US?
Welcome to the cultural battleground... Resolving the foreshore and seabed could yet fall to the Supreme Court, in what would be a case of Roe v Wade proportions
Read MoreRossini the serious comedian
Gioacchino Rossini wrote serious comic opera that is still relevant
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Friday July 3
New offensive underway in Afghanistan; Medvedev: Russia has a "special responsibility"; Neighbours give Honduras coup deadline; China reaches out to IMF; and more
Read MoreForeshore & Seabed: Now onto the money round
Tariana Turia this week celebrates one of the great political triumphs in this country's history. However, this debate is far from settled. The trickiest decisions lie ahead
Read MoreThe Foreshore & Seabed review: winners and losers
The Ministerial Review of the Foreshore and Seabed Act 2004 points to a new way forward. Who are the winners from it, and who are the losers?
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Thursday July 2
UN and neighbours put pressure on Honduras; Bomb blasts mar Iraqi takeover; Ahmadinejad fails to appear for Africa summit; North Korean arms ship to Burma turns around; and more
Read MoreAfghanistan: temperature rising
New Zealand is reviewing its involvement in Afghanistan, as President Hamid Karzai fights for his political life, the US and NATO pour thousands of additional troops onto the battlefield, and Kiwi troops come under fire in Bamiyan
World News Brief, Wednesday July 1
US begins withdrawal from Iraq + timeline; Iran elections confirmed as Ahmadinejad increases vote; record unemployment in Japan; Taliban abandons peace deal; and more
Read MoreThe wrong way to take on the Baby Boomers
Bernard Hickey is right to rail against the inter-generational transfer of wealth that hies in this year's Budget, but there's no need to throw the bathwater out with the baby boomers
Read MoreYou Can't Beat Wellington on a Good Day
Listening to the public might be a drag for local government, but it's a necessity, especially when the waterfront's at stake
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Tuesday June 30
Honduran president ousted in coup; Madoff sentenced to 150 years; Japan production on the rise; Iran releases British diplomats; and more
Read MoreNo resting in peace for Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson, tragic in life and death, is the most extreme example of what happens when we commodify people
Read MoreIf it doesn’t communicate, what practical use has a language?
Can Maori language be anything more than an intellectual or cultural indulgence?
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Friday June 26
Iran government steps up arrests; a new Iran?; state-led stimulus in South Korea seems to be working; Netanyahu rules out settlement freeze; and more
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