Defence Minister Wayne Mapp and his Chief of Defence Force Rhys Jones stepped up their efforts this week to keep the gloss on New Zealand’s military involvement in Afghanistan. So far, they have succeeded in raising more questions than they have answered.
World News Brief, Thursday May 5
US and Pakistan bicker over bin Laden mission – aid in jeopardy as politicians try to spread blame; Palestinian factions unite, refusing to give even "a single inch of land"; EU looks to bring back border restrictions; Amnesty International reveals massive North Korea prison camps; and more
Read MoreThe price of milk
The true price of milk is its cost, in distracting us from the bigger issue: what policy and regulation is needed, to secure quality food for ordinary — all — New Zealanders
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Wednesday May 4
Bin Laden's death: What did Pakistan know?... More details of the raid... Obama to visit 9/11 families (+ analysis & multimedia); Swiss banks freeze almost one billion dicatator dollars; Hackers steal personal data from millions; Harper finally wins Canadian majority; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Tuesday May 3
Osama bin-Laden's death: What happened... the reaction... obituaries... the consequences for Pakistan, Afghanistan, al-Qaeda... (+ analysis & background); NATO defends airstrikes after children's deaths; Japan passes $48b quake budget; China bans smoking in public places; and more
Read MoreObama - 1, Osama - 0
Cool and calm wins the race. Eight years after George W. Bush declared mission accomplished when it patently was not, his successor Barack Obama has actually accomplished something, gruesome as it may be. Unfortunately Osama's demise is not the end of terror as we know it
Read MoreHow much democracy is "enough" democracy?
Is Hone Harawira's decision to force a by election a cynical abuse of public money or a noble commitment to accountability? Yes.
Read MoreTurning the political landscape Green
The seismic shifts round Parliament this week present both risks and an opportunity for the Greens
Read MoreAfghanistan: Mapp's raid spin is wearing thin
Defence Minister Wayne Mapp’s categoric denial that there were civilian casualties when New Zealand SAS troops took part in a night raid in Baghlan province is wearing thin as more evidence comes to hand from Afghanistan.
Is Brash really the saviour of the right?
Don Brash will get ACT above 10 percent, re-energising the right of New Zealand politics - or so the story goes. Some aren't so sure, including some in National
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Friday April 29
Hamas and Fatah form unity government, promise elections (+ analysis); Israel under pressure to partition land, but warns peace talks at risk; IMF warns Asia against over-heating; Syrian officials resign in protest as UN argues; Petrseus to run CIA; and more
Read MoreIt's the sound of the New Man, running down your back
Afghanistan: the war of words – and friendly fire
The Government’s spin machine cranks into action but its selective secrecy policy raises more questions about SAS operations in Afghanistan than it answers
A happy home, with a hearth in it
“Domestic life in the past was smelly, cold, dirty and uncomfortable, but we have much to learn from it … When the oil runs out, I think our houses will become much more like those of our low-tech, pre-industrial ancestors.”
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Thursday April 28
UN denounces Syrian violence, but US discounts Libya-style intervention (+ analysis & multimedia); Italy and France look to close EU borders fearing Arab influx; Human rights abuses to be probed in Libya; Harvard lawyer elected to replace Dalai Lama; and more
Read MoreAsking 'why' of Afghanistan?
Some say the media posing questions about our military presence in Afghanistan is 'disgraceful' and 'unpatriotic'. I say, regardless of the rights and wrongs, the opposite is true
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Wednesday April 27
Syria crackdown prompts West to consider sanctions and UN response (+ analysis); Yemen Opposition split over plans to remove Saleh; UN finds war crimes on both sides in Sri Lanakan war, 40,000 dead; Chernobyl remembered 25 years on; and more
Read MoreIs Don Brash on a Hide-ing to nothing? Or just Hide-bound?
Rodney Hide and Don Brash want to lead ACT. That much we know; the rest is cloudy. So let's look at some of the core questions, battles and potential strategies...
Read MoreViva la vida
At new year, in spring time, and on Anzac Day, my calendar clocks another year, and I resolve to start again, again. This blog is not immune to it: it’s time for a change, because we know everything we need to, about National’s green blues
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Tuesday April 26
Syrian military uses tanks against protesters leaving little room for compromise (+ analysis); Renewed pressure for Japan PM to quit; Leaked documents pull back curtain on Gitmo; France tightens border controls after Italy does deal with Tunisians; and more
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