Ratko Mladic on trial at The Hague for war crimes during Bosnian war of 90s; Chen Guangcheng tells US congressional hearing his family is being harassed; Burmese president pledges to stop buying weapons from North Korea; Pakistani president will attend NATO summit; anti-Putin 'Occupy' protesters in Moscow moved on; and more
Read MoreThe cautionary tale of a successful welfare system
Of all the organisations that might have become champions of the welfare state, it's Treasury that has shown why we need it -- and why it is at risk
Read MoreLies, damned lies, and National party spin-doctoring
National says “the economy has grown in ten of the last eleven quarters.” That phrasing is pretty unusual. I wonder why.
Read MoreWinning the War of Empty Stomachs?
Palestinian prisoners have ended their mass hunger strike before anyone died. Now the world needs to ask some serious questions about the mass incarceration of Palestinians as a tool to break their resistance to occupation.
Read MoreBang goes another public service TV channel
The Save TVNZ 7 campaign moves into top gear this week – New Zealand loses another public service channel - and Freeview has a rough road ahead.
Read MoreColin Craig explained -- a little John, a little Sir Rob
Colin Craig has been hogging headlines this past week. Many have laughed him off - most notably the PM literally rolled his eyes - but that would be perilous in the extreme. Here's why
Read MoreObama on the right side of history - straight and gay
Obama's evolution on the rights of gays to marry has taken him to the only tenable place...the place others went not so long ago to bring to an end the crime of marrying someone of another race. Welcome to the 21st Century.
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Friday May 11
Two bomb blasts in Damascus kill 55 and wound over 300; Chinese have detained two relatives of Chen Guangcheng; US has approved plans for three Chinese banks to expand presence in US; Sudan launches air strikes over South Sudan, violates UN resolution; and more
Read MoreOffensive christian billboard or offensive ethics ruling?
Do you believe in an interventionist God? Well, don't say so ... in case you offend people.
Read MoreTeen breeders a national scourge! Time for Mythbusters
So there are all these teen mum banging out babies, right? And it's costing all us taxpayers heaps. It's a modern scandal Something must be done. Now! Well, maybe not...
Read MoreBeyond Today: a values story, and the Greens’ story
Beyond Today: a values story is the Green party’s story. On the Greens’ fortieth birthday, it says Values is a history of which the party should be very proud, and values are the new politics
Read MoreBanks, Whaleoil and two corpses
As they say, a week is a long time in politics
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Tuesday May 8
Elections in France and Greece challenge austerity policies; France's Hollande vows to renegotiate parts of the EU fiscal compact; political uncertainty in Greece threatens to unravel EU-IMF bailout plan; Chinese defense minister set to begin talks in Washington DC today; Korean Customs Service launches crackdown on trafficking of human-flesh capsules; Syrian voters head to the polls; Putin sworn into office for third term as Russian president; and more
Read MoreNational 101: How to hate debt & raise it at the same time
Debt's bad, right? So why is National asking our best and brightest to take on more if they want to get smarter?
Read MoreThese are not the droids you are looking for
Rodney Hide wisely has left Parliament behind him. But that doesn't mean he gets to pretend that he never was in Parliament.
Read MoreSarkozy feints right in campaign’s final act
Could immigration policy save the French incumbent? Nicolas Sarkozy's political future is decided this weekend
Read MoreObama's Osama advert riles Republicans
Republicans are reacting badly to President Obama's apparent politicizing of foreign policy success...how extraordinary.
Read MoreScandals and sideshows, sleaze and slurs
Autumn has become a season of scandals and sideshows – John Key’s casino-convention centre “scandal”, the Banks-Dotcom donation “scandal”, the sideshow of the mythical David Shearer leadership challenge – all soon to be wiped away by the start of the main game: the defining Budget of 2012.
Read MoreDid John Banks travel by cabbage boat after all?
Now we know why John Banks won't tell us about Kim Dotcom's donation. Blame the bloody lawyers ... again.
Read MoreWhy John Key's doing the right thing, but is still in trouble
John Banks' answers to the Dotcom donations have been incredible, but have left the Prime Minister with no choice but to back him. But the differing versions of events are so stark, let's not pretend that everyone can be telling the truth
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