Fran O'Sullivan doesn't like it when commentators present their readers with "very thin analysis". Perhaps she ought to stop doing so, then.
Read MoreObama's train wreck, Romney's life boat
Romney took the first Presidential debate...of that there is no doubt, even if he was a stranger to the truth of his own policies. Post debate, Americans are left wondering if there had been an alien abduction of other guy. Love him or hate him, Obama was AWOL and squandered a massive audience at a critical time.
Read MoreWorld news Brief, Friday October 5
Turkey retaliates after Syrian mortar attack that killed five civilians; Philippines orders arrest of former president, Gloria Arroyo; China defers visit by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un; Russia and Pakistan renew diplomatic ties; Luxembourg seeks seat on UN Security Council -- up against Australia and Finland; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Thursday October 4
Series of bombings in Syria's largest city kill 25 and wound 70; Chinese banks withdraw from IMF events in Tokyo; Taiwanese citizens visiting US can now do so without visas; Iran's currency loses one third of value in a week; Georgia holds first democratic election in post-Soviet history; and more
Read MoreGoodbye Act, hello Libertarians
We already know there are 100,000 New Zealand voters willing to put a party into Parliament which upholds the principles of small government, choice, individual freedom and responsibility. Now that 'Brand Act' is well and truly stuffed, there's talk the Libertarianz Party might fill the vacuum.
Read MoreWorld news Brief, Wednesday October 3
Mikheil Saakashvili loses presidency of Georgia in parliamentary election; four Chinese ships re-enter disputed waters in South China Sea; North Korea warns of possible nuclear war on Korean Peninsula; Syria says refugee crisis invented by foreign foes; US withdraws all government personnel from Benghazi; and more
Read MoreGuantanamo's kid prisoner goes home...
Ten years ago Omar Khadr was a kid in the Afghanistan theatre of war. Now, instead of a rehabilitated child soldier he's a convicted war criminal - or "terrorist" as his native Canadian government prefers to call the man it has been forced to repatriate.
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Tuesday October 2
Three NATO soldiers killed in Afghanistan -- suicide bomber disguised as police; Japan reshuffles cabinet in bid to soothe row with China; protest at US aircraft transferred to base in Japan; bombs across Iraq kill 37, wound 90; supporters of Venezuelan opposition candidate killed; and more
Read MoreHow to pass national standards – according to Hekia Parata
In which I work my way through the minister's explanations of national standards and award myself a gold star for effort
Read MoreJohn Key risks being undone by first rule of politics
People won't change how they vote because some spies over-stepped the mark. But the Dotcom-GCSB saga still poses a threat to the government, one it can't afford to ignore
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Friday September 28
Spain to unveil $50 billion in spending cuts for 2013; China urges Japan not to infringe on China's "territorial integrity" in South China Sea; North Korea's stalled nuclear talks with six nations to begin again in China; US to ease import ban on Burma; China denies influencing Venezuelan election; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Thursday September 27
Bombs explode at Syrian army headquarters; former Japanese PM is new head of Liberal Democratic Party; meeting between Chinese and Japanese foreign ministers fails to ease tensions; Iran unveils new spy drone with 2000 km range; Paraguay shut out of South American free trade organisation; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Wednesday September 26
UN gets briefing on Syria; Japanese fire water cannons at Taiwanese boats; China commissions its first aircraft carrier; two US marines face charges for urinating on Taliban bodies; IMF warns Argentina it must provide reliable inflation and GDP statistics; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Tuesday September 25
Police chief in Bo Xilai scandal sentenced; Japan sends diplomat to China over islands dispute; Kazakhstan's PM resigns after five years in power; Sudan and South Sudan meet; and more
Read MoreWe got the power... So now what?
US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta's visit marks a turn in New Zealand-United States relations. We have won the cake and are getting to eat it too, but that doesn't mean there aren't still risks
Read MoreWorld news Brief, Friday September 21
France to close embassies, consulates, cultural centres and schools in 20 Muslim countries; Aung San Suu Kyi receives Congressional Medal in US; software millionaire entrepreneur to run for South Korean presidency; Israeli airstrike kills two in Gaza; Greece to sell off palaces, airports and islands to stem debt; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Thursday September 20
Relations between Russia and US chill; US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta meets with Chinese Vice President Xi Jingping; more mine protests in South Africa; France boosts security at embassies and schools following publication of Prophet Mohammed cartoons; and more
Read MoreWelfare protest - back to the cells
Arrested for the first time in over a decade in protest against welfare reforms - a response to the critics - and I also stage a return to Pundit
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Wednesday September 19
NATO to restrict joint operations with Afghan units; anti-Japan protests continue in China; North Korea negotiates debt restructuring deal with Moscow; Kosovo declared "fully independent"; aid to Egypt on hold; and more
Read MoreJust when I thought I was out, they pull me back in
National's "we know you are going to do bad things" law is now before the House. Can the people of Whanganui now sleep safe in their beds?
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