Obama and Iranian president Hassan Rouhani to address UN General Assembly; China bans exports of possible weapons components to North Korea; limits on foreign workers in Singapore; Egypt bans Muslim Brotherhood activities; Russia accuses Greenpeace of piracy; and more
Read MoreGo West young Cunliffe... & South, North or East. The regions are calling
David Cunliffe's shadow cabinet reshuffle has been seen as quite measured and Cunliffe himself says it puts Labour on a war footing. But perhaps the most telling appointment has gone largely unremarked
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Tuesday September 24
Mall security measures reassessed in wake of Kenya terrorist attack; Bo Xilai sentenced to life in prison; typhoon kills 25 in China; dozens dead in attack on Pakistani church; Obama calls for new action on gun violence; and more
Read MorePut me on the board! Put me on the Cadillac board!
The incentives the Government is dangling before prospective investors in Meridian Energy show just how much pressure its "Mixed Ownership Model" policy is under.
Read MoreAnother four easy pieces
Starting with wearing the niqab in court, moving to messing up prisoner disenfranchisement, passing through justifying yet more limits on election day activity, and finishing with a new theme song for Apple.
Read MoreKeep calm and love your hijab
Quebec's minority separatist government is dividing the province with its proposal to regulate religious symbols worn by public servants - a so-called Charter of Quebec Values. Like almost everything it has done in one year in office, this too is a shambles.
Read MoreTo Cunliffe the spoils – so don't spoil the chance
David Cunliffe has been given a shot – a better shot than he might have had – so which direction will he take and can he switch out of primary-mode quick enough?
Read MoreFive Challenges for David Cunliffe
We only need to look across the Tasman to see what David Cunliffe should do now.
John McTernan’s ‘Five Things the Australian Labor Party Needs To Do Now’ and Julia Gillard’s piece on ‘Power, Purpose and Labor’s Future’ should be compulsory reading.
Here are a few thoughts for the To Do list:
Why I voted for Shane Jones
World News Brief, Friday September 13
US and Russia work on deal to dismantle Syria's chemical weapons programme; North Korea may have restarted nuclear reactor; Japan raises sales tax to ease country's debt; suicide bomber kills 35 in Iraq; teachers clash with police in Mexico; and more
Read MoreHitting the wall -- housing debates & political narratives
On The Vote Metiria Turei of the Greens and National's Sam Lotu-Iiga both slipped up, and in doing so showed where their parties are potentially weak in Election 2014.
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Thursday September 12
Obama delays Syria strike; North and South Korea to restart operations at Kaesong industrial zone; Japan sends fighter jets to islands at heart of dispute with China; Pakistan to release Taliban leader; NSA "surveillance machine" too big to understand, according to documents; and more
Read MoreObama's tenuous foreign policy lifeline
President Obama has clutched at the straw of diplomacy in order to postpone deeply unpopular military intervention in Syria. However the Russian-Syrian so-called diplomatic option for dealing with chemical weapons has a definite whiff of implausibility about it.
Read MoreCunliffe's the man for the job -- here's why
The three candidates for Labour Party leadership are all strong. A voter explains his choice
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Wednesday September 11
UN to hear disarmament proposal for Syria; Japan may station government officials on disputed islands; China's economy rebounds; four convictions in Delhi rape and murder case; Conservative Party takes control in Norway; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Tuesday September 10
Obama mounts campaign to win support for military strike on Syria; Tony Abbott pledges to redice taxes and boost Australian economy; Muslim rebels alleged to have attacked villages in Philippines; drone and Taliban attacks hit Afghan civilians; US spied on Brazilian oil firm; and more
Read MoreHuge risk of environmental damage and loss of local democracy from planning reforms
Proposed planning reforms have been heavily contested by environmental, community, legal and professional organisations around the country
From the ridiculous to the disgraceful
No, this isn't a post on Labour's leadership election (zing!) But it is about elections - more specifically, who can't take part in them.
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Friday September 6
Syria casts pall on G20 Summit; Bank of Japan says economy on track to recovery; Cambodia criticised for not paying its share of costs for Khmer Rouge tribunal; Pakistan gets $6.7 million IMF loan; US car sales rebound; and more
Read MoreDecoding 3rd Degree and the Labour 'conspiracy'
What an interesting online and social media fuss there's been about the 3rd Degree piece on Shane Jones this week. To me it just seems like a misguided argument based on the tired olf 'journalists are so awful' meme
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