Does the right to free speech extend to shouting at a woman to take off her burqa in a supermarket? If not, why not?
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Thursday October 24
Obama and Sharif to meet in Washington; Manila backtracks on South China Sea accusations; NASA lifts ban on Chinese scientists attending conference; China and India sign border agreement; Spain ends two-year recession; and more
Read More"Nothing to hide, nothing to fear"
It's a shame the "Tui Billboard" meme has well and truly jumped the shark (as, indeed, has that latter meme itself), because John Banks' "nothing to hide, nothing to fear" line is a prime contender.
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Wednesday October 23
Syria policy creates rift between US and Saudi Arabia; China intends to maintain power over Tibet; North Korea has 130 hovercraft in water, leader has observed training sessions aimed at South Korea; Bahrain boosts supply of tear gas; Obama admits frustration at government health insurance site; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Tuesday October 22
France demands explanation for NSA tapping Frenxh phones; China seeks to clarify scope of government debt; China and South Korea plan consultative body to address North Korea's nuclear programme; Ukraine close to signing shale gas deal with Chevron; vigilantes defeat Boko Haram; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Friday October 18
US government reopens after 16-day shutdown; Japan considers imposing more foreign tariffs; Nigeria expects to win seat on UN Security Council; Pakistani minister killed in suicide bomb; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Thursday October 17
US AAA credit rating at risk; Japan to build 14 new power plants; Khmer Rouge war crimes tribunal nears end; Russian opposition leader released from prison; Iraq War claimed 500,000 Iraqi lives, study finds; and more
Read MoreTo the last I grapple with thee; from hell's heart I stab at thee; for hate's sake I spit my last breath at thee
A certain blogger whose name need not be mentioned in polite company may have wounded Auckland's mayor. But "retired accountant" (amongst other things) Graham McCready has sunk a pretty big harpoon into the side of John Banks. Now, can he wriggle off it?
Read MoreWell done, Eleanor Catton
A quick word of praise for Eleanor Catton. Hers is a story well worth following to its end.
Read MoreWhy Len Brown will still be Auckland's Mayor (and that's a good thing, too)
Len Brown's mistake was in making it impossible for us not to know he made it. We need more from our politicians.
Read MoreWho Len sleeps with is nothing to do with me or you
Is the new rule that anyone holding public office who has an affair must resign? Come on. That’s setting the bar ridiculously high. It would mean resignations in parliament and in councils across the country.
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Wednesday October 16
Senate nears deal to reopen US government; China pushes for regional trade deal; Northern Korean cyber-attacks have caused $805 million damage; Italian Navy rescues hundreds of migrants; Afghan provincial governor killed; and more
Read MoreThe unwritten rule re politics & sex: Does the Len Brown story write a new rule
Has a line been crossed by the reporting of Len Brown's affair? Are the private lives of all politicians now fair game?
Read MoreLen Brown: sex, lies and mandates
Len Brown is seriously damaged as Auckland mayor, but he's not the only one to have had his flaws laid out in public today. Problem is, his abuse of power puts his job at risk because of Bevan Chuang's council role
Read MoreAre the police losing our trust? A bit, and here's why
Thousands of New Zealanders voted this week that the police were losing their trust. Could it be because the police behave as if they're the pope? (And not in the 'without sin' sense)
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Friday October 11
US to cut cash aid and military hardware transfers to Egypt; China now world's top crude oil importer; US and Vietnam sign civilian nuclear power deal; UK troops deploy for final big mission in Afghanistan; Libyan PM kidnapped and released; Azerbaijan election results announced before the vote; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Thursday October 10
Obama chooses successor to Ben Bernanke; John Kerry pushes for cooling over territorial disputes in South China Sea; ten tonnes of radioactive water may have leaked from Fukushima nuclear plant; US expected to reduce aid to Egypt; voting irregularities found in Guinea; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Wednesday October 9
China urges US to avoid debt default; North Korea puts military on high alert; Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal should be completed this year, says Japanese PM; EU pushes for sea patrols in wake of migrant shipwreck off Italian coast; Capitol Hill lawyer chosen as "Guantanamo closer"; and more
Read MoreLiving in a town with no government
The individual is King here in America. Federal government is closed, and so far you’d hardly notice. Turns out people can live without the services of the Poet Laureate for a week. No-one has taken to the streets in an American ‘Arab Spring’. The heroes of this revolt are nicely tucked up in bed at night, and applauded by many for saying ‘Freedom is the right of the healthy not to pay for the sick.’
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Tuesday October 8
US questions al-Qaeda suspect seized in Libya; China dominant force at APEC meeting; Boeing suffers in Japan Airlines $9.5 billion deal with Airbus; fresh bid to capture Kony in Uganda; US debt default would dwarf Lehman Brothers fiasco; and more
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