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 MoreAfghanistan
No, Non – Not Libya and the Security Council
Prime Minister John Key should keep his hands firmly in his pockets and avoid enlistment in a Middle East peace-making mission when he meets political leaders in Paris and London this month
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Tuesday March 8
Qadaffi loyalists mount counteroffensive, retake towns; UN estimates 200,000 refugees have fled Libyan violence; Bahrain protesters beg US for support; Japanese PM refuses to resign despite losing foreign minister; Robert Gates considers longer mission in Afghanistan; and more
Read MoreThe buck stops... in Kabul?
The government's decision to keep the SAS in Afghanistan for another year is sound, but its reasoning is gutless. Cabinet needs the courage to own its decision
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Thursday December 16
Intelligence report says US has limited chance of success in Afghanistan; experts expect Obama policy review will allow a reduction in troops; South Korea holds drill to practise for nuclear bombing; asylum boat crashes into rocks and kills 27 off Christmas Island; Chavez asks parliament for sweeping new powers; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Wednesday December 15
US diplomat Richard Holbrooke dies; Holbrooke's death could have major impact on US efforts in Afghanistan and Pakistan; North Korea agrees to emergency meetings with China and other Six Party nations; South Korean general resigns over investment scandal; China to appeal WTO decision over tyre taxes; EU not ready to recognise Palestinian state; Obama health care plan suffers setback
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Friday December 10
WikiLeaks supporters bring down Swedish government's website; cyber attackers also crashed MasterCard and Visa sites; there are now 1000 mirror sites that contain WikiLeaks information; democracy activists are under house arrest in China in advance of Liu Xiaobo receiving Nobel Peace Prize; China and North Korea have reached "consensus" on defusing Korean peninsula tensions; complicated maths to sort Iraqi cabinet; anti-drug group for Afghanistan
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Thursday December 9
Washington abandons efforts on Israeli settlements in Gaza; experts say Gaza move is good for Obama; China chided for not using influence with North Korea; Kevin Rudd blames US for release of secret info, not WikiLeaks; Robert Gates makes surprise visit to Afghanistan; Ireland on strict budget
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Wednesday November 17
Pressure grows on Ireland and Portugal to accept bailout (+ Euro analysis); US plans military campaign in Yemen; Suu Kyi seeks to reinstate political party; Mullah Omar rejects Afghan peace talks with "puppets"; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Wednesday September 8
Obama proposes $50 billion spend to create jobs; $200 billion tax cuts part of Obama's plan; Gillard wins in Australia with the slimmest of margins; Myanmar's military leader visits China; Iran not participating with nuclear inspections; Afghanistan freezes assets of borrowers at Kabul Bank; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Friday August 27
Bernanke to announce new economic plans amid worrying numbers (+ analysis); Leadership bid hits Japanese ruling party; Kim Jong-Il visits China; America's contradiction: Corrupt Karzai aide on CIA payroll; and more
Read MoreAfghanistan – alarm bells should be ringing
If the Afghanistan alarm bells were not ringing in Wellington over the last weekend – they should have been
Read MoreWikiLeaks are no Pentagon Papers
The dauntingly large cache of documents detailing the increasing futility of war in Afghanistan doesn't deliver anything new... but gives cause for concern and puts the heat on the rather dubious ally, Pakistan.
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Wednesday July 28
WikiLeaks papers show repeated signs of Osama bin Laden since 2003; Pentagon hunting for whistleblower who leaked documents to WikiLeaks; US and South Korea join on third day of military manouvres to warn off North Korea; North Korea has not responded with promised retaliation; $17 billion loss for BP; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Wednesday July 21
Afghan president Hamid Karzai gets support for plan to take lead on Afghan security; US and Korea plan major naval exercise; British PM David Cameron to make first White House visit; EU considers tougher Iran sanctions; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Wednesday July 14
Iranian nuclear scientist takes refuge in embassy – was he kidnapped or not?; BP successfully caps oil well; Kampala bombing signals the spread of Al Qaeda tactics; Chinese employers having to compete for workers; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Friday June 25
Obama says Afghanistan strategy will remain, but McChrystal is gone; strategists rethink Afghanistan strategy; China arrests 10 "hardcore terrorists"; Julia Gillard is Australia's first female Prime Minister; Iran is ready for fuel sanctions; G8 in Canada open to developing nations
Read MoreAfghanistan: Leaving the Labyrinth
President Karzai has lost his preferred commander – General McChrystal falls on his sword – and New Zealand’s commitment to Afghanistan has not changed. Does anyone know what’s really happening in the labyrinth?
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Friday June 11
BP share price plunges as oil spill weakens US-British relations (+ analysis); Iranian Opposition struggling a year after protests; Chinese exports grow reassuring investors; David Cameron arrives in Afghanistan as bomb rips through wedding; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Tuesday April 27
US climate legislation delayed by Senate focus on immigration (+ analysis); Did a North Korean torpedo sink South Korean boat?; Afghan crowd turns on NATO fuel trucks; pressure comes on Greek bailout plan; and more
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