Is it time to bid a fond farewell to Sarah Palin? We wish it wasn't so, but it seems there is a new wackadoo political force about to take centre stage in the US--Michele Bachmann.
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Thursday June 2
Heavy fighting continues in Yemen; two more activists killed in Yemen; Japan underestimated impact of tsunami, say nuclear experts; Chinese government attempts to contain soaring consumer prices; Syrian Opposition rejects amnesty; 9/11 suspects charged at Guantanamo; Mladic arrives at the Hague; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Wednesday June 1
Civil war looming in Yemen; UN claims 50 have been killed in Yemen since Sunday; Moody's may downgrade Japan's credit rating; US Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Asian tour to emphasise US military's commitment to the region; Japanese employment rate has risen; Karzai demands end to airstrikes; and more
Read MoreJohn Key's heart of darkness
Key announces ministerial group to advance welfare reform – welfare to form key part of National's 2011 election campaign – beneficiary bashing to the fore, again
Read MoreAn economical economy
Ideas on how to restructure an ‘economy’ that means what it says: an economical, ecological economy that manages resources sustainably, and allocates them fairly
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Friday May 27
G8 leaders to meet in Deauville to discuss Libyan conflict, Middle East uprisings; French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde leading contender for IMF job; Australian policy on asylum seekers criticised by UN human rights commissioner; explosions in Chinese city of Fuzhou that killed two attributed to disgruntled farmer; Egypt eases Gaza blockade; US to cut troops in Pakistan; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Wednesday May 25
NATO warplanes bombed 15 targets in Tripoli; Libyan rebels will open diplomatic office in Washington DC; assessors say damage to Fukushima nuclear reactor worse than previously thought; US envoys in North Korea for humanitarian talks; Netanyahu says there can't be a return to 1967 borders, as suggested by Obama; more trouble in North Sudan; and more
Read MoreMighty oaks from little acorns grow
Who would have thought that Ryan Giggs' sexual peccadillos would cause a minor constitutional crisis in the UK?
Read MoreWhen is being tough on crime too tough?
Prisons are not the Tardis - when they fill up, then what do we do? We have to start letting people go.
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Tuesday May 24
Obama begins six-day Europe visit; Obama will address both houses of Parliament at Westminster; Middle East expected to be a major topic of conversation between Obama and European leaders; Kim Jong-Il to meet Chinese premier Jiang Zemin; Sony reports huge losses for the year, partly attributed to Japan earthquake and tsunami; Yemen's leader refuses to sign deal to step down; 89 killed as tornado rips through Missouri; and more
Read MoreWe don't need a key, we'll break it
Moa brewery will give you beer to break the law. Buy more Moa beer!
Read MoreNetanyahu the non-negotiator slaps down Obama...again
Israel's PrimeMinister has unilaterally laid waste to years of Middle East Peace negotiations by blatantly ruling out issues that have long been on the table, and in so doing has once again humiliated President Obama's albeit pathetic attempts to resolve the ongoing crisis. Meanwhile the Palestinians are getting on with business.
Read MoreThe Standard & Poor's Budget
Bill English's third Budget has laid foundations. For a couple of short-term goals, in particular. But what's the point if those foundations are being undermined even as they are laid?
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Friday May 20
Barack Obama gives major speech on US Middle East policy; Obama will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tomorrow; Japan has fallen into recession following quake and tsunami disasters; China announces problems with world's largest hydroelectric dam; Strauss-Kahn quits IMF post but maintains he is innocent; and more
Read MoreTwo hard constraints: climate science, and clean coal
Climate scientist James Hansen and Solid Energy chief executive Don Elder debate how to secure the future of coal, New Zealand, and the world
Read MoreLiberté...non; Egalité…sort of; Fraternité…perhaps a little much
Dominique Strauss-Kahn finds himself on the wrong side of the very essence of being a French privileged high-flyer, and it turns out that guilty or not, the sun has proven way too close for this Icarus.
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Thursday May 19
US wants IMF to appoint new chief in wake of Strauss-Kahn scandal--talks have already begun to choose a replacement; Eurozone financial crisis won't be worsened by loss of Strauss-Kahn, experts say; China rationing electircity in provinces; Myanmar still holding 2,200 political prisoners despite release programme; Al-Qaeda chooses Egyptian as new leader; White House pledges aid for Northern Africa; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Wednesday May 18
NATO ramps up bombing campaign on Tripoli; observers wonder if NATO is putting enough pressure on Qaddafi; Pakistani Prime Minister Yousef Raza Gilani says China is his country's 'best friend'; US may send reps to assess food shortages in North Korea; Pakistan fires on NATO helicopter; IMF chief in US prison; and more
Read MoreIt's the end of the world, and I feel fine
So, a record deficit huh? The scene is being painted for a chop-chop Budget, but is our public debt really that bad? Let's take a look at our history...
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Tuesday May 17
IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn agrees to forensic examination for investigation into alleged sex assault on Manhattan hotel maid; Strauss-Kahn arrest has prompted fears in Athens that they have lost a powerful advocate for economic recovery; Chinese artist Ai Weiwei allowed visit with wife--the first contact with family or friends since his arrest six weeks ago; Japanese authorities say they will have shut down Fukushima nuclear reactors by the end of the year; Egyptian authorities turn on pro-Palestinian protestors; John Kerry to visit Pakistan for counter-terrorism talks; Mississippi floodgates opened to save Baton Rouge and New Orleans; and more
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