Human Rights Watch says CIA waterboarded Libyan prisoner; Bo scandal continues in China; Clinton visits East Timor; Colombia names team to negotiate with Farc; Democrats officially nominate Barack Obama for president; and more
Read MoreThe price of water
Perhaps no-one can own the water, but it certainly has a high value
Read MoreWorld News brief, Thursday September 6
Iran sending military equipment to Syria via Iraqi airspace, despite US pressure; Clinton meets with Chinese president; Japan to purchase three of five disputed islands in East China Sea; Bahrain upholds prison sentences for activists; World Bank chief visits Ivory Coast; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Wednesday September 5
Record number of refugees flee Syria; Clinton urges ASEAN nations to develop code of conduct for resolving disputes with China; Chinese government official Ling Jihua demoted over car crash scandal; suicide bomber rams vehicle into US consulate vehicle in Peshawar; Democratic National Convention kicks off in North Carolina; and more
Read MoreParliament - the House of Representatives (even for the childless)
Parliament is supposed to be just that, the House of Representatives, its members a proxy for each and every one of us, warts and all. So sometimes we have to tolerate debates about subjects we might think are frivolous
Read MoreGet foliced! Now science is just a 'nice to have'
If a majority of submissions said dragons were the biggest risk to our nation's defence, would National change its foreign policy? Such are the questions that arise when a minister shrugs off science in favour of "listening"
Read MoreBananas in Pyjamas (well, Gisborne shopping centres)
Should Gisborne ban the wearing of pyjamas in public because, as one councillor said, it lowers the tone? Should we judge people by what they wear?
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Friday August 31
Syrian rebels claim to have shot down fighter jet; China to continue buying European debt; refugee boat with 150 passengers sinks off coast of Indonesia; 500,000 in Mali displaced by conflict; Greece close to agreeing to $17 billion in new austerity cuts; and more
Read MoreIran - It's Complicated
When Iran hosts an international summit in any climtae, let along the current one, you can bet its going to be complicated. Nonaligned Movement (NAM) members who've gathered in Tehran have certainly had a taste of geopolitics on speed.
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Thursday August 30
Five thousand Syrian refugees flee to Turkey a day; Japanese and North Korean officials meeting today for first direct talks in four years; South Korea plans to develop cyber weaponry to prepare for potential attack by North Korea; South Africa's mining minister seeks to reassure investors after deadly clashes at mines; Mitt Romney officially chosen as Republican nominee for US President; and more
Read MoreA sort of, quite limited defence of Stewart Murray Wilson
Yes ... Stewart Murray Wilson is a "Beast". But that doesn't mean you can treat him howsoever you want.
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Wednesday August 29
Spain's recession deepens as GDP contracts; Burmese president reshuffles cabinet; two Tibetan teenagers set themselves on fire in protest; France will recognise interim Syrian government, says Hollande; Colombia in talks with FARC rebels; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Tuesday August 28
Syrians hold mass burials in Damascus; Syrian opposition forces claim to have shot down military helicopter; South Korea to compensate relatives of alleged communist sympathisers massacred during Korean War; Singapore's PM calls on citizens to be more tolerant of immigrants; US weapons sales triple, worth $66 billion; Nigeria in talks with Boko Haram
Read MoreSolutions to child poverty, easy as 1,2,3
Child poverty will be back on the radar this week, but will anything actually be done? If National's so determined to help the 1 in 6 in the education tail, what about the 1 in 5 without enough to make ends meet?
Read MorePush on or delay? National's defining, high stakes choice
Is National's plan to part-sell assets dead in the water? Or will is push ahead regardless of the Waitangi Tribunal's qualms and the risk of losing a coalition partner? As the Maori Party stakes out its ground, what happens next?
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Friday August 24
Eurogroup warns Greece it is facing "last chance" to make budget cuts; US planning to expand missile defense systems in Asia to counter threats from North Korea; Australia to increase refugee quota by 45 percent; clashes in Tripoli breach truce; France eases work restrictions for Roma immigrants; and more
Read MoreIs someone trying to game the MMP review?
The Electoral Commission is in the midst of its second round of consultation on how to reform MMP. In recent days, it seems to be getting an oddly uniform message.
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Thursday August 23
Greek PM wants more time to implement austerity measures; Japan's ambassador to return to South Korea two weeks after recalled; North Korea takes major step in efforts to build nuclear reactor; Syria warns US against intervention over "unconventional weapons"; Ethiopia's acting PM to stay in post till 2015; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Wednesday August 22
Obama tells Bashar al-Assad US will intervene if Syria uses stockpiled "unconventional" weapons; South Korea's ruling party nominates first female candidate; divers recover body of Philippine Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo after plane crash; Ethiopian leader dies in Brussels; Ecuador warns UK against entering embassy to get Assange; and more
Read MoreLook - rape is rape, OK?
Male politicians, whether of the left or the right, should stop trying to tell women what rape really is.
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