Pundit

Taliban

World News Brief, Tuesday December 4

Judges in Egypt boycott referendum on Morsi's powers; North Korean missile now on launch pad; Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng urges Communist Party chief to effect political reform; Taliban suicide bombers hit US-Afghan air base; Europe to act on Israel's settlement actions; and more

Read More

Reality Test for Bamyan’s perfect PRT model

The New Zealand-led Provincial Reconstruction Team in Bamyan has been presented as a model for building security and stability in Afghanistan – but the cracks are showing as insurgents step up the pressure.

Read More

World News Brief, Tuesday February 28

Taliban launch suicide attack outside NATO air base in Afghanistan--nine Afghans killed; Julia Gillard defeats Kevin Rudd in leadership battle; US and South Korea launch joint military exercises on Korean peninsula; North Korea says it is ready for war; Saleh hands over power in Yemen; Bin Laden's Pakistan compound destroyed; G20 defer decision on Greece

Read More

World News Brief, Friday February 17

US and Afghanistan in peace talks with Taliban; Xi says US should respect China's core interests; Thai police say Iranians arrested for attempted bomb attack were targeting Israeli diplomats; Iran offers to return to international nuclear talks for first time in a year; Greek finance minister says Greece is being forced out of euro; horrific scenes at Honduras prison fire scene; and more

Read More

World News Brief, Friday January 13

Hillary Clinton denies US involvement in a car bombing that killed an Iranian nuclear scientist; Japan will reduce Iranian oil imports as part of US-led sanction; Myanmar government has negotiated ceasefire with Karen National Union; US Marines to investigate video of soldiers urinating on Taliban corpses; Mexico's drug war increasingly unpopular

Read More

World News Brief, Friday January 6

EU agrees in principle to oil embargo that would ban member states from buying Iranian oil; EU move follows US sanctions on Iran's central bank, as Western countries call for Iran to stop work on nuclear programme; North Korea chides Japan for holding a security meeting in the wake of Kim Jong-Il's death; Australia says it will not pay $2 million ransom for Australian man taken hostage in southern Philippines; Taliban say they are responsible for deaths of 15 Pakistani soldiers; Rwandan militia kill 26 civilians in Democratic Republic of Congo; and more

Read More

World News Brief, Wednesday November 2

Greek PM promises referendum on bailout, putting EU on edge; Global markets drop sharply on news; MPs walk out on Greek government, new election likely (+ analysis); Libya's NTC chooses engineer as new PM; Taliban claims it set Kandahar bomb that killed seven; US slams UNESCO on Palestine vote; China launches spacecraft; and more

Read More

World News Brief, Wednesday July 27

No solution yet for US debt--Obama and Boehner both seek support from American people via TV addresses; US will default on loans if compromise not reached by Aug 2; territorial feud between China and Philippines heats up; Britain and France come to agreement on Qaddafi; US military funds meant for transportation contract diverted to Taliban; and more

Read More

Afghanistan: Mapp's raid spin is wearing thin

Defence Minister Wayne Mapp’s categoric denial that there were civilian casualties when New Zealand SAS troops took part in a night raid in Baghlan province is wearing thin as more evidence comes to hand from Afghanistan.

Read More

World News Brief, Thursday October 7

Attacks on NATO convoys bound for Afghanistan intensify as Pakistan washes its hands; Drone strikes linked to Al Qaeda Europe plot; UAE banks cuts off another of Iran's lifelines; China and US militaries learning to just get along; and more

Read More

World News Brief, Wednesday August 25

Taliban and warlords scare of candidates, disenfranchise 1.5m in Afghan elections; Zardari: Pakistan will take three years to recover from floods as epidemics threaten; Six Somali MPs killed in terror attack; Philippine government criticised over kidnappings; and more

Read More

World News Brief, Friday July 23

Petraeus to step up counter-insurgency strategy in Afghanistan as Republicans express doubts; North Korea warns off US and South Korea; Kosovo's independence ruled legal; Bernanke says economic outlook is "unusually uncertain"; and more

Read More