Iran's Ayatollah rejected nuclear talks with US; Russian jets breach Japanese airspace; Chinese crackdown on self-immolations in ethnic Tibetan regions; Mercosur and Canada work towards free trade agreement; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Thursday February 7
Leaked memo makes case for drone strikes on US citizens; Japanese PM condemns China for locking radar on Japanese ship; South Korea pushes to deploy spy satellites to watch North Korea; Tunisian opposition leader shot dead; plagiarism scandal threatens Angela Merkel's re-election campaign; and more
Read MoreFloating the idea of a four year term
Revisiting a discussion about the length of parliamentary terms
Read MoreWhy a little flag waving wouldn't hurt us, Mr Key
John Key's Waitangi Day speech defended February 6 as our national day, acknowledged our willingness to look back and pointed out that we're not a nation of flag wavers. But why not and why shouldn't we be?
Read MoreTime to get serious about parliament's unserious side?
While school children come to watch MPs goofing around in parliament, the real business of governing takes place outside the debating chamber
Read MoreHow political parties get stuck in opposition
Here's a radical idea for politicians hoping to make an impact: tell the truth instead of offering false hope, like France's Manuel Valls.
Read MoreNew pundits
Four new voices join the Pundit lineup
Read MoreChuck Hagel and his Republican mates
The Republican attack on Obama's pick for Secretary of Defence is a particularly blatant example of why the outcome of the 2012 US election was so important for the world. Second term Obama will not be perfect, but the alternative would have been catastrophic.
Read MoreDigital TV's jungle of bungles needs sorting
New Zealand’s switch to digital TV is running smoothly on the home-front – but TV broadcasters are having a rough ride through a jungle of bungles by state agencies.
Read MoreLast words on the Cat Flap
Gwynn Compton's open letter to Gareth Morgan, PR lessons to be learned from failing "quite comprehensively", and a nice response from Tom Cox
Read MoreFrom Dennis Connor to Dotcom: Paul Holmes remembered
When I heard my friend Paul Holmes had died, I needed to write. This is what came out
Read MoreCan't afford a house in Auckland? There's a whole country out there
Auckland's sky-rocketing house prices could do the country a service -- as long as they are not artificially lowered
Read MoreWhy karma will keep on koming for National
It was a killer line about karma from Hekia Parata. Not only did it reveal her true feelings, it encapsulated what the government can expect in 2013 as it heads into its fifth year
Read MoreJust when I thought I was out ... they pull me back in
This is not a post about David Bain. It just looks that way.
Read MoreNew Zealand story: the Rainbow's return
The symbolism of the Rainbow Warrior's return to her spiritual home.
Read MoreAfghanistan – so yesterday’s war …
“Playstation helps Prince Harry be a better gunner” rates headlines – but “Torture on the rise in Afghan jails” barely rates a mention ... How come?
Read MoreCat fight
On the so-called catflap, Gareth Morgan's conversation firestarter - because sometimes, "when the fail is so strong, one facepalm is not enough"
Read MoreMom, apple pie, apprenticeships & not much else
A quick glance of John Key's state of the nation speech reveals a government tipping its hat to next year's election, but with little new to sell
Read MoreJesters do oft prove prophets
Can Pita Sharples afford not to be the co-leader of the Maori Party?
Read MoreSorry, how much? The numbers & impact of global inequality
A new Oxfam report released in time for the World Economic Forum spells out just how vast the inequality divide has become and the urgent need to act. It's just not good for anyone
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