Finance minister Bill English is arguing that we shouldn't second guess business decisions made by Solid Energy. His argument happens to be a convenient way to get him off the hook for government failings
World News Brief, Wednesday June 12
Turkish riot police fire tear gas and water cannons at protesters; Taiwan to meet with China; Vietnamese PM wins support of less than half of parliament in confidence vote; Mandela still in hospital; Pakistan claims India entered its airspace; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Tuesday June 11
NSA leaks source hiding out in Hong Kong; Obama and Xi Jingping end two-day meeting; South and North Korea to hold talks in Seoul; US to consider shipping arms to Syrian rebels; UK anticipates challenges at G8 meeting; and more
Read MorePeter Dunne - what happens next?
Act One of Peter Dunne's departure has come to an end. What does Act Two hold in store?
Read MoreChi mi a-rithist thu, Iain
Iain Banks has passed away. He hasn't gone to a better place - he's just dead.
Read MoreIt's Something in the Water
How can we move forward with the fluoridation debate? Hamilton City Council has an obligation to show that its decision will not cause harm
Read MoreWhat the daft fluoride decision says about a Kiwi culture shift
Hamilton councillors are just the latest folk to fall prey to fear-raising arguments against 'mass medication' and in favour of individual choice, while ignoring science. What's going on?
Read MoreOn Edwards, Ralston & Drinnan on Shane Taurima and why they're wrong
It's very hard to draw black and white lines around political interviewing in this country and in these times... but it's easy to get it wrong when you weren't in the room, and that's the trap Msrs Edwards, Ralston and Drinnan have fallen into
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Friday June 7
North and South Korea agree to meet; radioactive leak discovered in Fukushima Plant; Karzai invites new Pakistan PM to Afghanistan; IMF admits mistakesin Greece bailout; and more
Read MoreA tale of two Speakers
David Carter's decision on Peter Dunne's status was just as wrong (and as right) as Jonathan Hunt's decision on Harry Duynhoven's.
Read MoreFamily Care Payments a Bureaucratic Merry-Go-Round
A mother explains why the Ministry of Health's base model for caring for the disabled is based on factual error and discrimination.
Read MoreOh my ... I do declare all this nastiness is giving me a case of the vapours!
Russel Norman dared to (gasp!) compare John Key's approach to politics with that of Robert Muldoon! Have you ever heard anything so outrageous (since the exact same comparison was made in relation to Helen Clark)?
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Thursday June 6
Syrian army has taken control of strategic town of Qusayr; Malaysia calls for South China Sea development; violent clashes in Burma have spread to Malaysia; Turkish deputy PM apologises for crackdown on protesters; drone strikes must end, says new Pakistan PM; and more
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World News Brief, Wednesday June 5
UN finds evidence of chemical weapon use in Syria; protesters to pack Tienanmen Square vigil in Hong Kong; poultry factory fire in China kills 19; Afghan army colonel arrested for transferring prisoners to man accused of torture and killings; senior Indian lawmaker calls for change of attitude towards Pakistan; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Tuesday June 4
Turkish prime minister appeals for calm following weekend of violent clashes; Pentagon budget cuts won't undermine US plans for Asian defense, says Hagel; new Pakistani parliament takes control; US finds no evidence in Russia to suggest Boston bombers could have been detected earlier; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Friday May 31
Syria received Russian arms, says Assad; Japan's Nikkei takes another plunge; Burma reaches cease-fire accord with ethnic Kachin rebels; Ghana's president warns of regional instability due to Islamist threat; France must cut spending, says EU
Read MoreA bit of spotted dick goes a long way
In the words of Orson Wells ‘Ask not what you can do for your country. Ask what's for lunch.’ School lunches could make citizens out of all of us.
Read MoreOffensive cartoons are OK, lazy & bullying ones are not
Al Nisbet and his editors have every right to argue 'freedom of the press', but that doesn't make them good cartoons... And the politics behind 'food in schools'
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Thursday May 30
US drone strike kills Pakistani Taliban's number two; Chinese cyber attacks on agenda for US defense secretary; India and Japan discuss cooperation on maritime security; new Bulgarian government may struggle to lead; Kenyan MPs vote to keep high salaries; and more
Read MoreIt's just the vibe of the thing
I think the National Government broke the Constitution. John Key thinks it didn't. We both may be right.
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