Apparently Peter Dunne thinks [update: thought ... see end of post!] I'm wrong about bringing medical marijuana into New Zealand. Here's a longer discussion of why I don't think I am.
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Australia: purging the convict stain?
Australia's mandatory deportation of (many) criminal offenders is causing us in New Zealand to get very excited. And now John Key realises he can't do anything about it, he's getting ugly.
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Thursday June 25
Greek bailout falters; ethnic clash kills 18 in China; Australia joins Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank as founding member; more than 800 die in Karachi heatwave; US spied on France, according to Wikileaks; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Thursday June 18
EU membership at risk for Greece; Hong Kong debates electoral reform; Australia and China sign free trade agreement; Palestinian government to dissolve; Swiss investigators look into FIFA accounts; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Thursday March 19
Netanyahu secures leadership of Israel; Australia and Vietnam strengthen security ties; Japanese exports rise; lawyer for doctor who helped CIA find bin Laden killed; at least seven dead in suicide bomber attack in Afghanistan; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Wednesday March 4
Netanyahu speaks to US Congress; Australia boosts its forces in Iraq; Obama criticises China's proposed counterterrorism law; Boko Haram video shows two beheaded men; EU likely to fall short of climate targets; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Thursday February 12
EU and Russian leaders meet to negotiate peace in Ukraine; Chinese president Xi Jinping to make first state visit to US; Australian police thwart alleged ISIS attack; Western embassies pull out of Yemen; Greek Pm wins vote of confidence; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Tuesday November 4
Pro-Russian separatists declare new leader for Eastern Ukraine; China to form anti-corruption bureau; US, Australia and Japan to meet during G20 to dicuss security and economic ties; suicide bomb kills dozens in Pakistan; pilot error cited in Virgin Galactic crash; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Wednesday October 29
US revises Ebola guidelines while Australia becomes first country to deny visas to people from West African countries; China and Vietnam seek to allay tensions over maritime disputes; nuclear plant reopens in southwestern Japan; UK says it will not support search and rescue operations for Mediterranean migrants; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Thursday October 9
US increases air strikes on Syrian town of Kobani; Hong Kong government and protest leaders to meet; Australian PM Tony Abbott seeks to legislate against 'preachers of hate'; Ebola unavoidable in Europe; Canadian military to head to Iraq; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Tuesday October 7
Brazil's most contested leadership race in decades not over yet; Hong Kong protester numbers dwindle; North Korean officials visit South Korea; Australia and Belgium conduct first anti-ISIS missions in Iraq; mass grave uncovered in Mexico; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Friday September 19
US House of Representatives agrees to arm Syrian opposition; China lowers borrowing costs; 15 arrested in Australian anti-terror raids; journalist killed in Afghanistan; Scotland votes; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Friday August 29
Ukraine accuses Russia of invasion; China meets senior Vietnamese envoy to talk about disputed islands; Indonesia and Australia end espionage row; ebola caseload in West Africa expected to reach 20,000; Indian PM launches plan to provide bank accounts to every household; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Wednesday August 13
Iraq's political crisis intensifies; US to increase Navy presence in Australia; Indonesia to wade into South China Sea dispute; Liberia to receive experimental ebola drug; Russia sends aid convoy to Ukraine; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Friday July 25
John Kerry renews efforts for Israel-Hamas cease-fire; Christmas Island refugees are self-harming and should be assessed in Australia, says Human Rights Commission; $40 billion stimulus package for South Korea; calls for factory inspections and worker education in Bangladesh; Algerian plane goes missing; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Friday July 18
More discussions for Israel and Hamas; Australia repeals carbon tax; Nigeria to borrow $1 billion from United States for arms to fight Boko Haram; six Guantanamo detainees to be moved to Uruguay; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Friday May 2
Children killed in Syrian airstrike on school; Uighur terrorist attack on train station in China; UNESCO criticises Australian decision to allow dredging of Great Barrier Reef; 60 percent of eligible voters turn out for Iraqi election; IMF approves $17 billion loan for Ukraine
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Wednesday April 9
Ukraine expels pro-Russian separatists from government building in Kharkiv; Hagel warns China against making unilateral moves that could escalate tensions in Asia Pacific; Australia signs pact to free up trade with South Korea; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Tuesday April 8
India begins five-week elections process; Japan and Australia close to signing bi-lateral trade deal; US defense secretary tours China's first aircraft carrier; Nigeria becomes Africa's largest economy; UN expresses concern over violence in Venezuela; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Friday December 13
US and UK suspend aid to Syrian rebels; former Thai PM indicted on murder charges; same-sex marriage law qushed in Australia; more than 2 million people in Zimbabwe will need food assistance before harvest; Uruguay's legalisation of marijuana breaks international law, says UN drugs body
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