As the next round of negotiations to try and keep Greece in the European Union get underway, a tangible solution is still not evident, but the sense of despair locally is palpable.
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Let’s Not Turn Greek Debt into a Democratic Deficit.
We need to distinguish the sovereign state from the people it governs, and the other political institutions between.
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Friday March 13
Iraqi forces march on Tikrit; South Korea slashes interest rates; Thailand-China rubber and rice deal in the works; UN Security Council blasted on Syria response; IMF approves Ukraine loan programme; 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 MoreIs global economy really on the mend?
The IMF's latest assessment of the world's economy contains a surprising policy suggestion. Should we be concerned (again), or is it just another part of the great plan?
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Friday September 6
Syria casts pall on G20 Summit; Bank of Japan says economy on track to recovery; Cambodia criticised for not paying its share of costs for Khmer Rouge tribunal; Pakistan gets $6.7 million IMF loan; US car sales rebound; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Thursday June 20
Afghanistan suspends security talks with US; North Korea and China hold talks; Edward Snowden would not get preferential treatment if he applied for asylum in Hong Kong, says UN official; Obama to announce sharp reduction in nuclear warheads; IMF says Spain needs labour reform to reduce "unacceptably high" level of unemployment; and more
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 MoreWorld News Brief, Thursday April 4
Malaysian parliament dissolved; North Korea bans South Korean workers; IMF considers $4.8 billion loan to Egypt; militants storm court in Afghanistan; and more
Read MoreCould Cyprus happen here?
Developed countries like New Zealand can learn from Cyprus; an economy overly dependent on its financial sector rather than the real economy, is vulnerable. And the rule of law exist in our minds as much as it does in laws, courts and banks. It’s like a handshake. If one sides looses faith in the deal, doesn’t matter how many law enforcers you have, the system collapses.
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Friday October 12
Turkey forces Syrian passenger plane to land; IMF chief calls on China and Japan to end ther row over East China Sea islands; Chinese writer Mo Yan wins the Nobel Prize in literature; Spain's credit rating falls to one level above junk; Venezuela's Chavez chooses new vice president; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Thursday October 11
US State Department reveals new details of Benghazi attack that killed ambassador; China's decision to pull out of IMF meeting "regrettable", says Japan; Julia Gillard accuses Tony Abbott of hypocrisy and misogyny; Netanyahu calls for early election in Israel; Russia to sell $4.2 billion of arms to Iraq this year; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Thursday October 4
Series of bombings in Syria's largest city kill 25 and wound 70; Chinese banks withdraw from IMF events in Tokyo; Taiwanese citizens visiting US can now do so without visas; Iran's currency loses one third of value in a week; Georgia holds first democratic election in post-Soviet history; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Wednesday September 26
UN gets briefing on Syria; Japanese fire water cannons at Taiwanese boats; China commissions its first aircraft carrier; two US marines face charges for urinating on Taliban bodies; IMF warns Argentina it must provide reliable inflation and GDP statistics; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Wednesday June 20
G20 leaders pressure Europe to boost economic growth; China pledges $43 billion to International Monetary Fund's reserves; Chinese and Philippine vessels withdraw from disputed Scarborough Shoal; Afghan militants killed in attack on coalition base; governments urged to 'seize the moment' at Rio environmental summit; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Thursday October 20
Small business owners join workers as strikes shutdown Greece; EU leaders to announce expanded rescue fund (+ analysis); Moody's downgrades "vulnerable" Spain by two notches; Turks strike back after Kurdish rebels kill 26 troops; IMF picks six percent growth in sub-Saharan Africa; Chinese scientist admits stealing trade secrets; and more
Read MoreGreek default? Yawn. Recession? Sigh. But here's a coincidence...
The unsurprising surprise of Europe's economic woes and the IMF's latest predictions gets the once-over from new Pundit Fiona McMillan, a London-based New Zealand business journalist.
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Wednesday June 22
Greek PM faces no confidence vote putting austerity measures in doubt; Ash clouds again ground planes in Australia; Obama to announces Afghanistan drawdown Wednesday evening – big or small?; Britain vows to stay the course in Libya despite civilian deaths; Sudan rebel attacks show faultlines to remain even after secession; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Friday June 10
NATO bombing intensifies as Libya Contact Group creates fund to back rebels (+ analysis); International Court issues arrest warrant for Qaddafi on rape charges; Thousands fearing massacre flee Syria for Turkey; Militants' midnight raid on Pakistani post; Leaked report confirms Greece bailout; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Friday May 27
G8 leaders to meet in Deauville to discuss Libyan conflict, Middle East uprisings; French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde leading contender for IMF job; Australian policy on asylum seekers criticised by UN human rights commissioner; explosions in Chinese city of Fuzhou that killed two attributed to disgruntled farmer; Egypt eases Gaza blockade; US to cut troops in Pakistan; and more
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