The open letter to Jacinda Ardern to show some spine over alleged crimes against Anne-Marie Brady feels vital in the face of a less than urgent response thus far. The professor was only a mechanic away from being another Jamal Khashoggi or Fernando Pereira
Read MoreSaudi Arabia
My hot takes on the Auditor General's "sheep-to-sand report"
The Auditor General has found that Murray McCully (and the rest of his National Party cabinet colleagues) are not corrupt criminals. They just entered into a deal with a Saudi businessman without really knowing why, what that deal would do, or the basis for giving him some $11 million or our money.
Read More"Power does not corrupt men; fools, however, if they get into a position of power, corrupt power"
The only reason that makes any sense for giving a Saudi sheep breeder an $11 million farm is because we thought it might buy us a Free Trade Agreement with his country. It's a good thing that we're not a corrupt nation, isn't it?
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Tuesday May 12
Saudi King to miss Gulf summit in Washington DC; 2000 refugees on way to Thailand rescued after traffickers allegedly abandoned ship; Pyongyang test-fires ballistic missile; Hollande visits Cuba; Turkish cargo ship shelled off coast of Libya; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Tuesday March 3
Iraqi troops move against ISIS in Tikrit; North Korea test-fires two short-range missiles; Chinese central bank cuts interest rates; 300 die in avalanches in Afghanistan; Saudi diplomat freed in Yemen; and more
Read MoreNous sommes Charlie aussi
There is no transferring blame away from the perpetrators of this crime.
Moderate muslims are not to blame.
It is not the disastrous invasion of Iraq, even if this gave jihadists a foothold. France, like New Zealand, didn’t support that war.
World News Brief, Tuesday July 1
Iraq troops battle for control of Tikrit; North Korea proposes two Koreas suspend hostilities; senior military official expelled from China's Communist Party; MERS cases in Saudi Arabia triple; militia disarms in Democratic Republic of Congo; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Wednesday April 23
Obama reasserts administration's focus on Asia-Pacific with trip to South Korea, Malaysia and the Philippines; China and Japan reignite World War II enmity; Nepalese officials try to convince sherpas to work season on Everest; Saudi health official sacked as deadly MERS virus spreads; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Wednesday October 23
Syria policy creates rift between US and Saudi Arabia; China intends to maintain power over Tibet; North Korea has 130 hovercraft in water, leader has observed training sessions aimed at South Korea; Bahrain boosts supply of tear gas; Obama admits frustration at government health insurance site; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Tuesday March 15
Second explosion at nuclear plant in Japan; two thousand dead found on the shores of Miyagi prefecture; Bank of Japan pouring $183.17 billion into markets to ease economic impact of quake; China has overtaken the US in manufacturing output--US was number one for 110 years; Saudi forces to intervene in Bahrain; Crowley resigns from US State Department after criticising treatment of WikiLeaks suspect Bradley Manning; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Thursday February 24
Qaddafi clings to power despite erosion of his government; mediators sent to help end border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia; Christchurch earthquake continues to make international headlines; Saudi king returns after health scare promising billions in pay rises; American stoush over collective bargaining spreads; Greek protests against austerity measures turn violent
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Thursday January 20
Tunisian government flounders; Arab leaders to offer struggling Arab economies $2 billion; more evacuations in flood-hit Victoria; economists cast doubt on Vietnam's financial policy; Saudi leaders give up on Lebanon mediation; Karzai postpones inauguration of Afghan parliament; Baby Doc Duvalier charged with corruption and embezzlement 25 years after leaving Haiti; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Friday January 14
Lebanese government collapses after Hezbollah withdraw support; Qatar and Saudi Arabia work on compromise between Lebanese factions; US will defer to Japan on plans to relocate American air base; record floods devastate Queensland; Joe Biden visits Iraq; violence in Tunisia worsens and curfew set in Tunis; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Friday October 22
US announces largest arms deal in its history... to Saudi Arabia (+ analysis); Chinese economic growth slows... to 9.6 per cent; US officials to warn named Iraqis about new Wikileaks release; China fails to stall Darfur report showing it broke embargo; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Wednesday September 22
Arab states arming themselves with $123 billion in US weapons; deal with Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait and UAE major boost to US defense industry; North Korean convention next week linked to Kim Jong-Il's succession plan; US concerned at estrangement between China and Japan; Turkey questions Iran sanctions; US recession longest since Great Depression; and more
Read MoreSelling arms to the Saudis: Obama's big sell-out
An emerging unholy alliance between Israel, Saudi Arabia and the US is a key driver behind potentially the biggest arms deal in US history
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Tuesday September 14
Turkey votes for constitutional change, wins EU support, despite giving government more power over courts; US plans record US$60 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia; Korans burned in US after all; China says trade trade surplus aren't intentional; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Thursday June 4
Obama heads to Middle East in Muslim outreach; US and China planning "landmark" economic talks; British government in cabinet crisis; Cuba divides American States; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Friday December 19
Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, Norway and others follow US Fed in cutting rates; Chrysler to shuts down US factories for one month; Russia suffers as oil prices fall; 33 Latin countries propose historic economic union; and more
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