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Some observers will inevitably ask whether New Zealand could be experiencing similar trends beneath the surface. While no direct comparison has been established, the question is likely to gain traction given New Zealand followed a broadly similar vaccination timeline and public health approach. If comparable data patterns were emerging locally, it would raise serious questions about monitoring, transparency, and whether long-term outcomes are…

It is hard to convince anyone they need to change when they think nothing is broken. The story of the emperor’s new clothes captures it. The whole court agreed the emperor was splendidly dressed. A child had to say he was naked. New Zealand’s public service has the same problem. My recent report Who runs the country? argues that ministers should appoint their chief executives, with statutory protections for the career service below. · The…

A former senior National Party minister has launched a scathing attack on New Zealand First, calling on his former party to “extricate themselves from this grisly coalition and declare war on New Zealand First”. Chris Finlayson also cast doubt on whether the current coalition government will last through to the next election, pointing to growing tensions between National and NZ First. · Those tensions have intensified following the release of…

New Zealand has been approached by the United States to join a potential multinational effort to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical energy shipping routes. · The passage has been largely shut since the escalation of the Middle East conflict, sending shockwaves through global oil markets and raising concerns over energy security. · According to reporting, the Trump administration has instructed US embassies to lobby…

The US-Israeli war on Iran has already been “terminated,” and the Trump administration believes it does not need an extension from Congress to continue the fighting, the Associated Press has reported, citing sources. The report comes as a deadline mandated by the 1973 War Powers Act rapidly approaches. The legislation limits any military action launched by the president without congressional authorization to 60 days. · The White House insists…

Russian journalist Vladimir Solovyov has accused Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of betraying the interests of her own voters by following the EU line on Ukraine and Russia in an interview with Il Fatto Quotidiano published on Wednesday. “I don’t have any problem with Signora Meloni,” Solovyov said. “Italian people, they have problem with Signora Meloni. Donald Trump, he has problems with Signora Meloni.” · The TV host claimed Meloni had…

Three children are wounded in a Ukrainian drone attack, as Russian troops respond with multiple precision strikes against Kiev's forces. Turkish police reportedly detain at least 50 protesters trying to reach Istanbul's main square for a Labour Day demonstration. · A government ban prohibits gatherings at the central location. Mali holds a service commemorating its fallen defence minister, killed last weekend during a mass wave of violence by…

Andrew Korybko · Absent a deal with Trump, which Putin could be further induced to agree to if Trump promises to reduce US pressure on some but not all of these countries, Russia might lose all 15 of these partners and possibly even more with time. · It was assessed shortly after Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s capture that “The ‘Trump Doctrine’ Is Shaped By Elbridge Colby’s ‘Strategy Of Denial’”, which argues that the US now prioritizes…

By Tarik Cyril Amar, a historian from Germany working at Koç University, Istanbul, on Russia, Ukraine, and Eastern Europe, the history of World War II, the cultural Cold War, and the politics of memory · Sovereignty, as defined in international law, is both crucial and complex. In the real shark-pool world of geopolitics, it is not hard to spot: if you have the ability to rule at home and resist attack from outside (any outside), then you are…

US President Donald Trump has announced 25% tariffs on EU-made cars and trucks, accusing the bloc of breaching a trade deal reached last summer but yet to be fully ratified by EU lawmakers. The move constitutes a 10% hike from current 15% levies on the automotive industry. Announcing the decision, Trump urged European car makers to move their manufacturing to the US, saying that such cars would not be subjected to increased tariffs. · “I am…