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Articles

Odd Spot

12 Dec 2024

Spies eye future codebreakers with tricky puzzle

GCHQ, Britain’s electronic and cyber-intelligence agency, has published its annual puzzle challenge – a greeting card that doubles as a set of fiendishly difficult puzzles designed to excite young minds about solving cyphers and unearthing clues...

Sarah Cairns

12 Dec 2024

Middle East

09 Dec 2024

Israel ‘more optimistic’ on hostage deal

Israel is now more optimistic about a possible hostage deal in Gaza, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said, amid reports that Hamas had asked for lists of all hostages still held by militant groups in the Palestinian enclave. He said indirect...

Sarah Cairns

09 Dec 2024

Iran

10 Jul 2024

President-elect has limited ability to bring change

The election of relative moderate Masoud Pezeshkian as Iran’s president has lifted the hopes of Iranians yearning for social freedoms and better relations with the West, but few expect big policy changes. Iran’s ruling clerics’ political fortunes’...

Sarah Cairns

10 Jul 2024

Environment

29 Mar 2024

No quick fix for Bluecliffs erosion

Southland’s mayor says the Bluecliffs community that is under threat from rapid erosion is facing hard decisions that do not have a cheap or quick fix. Those in the small community have only been home about a week after evacuating so an old dump...

Sarah Cairns

29 Mar 2024

Housing

06 Dec 2023

Higher lending rates to continue

Household lending activity is starting to rise again, but new borrowers are likely to continue to face higher mortgage rates for longer. Reserve Bank data shows gross new lending flows between August and October were 4 percent higher than a year...

Sarah Cairns

06 Dec 2023

Koreas

01 Jul 2023

US in fresh show of force against North

The United States has flown nuclear-capable bombers to the Korean Peninsulay in its latest show of force against North Korea, days after the North staged massive anti-US rallies in its capital. The long-range B-52 bombers took part in joint aerial...

Sarah Cairns

01 Jul 2023

Netherlands

18 Apr 2023

Dutch intel warns of China, Russia threats

The Dutch national intelligence agency painted a grim picture of a growing number of internal and external threats to the rule of law in the Netherlands compounded by Russia’s war in Ukraine, international cyberattacks and espionage. In its annual...

Sarah Cairns

18 Apr 2023

Energy

28 Mar 2023

Saudi Aramco investing big in Chinese petrochemicals

Saudi Arabia’s state-owned oil giant Aramco will invest billions of dollars in China’s downstream petrochemicals industry, including the construction of a new refinery, the company said in deals announced Sunday and Monday. The announcements came as...

Sarah Cairns

28 Mar 2023

Middle East

29 Oct 2022

Activists say Iranian forces shot at protesters

Iranian security forces opened fire on demonstrators in a southeastern city that has seen weeks of unrest amid nationwide demonstrations, activists said. They said the shooting in Zahedan killed at least two people, threatening to ignite further...

Sarah Cairns

29 Oct 2022

USA

22 Oct 2022

Jan 6 panel issues Trump subpoena

Former US president Donald Trump was issued an order to testify under oath and provide documents to the House of Representatives committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol by his supporters. The committee said it had sent...

Sarah Cairns

22 Oct 2022

World

07 Sep 2022

Putin, Xi set to meet

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping plan to meet next week in Uzbekistan, a Russian official said, announcing a summit that could signal another step in warming ties between two powers that are increasingly facing off...

Sarah Cairns

07 Sep 2022