There’s been widespread sceptism and outrage in response to the Government’s announcement that New Zealand troops will be sent to Iraq, writes Bryce Edwards.

I believe the decision to commit our troops to Iraq was made a long time ago, and was a decision our Prime Minister had to make for geo-political reasons that gave him little option, writes Dita De Boni.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras won four more months to sell his policy program to creditors while keeping domestic voters on board.

Iraq will inevitably dominate Friday's talks between John Key and Tony Abbott - but it should not obscure progress on the vital transtasman economic agenda.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully told the UN Security Council that its future credibility and effectiveness depended on its permanent members making progress on reform.

Jeb Bush's planned campaign for the Republican presidential nomination has suffered a setback with revelations that his wife Columba spent $42,311 in a single day on jewellery including a Bulgari diamond bracelet.

Australia has tightened the rules on foreign purchases of agricultural land and has reduced the ownership screening threshold to A$15 million from A$252 million.

Two former British foreign secretaries offered to use their positions on behalf of a fictitious Chinese company in return for payment of NZ $10k a day.

Just over one month since its last downgrade of Moscow's credit rating, Moody's said Russia "is expected to experience a deep recession in 2015 and a contraction in 2016".

Electoral returns out next week will confirm that a National Party MP received $25,000 from a controversial businessman after Prime Minister John Key had a private dinner with him.

NZ troops are preparing to return to Iraq, a decade after Kiwi soldiers were last in the violence-wracked nation. On Monday the cabinet is expected to set the ground rules for the deployment.

The public could be wise to be sceptical or wary about politicians trying to manipulate them about the global fight against ISIS, writes Bryce Edwards.

Vint Cerf, one of the people who helped build the internet (and who's now been assimilated by Google of course), is warning about a digital Dark Age.

Japan's economy expanded less than economists estimated in the fourth quarter, underlining the difficulty in stoking growth while export gains are undermined.

Two men charged over an Isis-linked terror plot have not appeared in court, with prosecutors warning there are "clear security issues".

The conviction of Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim on sodomy charges has prompted widespread outrage.

Tony Abbott has admitted good government might have had "a bit of a holiday" amid the Liberal leadership turmoil, but insists it's now on track.