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.

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.

The Australian Prime Minister survived yesterday's leadership tilt, but can still expect to be grilled today by emboldened MPs.

"He's one dumb knighthood away from oblivion." Pundits from both sides of Australian politics say Tony Abbott's days are numbered after yesterday's spill attempt.

What drives Putin is a grab-bag of emotional motives. His man in Kiev got overthrown, and he doesn't like to lose face, writes Gwynne Dyer.

Australian Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, was guilty of a bad case of wishful thinking when he declared the Liberal leadership issue "behind us" after surviving a party ballot yesterday.