Silvio Berlusconi has backed an amnesty for tax dodgers despite accusations that he was buying votes with his promises of €4 billion ($6.4 billion) in tax rebates just weeks ahead of elections.

The United States could launch pre-emptive cyber strikes against countries it suspects of threatening its interests with a digital attack.

South Korea's decision to allow the introduction of covered bonds will help to diversify the Asia-Pacific regional covered bond market.

Sylvester Stallone says no civilian should have access to the big guns his characters use in action movies.

Government frontbencher Peter Garrett says the prime minister's decision to name the 2013 election date puts the pressure on the opposition to deliver more than just slogans.

The confirmation of John Kerry as United States Secretary of State is raising smiles in Europe, stirring memories of the days when America the Worldly-Wise engaged in European concerns and placed them at the top of its foreign agenda.

It was at the Inaugural Ball, in the shadow of a President, that I had just a little taste of life as a Washington bigwig.

On second anniversary of fall of Mubarak, Egyptians take to Tahrir Square over lack of progress.

Chris Christie's embrace of Barack Obama was seen as treason by some members of his party.

Australia's Prime Minister Julia Gillard has triggered a new row within her party by axing a long-serving Senator to make way for an Aboriginal candidate.

If North Korea's new leader, Kim Jong Un, wanted to end the brutal and destructive tyranny his father and grandfather imposed on the country, he would need support from abroad.

Canada is investigating a claim by the Algerian Prime Minister that one of its citizens co-ordinated the terrorist raid at the Saharan gas plant.

Lupe Fiasco has been rushed off stage at a pre-inauguration concert for Barack Obama after performing an anti-war song telling the audience he did not vote for the President.

The Minister of Climate Change, Tim Groser, (NZ Herald, December 20) says it makes sense for New Zealand to drop out of the Kyoto Protocol and work towards an agreement with broader international support.

If ambitions are unfettered by political nitty-gritty and his dreams are as big as his talk, Obama has the opportunity to instil change that will cement his political greatness.

Scotland Yard has launched a full investigation into allegations that Conservative politicians were members of a paedophile ring which abused British children in care the 1980s.

Vowing to "put everything into this", President Barack Obama has unveiled the most sweeping proposals in 20 years to tighten gun control in the United States.

Editorial: British foreign secretaries have not been frequent visitors to New Zealand. When the relationship was so close that New Zealanders referred to the "mother country", they probably did not feel the need to visit.

Arnold Schwarzenegger has admitted he "felt like an ant" while grappling with political problems as Governor of California.

Editorial: A large number do not understand the consequences of not finding a job. They leave for Australia without realising they will not have access to most of that country's welfare safety net, including dole and disability payments.