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.

Australia will go to the polls on September 14 following yesterday's surprise announcement of what will effectively be the longest election campaign in the nation's history.

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.

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.

Beyonce stole the show at President Barack Obama's inauguration with an impressive rendition of the US national anthem.

When firebrand Republican senator Ted Cruz went on conservative Laura Ingraham's radio show last week, the topic of conversation swiftly turned to Barack Obama.

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.

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.

Coal-fired power stations in Australia emit around 200 million tonnes of CO2a year. This does not include emissions from our coal exports.

New Zealand is unlikely to compromise on its protection plan for the Antarctic's Ross Sea at key talks this year.

Across Australia, the young and talented children of expatriate Kiwis find their careers stunted when they leave school, cut off from higher education and government apprenticeships by costs and policies.

Until last weekend, most Australians knew little about Peta Credlin, Tony Abbott's 1.8m (6ft) tall, fiercely loyal and formidably bright chief of staff.

President Barack Obama's ready resort to "fiscal cliff interruptus" does not address the US' entrenched economic problems. It is simply a stop-gap measure that does not face up to America's basic problem of spending far more than it earns.

As Presidents cannot seek more than two terms, the political focus will inevitably be beyond them. This overall domestic policy context means Obama, like other 2nd-term Presidents in the post-war era, is likely to turn his focus towards foreign policy.