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Sam Judd: Wasted on water
Every day, millions of tons of inadequately treated sewage, industrial and agricultural waste enters the world's waterways, writes Sam Judd.
Close call for Chris Carter in Kabul
Former Labour MP Chris Carter says he was lucky to escape possible death after a suicide car bomb exploded metres away from his Afghanistan home.
Sam Judd: Our nutrient world
Sam Judd writes that perhaps the biggest environmental problem we currently face is the contamination of our waterways by nutrients.
Obama thanks Key for TPP meeting
Prime Minister John Key spoke with US President Barack Obama last night about the Trans Pacific Partnership meeting on Tuesday.
Sam Judd: Global partnerships for oceans
Environmental columnist Sam Judd reflects on the challenges and opportunities that the United Nations Environment Program faces with regard to oceans.
PM arrives in Australia for flying visit
Prime Minister John Key has arrived in Canberra for a flying visit with his new Australian counterpart, Tony Abbott.
Tweet breaks news of historic talks
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani scooped Barack Obama with a tweet revealing a break in the 34-year silence between leaders of the two nations.
Antipodean mouse's roar lost in all the excitement
The mouse might have roared very loudly indeed - but the elephants he was busy poking with his toothpick were far too busy to hear it.
Editorial: PM's speech a blunt message to UN on reform
John Key took to the stage at the United Nations General Assembly yesterday with an old message, made urgent by the crisis in Syria.
Key sticks by takedown of UN's top 5
Prime Minister John Key has stuck by his criticism of the giants on the United Nation's Security Council despite their apparent breakthrough last night on a resolution to deal with Syria's chemical weapons.
Key scathing of UN failings
Prime Minister John Key has mounted a scathing attack on the failings of the United Nations, saying it is hostage to the interests of the most powerful.
Key expected to discuss Fonterra with Sri Lanka's President
Prime Minister John Key was expected to discuss Fonterra with Sri Lanka's President this morning - the second damage control meeting he has had relating to Fonterra while on his Europe and USA trip.
Key critical of slow pace of nuclear disarmament
Prime Minister John Key has taken a sarcastic poke at the excuses used by nuclear countries for moving slowly on disarmament.
PM seeks friends in small places
Prime Minister John Key has his big day addressing the United Nations General Assembly today - but his bid for the Security Council seat will be overshadowed by the Security Council itself, meeting to discuss Syria at the same time as his speech.
Clark: UN Security Council seat 'possible'
Former PM-turned UNDP head Helen Clark says NZ's bid for a Security Council seat is a "David and Goliath" battle - but we could still win.
Key catches up with Clark and Gillard in Big Apple
John Key is to meet with former Australian PM Julia Gillard in New York today, following a meeting with his predecessor Helen Clark.
NZ's 'shoe string' UN bid
Prime Minister John Key says NZ's rivals for a Security Council seat are likely to be spending up to secure the required votes, but we still have some tricks to play.
Syria: 'We want to join weapons ban'
Syria says it's ready to state where its chemical weapons are and to halt their production, but the US says it'll have to do more than sign up to a treaty.
US: Syrian chemical attack killed 1,429
The US administration has bluntly accused Bashar Assad's government of launching a chemical weapons attack that killed at least 1,429 people - far more than previous estimates- including more than 400 children.
11,000 fake cops on payroll
A probe into policing in the troubled new country of South Sudan has uncovered 11,000 fake names on the payroll.
South Korea: Get down in Gangnam
This posh Seoul suburb is a hub of luxury and excess, discovers Sharon Stephenson.
The Insider: On the UN tightrope
Diplomats and ministers are grappling with thorny issues as they work to secure New Zealand a seat on the UN Security Council for 2015-16.
Kiwis among world's fattest people
New Zealand has been named and shamed as one of the fattest countries in the world in a report report by the United Nations.
Gwynne Dyer: Population growth simply unsustainable
The news on the population front sounds bad: birth rates are not dropping as fast as expected.
Militants storm UN compound in Somalia; 20 killed
Seven al-Qaeda-linked militants on a suicide mission attacked the UN compound with a truck bomb and then poured inside, killing at least 13 people before dying in the assault.
Syria: 650,000 refugees
More than half a million people fled Syria's civil war last year, and the UN says that number could double by the end of 2013.
North Korea: Northern exposure
Skiing destinations tend to be in well-heeled areas - from Queenstown to the Austrian Alps and Whistler. Naturally, North Korea wants to take its place alongside the well-groomed resorts.
NZ peacekeeper abducted
A New Zealand Defence Force peacekeeper was abducted from an observation post in the Golan Heights and held for five hours today.