It's election time again. We've got bombshell books, burning effigies and debates about debates, writes Matt Heath.

The rich and powerful are expert at using their dominance of the media to raise the salience in the popular mind of values that suit their interests, writes Bryan Gould.

Ukraine warned its conflict with Russia had entered a "military stage" and authorised its troops to open fire in self-defence after suffering the first casuality since Crimea was seized.

Prime Minister John Key says New Zealand athletes should complete in the Sochi Winter Paralympics despite Russia's intervention in Ukraine.

This weekend the fates of President Viktor Yanukovych and former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko once again took dramatically opposite turns.

A group of Greenpeace activists, including two New Zealanders, are trying to stay realistic over their chances of being home for Christmas, after the Russian parliament backed an amnesty bill to drop charges against them.

Thailand's premier may have called a snap election to try to defuse the kingdom's political crisis, but protesters vowed to keep up their "people's revolution".

North Korea has acknowledged the purge of leader Kim Jong Un's powerful uncle on allegations of corruption, drug use and a long list of other "anti-state" acts.

The rebel-leader-turned-president of Central African Republic has acknowledged that he doesn't have total control over former allies accused of killing scores of civilians.

Thailand's main opposition party resigned from Parliament to protest what it called "the illegitimacy" of an elected government with which it can no longer work.

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.

Saudi women on the ultraconservative kingdom's top advisory council have called for a discussion on the sensitive issue of allowing women to drive.

A string of attacks killed nine members of Egypt's security and military forces and hit the country's main satellite communications station, in an apparent retaliation by Islamic militants.

Instead of trying to inspire voters to get out and do their democratic duty in a few weeks, Local Government Minister Chris Tremain has as good as conceded turn-out is going to be poor.

Winston Peters claims the Government co-operated with Fiji's military regime when the SIS "raided" a NZ-based member of Fiji democracy movement.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully says the Opposition will be offered a formal briefing on Syria before any parliamentary motion is put by the Government.

New Zealand has been asked to pledge moral support for a potential US military strike against Syria but the Government says it is yet to make any commitment.

Kiwi journalist Wayne Hay has been celebrating his release from detention in Egypt with a cold beer.

The ordeal of David Miranda at Heathrow Airport is a critical moment in the conflict between press freedom and national security.

It must surely have come as a shock to his supporters that John Key seems not to understand some of the basic principles of democratic government, writes Bryan Gould.

Snowden is charged with violating the Espionage Act, the draconian l917 law devised to indict foreign spies but repeatedly used by the Obama Administration to target whistleblowers.

A Chinese New Zealander who entered China illegally to see his parents claims he was detained, chained and tortured for five days before being deported to Auckland.

New Zealanders must stand up for their democratic rights when they are threatened, or they'll lose them.

The nation is divided against itself. On one side are the liberals who want to live in a tolerant, secular society.