In spite of the seeming intractability of the trans-Tasman row over the woman linked to Isis that was detained in Turkey, the situation facing her children needs resolving, writes Claire Breen. By unilaterally revoking the citizenship of the 26-year-old woman detained in Turkey this week, Australia has potentially left her two children in diplomatic limbo. … Read more
Australia’s decision to revoke the citizenship of a dual citizen, who has lived in Australia since the age of six, has prompted a furious response from the New Zealand prime minister. ‘They did not act in good faith,’ she said. In blunt and dramatic contrast to the typically cordial tone of trans-Tasman relations, Jacinda Ardern … Read more
Tensions between the US and Iran, and across the wider Middle East, are reaching boiling point after the assassination of a senior Iranian military leader by an American airstrike in Iraq. What does it mean for the NZ personnel currently in Iraq? What’s all this then? One of the most tense parts of the world … Read more
If coalition MPs are as opposed to troops in Iraq as they say they are, why are they waiting two and a half years to withdraw them, wonders former National government defence minister Wayne Mapp. Yesterday’s announcement that the Iraq deployment would be extended to June 2020 before they are finally withdrawn reflects two realities … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Moderate swing towards govt in first poll after CHCH attack, captured Kiwi nurse named by Red Cross, and a hard look at life after prison. The first poll since the Christchurch mosque attacks shows a moderate swing towards PM Jacinda Ardern and the government. The One News Colmar-Brunton poll … Read more
Reports broke this morning that a New Zealand Red Cross nurse had been captured by ISIS militants in Syria in 2013, and she had been held in captivity ever since. So who is Louisa Akavi? Kim Griggs reports in this piece first published by Radio NZ. A New Zealand nurse kidnapped by Islamic State devoted her … Read more
Taylor shouldn’t be left to rot in a Syrian jail, argues Marc Daalder – not because we’re bleeding hearts, but because it’s our obligation to charge him here. In mid-2014, Mark Taylor left his home, wife, and children behind in Indonesia and boarded a plane to Turkey. Now, he is languishing in a Kurdish military … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Govt offers no help for captured Kiwi jihadist, aid programmes under review after allegations, and calls to make dental care available to all. A New Zealand jihadist captured in the Middle East will not get any assistance from the government to get home. Mark Taylor, who went … Read more
Opinion: Making inroads against ISIS requires the West to rediscover its ideological confidence, argues Nicholas Ross Smith. In what is sadly becoming all too common an occurrence, the world is grappling with news of another horrific terrorist attack, this time taking at least 84 lives in Nice, France. While there has been no claim of … Read more
The father of Imran Patel, the 26-year-old Aucklander convicted for distributing extremist videos, tells Yasmine Ryan he fears that jail risks turning a silly boy into a serious threat. When Imran Patel shouted, “Tell John Key to stop being a slave to America, and to get out of Iraq. Allahu akbar!” after being sentenced last … Read more
The weekend events in Paris have generated millions of words in response, be it reportage, raw emotion, or analysis. Paradoxically, it is possible to feel less informed the more you take in. Here are seven pieces that we think it’s worth taking the time to read. 1. Written before the latest attacks, George Packer’s fascinating … Read more