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How North Korea's hushed-up economy is hindering its development
New Zealand prime minister John Key apologises for pulling waitress's hair
Record breaking clock invented which only loses a second in 15bn years
Oskar Gröning trial: ‘Bookkeeper of Auschwitz’ admits moral guilt
Japan moves nearer to restarting nuclear reactors after court gives go-ahead
Four people accused of witchcraft and allegedly tortured in Papua New Guinea
Europe's former imperial powers continue to target aid to ex-colonies
The Racket: A Rogue Reporter vs the Masters of the Universe by Matt Kennard review – a global capitalist conspiracy
Drone with radiation sign lands on roof of Japanese prime minister's office
John Key: New Zealand prime minister's weirdest moments (so far)
Cruelty to pets is rising and disturbingly inventive, warns RSPCA
Vietnam 40 years on: how a communist victory gave way to capitalist corruption
Could Australia's 'stop the boats' policy solve Europe's migrant crisis?
Tax boss rebukes Google, Apple and Microsoft over Senate inquiry evidence
UN expert: rich countries must take in one million refugees to stop boat deaths
UN's François Crépeau on the refugee crisis: 'Instead of resisting migration, let's organise it'
Afghanistan tries to strike balance in escalating Iran-Saudi rivalry
Great Barrier Reef at risk as overfishing disrupts food chain, study finds
Frustrated man charged by police after shooting his uncooperative computer
Saudi Arabia declares end to Yemen air strikes after four weeks of bombing

How North Korea's hushed-up economy is hindering its development

Posted: 22 Apr 2015 12:17 AM PDT

Pyongyang has been denied entry to China's new investment bank because of a refusal to share economic data. But with the World Bank unlikely to step in the regime may have to reconsider, says Andray Abrahamian

New Zealand prime minister John Key apologises for pulling waitress's hair

Posted: 22 Apr 2015 12:00 AM PDT

Apology comes after Auckland waitress revealed that the PM repeatedly pulled her ponytail in what he now says was 'a bit of banter'

Politicians are routinely upbraided for behaviour befitting a schoolyard, but the New Zealand prime minister has now become embroiled in a controversy that centres, quite literally, on hair-pulling.

On Wednesday morning John Key apologised following allegations by an Auckland waitress that he had repeatedly tugged on her ponytail, a pattern of conduct she regarded as harassment.

remember pic.twitter.com/jdd2gLcY8I

Record breaking clock invented which only loses a second in 15bn years

Posted: 21 Apr 2015 11:26 PM PDT

The 'optical lattice' device is now three times more accurate than previous incarnations

Oskar Gröning trial: ‘Bookkeeper of Auschwitz’ admits moral guilt

Posted: 21 Apr 2015 11:19 PM PDT

93-year-old former bank clerk has long admitted knowing from the beginning of his tenure that Auschwitz-Birkenau was an extermination camp

As he entered the courtroom pushing a walking frame, Oskar Gröning cut the figure of a frail old man, a policeman helping him ease the wheels down the steps, his lawyer lowering him into his seat.

A blast of camera flashes, reflected in the lenses of his gold-rimmed spectacles, added to his sense of vulnerability. But as he began to talk, the 93-year-old became animated and loquacious, recounting the two years he had spent at Auschwitz extermination camp after volunteering for the SS, the Nazi party's protection squadron, at the age of 20.

Japan moves nearer to restarting nuclear reactors after court gives go-ahead

Posted: 21 Apr 2015 11:10 PM PDT

Court in south-west Japan rejects a residents' injunction against resuming operations at the Sendai power plant

Four people accused of witchcraft and allegedly tortured in Papua New Guinea

Posted: 21 Apr 2015 11:04 PM PDT

Human rights defenders, church groups and police preparing to stage a rescue in the village of Kaiwe if a 'glass man' is brought in to confirm accusations

Europe's former imperial powers continue to target aid to ex-colonies

Posted: 21 Apr 2015 11:00 PM PDT

France, Britain, Belgium, Spain, Germany and Portugal are spending most of their official development aid on the countries they once ruled as colonies

The Racket: A Rogue Reporter vs the Masters of the Universe by Matt Kennard review – a global capitalist conspiracy

Posted: 21 Apr 2015 11:00 PM PDT

Is our entire world at the mercy of an elite business community who run it in secret? This is a crusading book, but an oversimple one

Drone with radiation sign lands on roof of Japanese prime minister's office

Posted: 21 Apr 2015 10:36 PM PDT

The drone was carrying a small camera, water bottle and a flare media reported

John Key: New Zealand prime minister's weirdest moments (so far)

Posted: 21 Apr 2015 10:15 PM PDT

As his pulling of a waitress's ponytail goes to show, when it comes to awkward interactions and break-outs of foot-in-mouth, the New Zealand prime minister John Key gives his Australian counterpart, Tony Abbott, a run for his money

Cruelty to pets is rising and disturbingly inventive, warns RSPCA

Posted: 21 Apr 2015 10:01 PM PDT

One in eight of complaints about animal treatment in 2014 involved alleged deliberate and often violent cruelty to animals, animal welfare charity says

Vietnam 40 years on: how a communist victory gave way to capitalist corruption

Posted: 21 Apr 2015 10:00 PM PDT

After the military victory, Vietnam's socialist model began to collapse. Cut off by US-led trade embargos and denied reconstruction aid, it plunged into poverty. Now its economy is booming – but so is inequality and corruption

Could Australia's 'stop the boats' policy solve Europe's migrant crisis?

Posted: 21 Apr 2015 09:38 PM PDT

Australia's tough stance on asylum-seeker vessels is touted as the solution to the deaths of hundreds of migrants crossing the Mediterranean. But does it work?

Tax boss rebukes Google, Apple and Microsoft over Senate inquiry evidence

Posted: 21 Apr 2015 09:31 PM PDT

Commissioner Chris Jordan delivers rebuke to multinational tech giants contesting evidence they gave to a Senate inquiry into corporate tax avoidance

UN expert: rich countries must take in one million refugees to stop boat deaths

Posted: 21 Apr 2015 09:11 PM PDT

UN special rapporteur says inaction on refugees is creating a market for people smugglers, and says world needs to take in a million Syrians over next five years

Wealthy countries should agree on a comprehensive plan to take one million refugees from Syria over the next five years to end the unfolding series of boat disasters in the Mediterranean, the UN's special rapporteur on the human rights of migrants has urged.

UN's François Crépeau on the refugee crisis: 'Instead of resisting migration, let's organise it'

Posted: 21 Apr 2015 09:11 PM PDT

The UN migration expert argues that opening legal channels for migrants would save lives, reduce people smuggling and reduce the cost of asylum claims

Afghanistan tries to strike balance in escalating Iran-Saudi rivalry

Posted: 21 Apr 2015 09:00 PM PDT

The new Kabul leadership must preserve its strategic ties with the Islamic republic while pursuing better relations with Saudi Arabia, says veteran Afghan journalist

Great Barrier Reef at risk as overfishing disrupts food chain, study finds

Posted: 21 Apr 2015 08:56 PM PDT

Removing species such as coral trout and snapper weakens the Great Barrier Reef's ecosystem and resilience, a new James Cook University study finds

Commercial and recreational fishing is imposing a toll on the Great Barrier Reef's food chain, researchers say.

A study produced at James Cook University has found removing predatory fish such as coral trout, snapper and emperor fish significantly changes the make-up of the reef's ecosystem.

Frustrated man charged by police after shooting his uncooperative computer

Posted: 21 Apr 2015 08:41 PM PDT

Colorado man Lucas Hinch cited for discharging a firearm within city limits after shooting his computer eight times in an alleyway

Police in Colorado have cited a 37-year-old man for carrying his computer into an alley then shooting it eight times with a handgun after what authorities said had been a long battle with the uncooperative machine.

Lucas Hinch was cited for discharging a firearm within city limits after officers responded to a "shots fired" call early on Monday evening, the Colorado Springs police department said.

Saudi Arabia declares end to Yemen air strikes after four weeks of bombing

Posted: 21 Apr 2015 08:36 PM PDT

Coalition says next phase of operation will keep Houthi rebels pinned down, while US positions warships to watch for arms shipments from Iran

The Saudi-led coalition against Houthi rebels in Yemen has declared an end to its campaign of air strikes after four weeks, saying the insurgents no longer pose a threat to Saudi Arabia and its neighbours.

But coalition spokesman Brigadier General Ahmed al-Assiri said on Tuesday a new phase aimed at preventing the rebels from operating would now begin.