Ukraine continues to hold its line and Russia has not managed a large advance in the last week. Both sides prioritising the air war. Drones, missiles and bombs being thrown across the border. Russia attacking frontline units and Ukraine’s power grid. Scoring a notable victory on 11 April by destroying the large Trypillya generation plant, that supplies power to Kyiv. Ukraine meanwhile continues to interdict Russian oil exports and the flow of weapons to the frontline. On land, Russia’s frontline units are demonstrating increasing sophistication and tactical ability.  Factors that combined ..read more

The New Zealand government has scaled new heights of hypocrisy in condemning today’s Iranian attack on Israel but refusing to condemn Israel’s blatant incitement to a wider Middle East war with its missile attack on the Iranian Consulate in Syria two week which killed several Iranian leaders. Israel’s attack on Iran produced not a whimper from the Prime Minister or Minister of Foreign Affairs but both have lined up to condemn Iran’s response. It is apartheid Israel which wants a wider regional conflict; it is apartheid Israel which launched a deadly provocative attack on the Iranian consulate ..read more

The economy of New Zealand is officially in recession. New Zealand’s gross domestic product (GDP) shrank by 0.1 percent during the October-December period, following a 0.3 percent contraction in the third quarter, according to the Statistics Department, a government agency. (see https://tradingeconomics.com/new-zealand/gdp-growth). Economists traditionally define a recession as two consecutive quarters of negative growth. On a per capita basis, the economy fared even worse, with GDP shrinking 0.7 in the last quarter of 2023 because the net immigration surge of 133,000 people in the year ..read more

It feels like a lost war, a defeat. Already in crisis, under existential pressure, the opposing forces sue for an armistice and a settled peace that is commercially viable. The collapse and retreat of the TVNZ board on the news front simultaneous to the forced surrender of NewsHub by the Americans on 10 April 2024 – a dark day for journalism, for broadcasting and for the nation – has been received in part like a general capitulation of television as an ongoing medium ie. Freeview, and a general capitulation of news and current affairs as an ongoing genre, as a thing. There’s an audience for ne ..read more

South China Sea, a multi-national response to Chinese aggression On 7 April, Australia, Japan and the United States started a ‘Maritime Cooperative Activity’ in the South China Sea.  ‘Maritime Cooperative Activity’ is military-diplomatic double-speak and means that the partner nations are conducting a demonstration of capability and resolve by deploying ships and planes into the area. The aim being to deter Chinese aggression by demonstrating that between them these nations have the naval capability to over-match China; and further that they have the resolve to do so in support of Philipp ..read more

Chris Trotter pillories Act’s Brooke Van Velden for her response to Jack Tame in  Q+A last Sunday.  While Act deserves all the scorn we can muster, this attack makes me very uncomfortable. Jack had disingenuously asked her a patsy question: “Are income tax cuts right now in the best interests of lowering inflation?” Trotter had a gleeful ‘gotcha’ moment from her affirmative reply: “ the word “WRONG!” should have flashed across the screen – in much the same way as incorrect answers are blasted on the British television show “QI”. Because, as Van Velden, herself, Hoggard, economics gra ..read more

Winston Peters’ bluff and bluster in his General Assembly speech at the United Nations yesterday are a classic case of doing one thing at home and saying another for overseas audiences. Peters’ described the war on Gaza as an “utter catastrophe” and labelled Gaza a “wasteland”. He went on to say Israel could “not be under any misconceptions as to its legal obligations”. These were strong words but meaningless in the context of what the government has failed to do at home. Mr Peters did not tell his international audience that the New Zealand government has: Refused to stop New Zealand militar ..read more

PSNA has written to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today seeking an assurance New Zealand military export orders to the US and Israel have been halted following Friday’s United Nations Human Rights Council resolution calling for a halt to all arms sales to Israel. The United Nations Human Rights Council has adopted a resolution calling for Israel to be held accountable for possible war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the Gaza Strip, and demanding a halt to all arms sales to the country. Friday’s vote marked the first time that the UN’s top rights body has taken a position on ..read more

David Robie also blogs at Café Pacific From: Pacific Media Watch Pacific Journalism Review, the Pacific and New Zealand’s only specialist media research journal, is celebrating 30 years of publishing this year — and it will mark the occasion at the Pacific Media International Conference in Fiji in July. Founded at the University of Papua New Guinea in 1994, PJR also published for five years at the University of the South Pacific in Fiji before moving on to AUT’s Pacific Media Centre (PMC).  It is currently being published by the Auckland-based Asia Pacific Media Network (APMN). Founding e ..read more

Recently, there are indications that there may be a sudden change in the land campaign. Currently, the front line remains static, Ukraine defending and Russia continuing to make marginal gains.  Probably, the spring mud season contributes to the stasis. However, a recent change in Russian tactics may provide important information about how the situation might change in coming weeks. Russia’s tactics evolving in a way that could indicate Ukraine’s defence is weakening.  However, Ukraine’s strategic air campaign against Russian oil infra-structure continues to develop and may be having ..read more