POLITICS & POLICY

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key rejected claims that the government has become "too soft" on Israel amid calls for the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador. Violence continues to erupt in Gaza as another school run by the United Nations has been hit.

The United Nations called it a “criminal act” as Israel attacked a school in southern Gaza.

The Ukrainian has reportedly recaptured 75 per cent of the Donetsk territory so far.

Canada’s open slamming of China for the NRC cyber attack has snowballed into open spat between the two sides. China in its latest rejoinder charged Canada of hurling baseless allegations on it, reports Globe and Mail. In a statement China's foreign ministry rebuked Canada for making “irresponsible accusations that lacked credible evidence” in the matter of Chinese hackers having attacked the National Research Council’s (NRC) vital computer networks.

Israel tapped U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s phone while he was negotiating for a ceasefire in the Middle-East.

Over 381 people have died after a fatally strong magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck in south-west China at 08:30:13.50 UTC on Sunday.

The Malaysian diplomat accused of sexual assault has not yet returned to New Zealand to face charges despite the Malaysian authorities' waiver of immunity. New Zealand Prime Minister Murray McCully said Muhammad Rizalman bin Ismail will return "sometime soon."

The Dutch and Australian forensic experts have found human remains at the site of the flight MH17 crash in eastern Ukraine. The discovery came on the first day of their search at the site which is some 35 sq km inside the conflict zone, reported BBC.

Beware all bar-room brawlers and drink-drivers of London. The Lindsay Lohan famous ankle tags are after you to detect alcoholism! According to BBC, London Mayor Boris Johnson has introduced the reform in London to check Alcohol-recedivism that is threatening the high streets and deterring people from enjoying the city, especially at night.

The conviction of John Banks, MP and former Act Party leader for community detention, will bear many implications for the polity of New Zealand.

A committee of UK lawmakers has warned that the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) is not well prepared to face the new threat posed by Russia and many deficiencies are dogging its command structures.

The peace, though for 72 hours for the time being, comes as a great respite for the Palestinian people, who have been counting corpses for the last 24 days.

Australia has declared August 7 a national day of mourning for the victims of the downed Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17. A national memorial service will be held in Melbourne on the same day to coincide with the day of mourning.

Bell FX Currency Outlook: The Australian Dollar traded below the .9300 level for the first time in weeks as the USD was stronger against all the major currencies.

A gold reserve holding 127 tonnes of the precious safe haven yellow metal has been discovered in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The find is estimated to be worth 40 billion yuan ($6.5 billion).

Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper reiterated Canada’s support to Israel and blamed Hamas squarely for the death and destruction in Gaza. Harper was unfazed by the US criticism of Israel for the attack on UN schools in Gaza and said no one likes the suffering and loss of life. But the terrorist organization Hamas must be blamed for the bloodshed.

Theodore Dutch Van Kirk, the last surviving member of the crew that dropped atomic bomb on Hiroshima died in Georgia. He was 93. Van Kirk was just 24 when he became the navigator of Enola Gay. The atom bomb assault on Japan in 1945 and killed an estimated 140,000 people. But Van Kirk never bore any regrets about the mission and always called it a positive step that helped in ending the Second World War soon.

Asylum seekers who are being held in a remote detention centre in Western Australia have shown signs of torture and trauma. Australia Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said the claims came from a "very reliable source" which prompted her to visit the detention centre on July 30.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has declared he is more concerned about the recovery of bodies from the MH17 crash site in Ukraine than imposing more sanctions on Russia. Mr Abbott said Australia's priority was getting access to the site under the separatists' control.

WikiLeaks accused Australia of issuing an official order to Australian media to suppress any information involving multinational bribery allegations against international leaders in the country. The order was allegedly issued in the name of national security.

The United Nations as well as the United States condemned Israel after an Israeli missile attack on a Gaza school killed at least 15 people and injured more than 100 on Wednesday, July 30.

New Zealand's Labour Party has promised an additional $2 per hour to the minimum wage ahead of the September election. The party announced it will eliminate the 90-day work trial as part of Labour's work and wages policy.

Officials found it more difficult to investigate the MH17 crash site as reports emerged that there were landmines placed near the location.

Canada's Conservative government is getting ready with a new anti-prostitution bill. The move follows the Canadian Supreme Court striking down major statutes against prostitution last year. The court ruling had signalled a move towards decriminalisation of sex work. Critics fears that the provisions in the bill will turn counterproductive and appear draconian.

The election debate in New Zealand is getting into a high pitch with politicians being urged to confine their focus within relevant issues. According to a TVZ report, the Race Relations Commissioner has ticked off an ACT leader for his comments on the privileges enjoyed by Maoris, including seats in Parliament.

The Colmar Brunton opinion poll for Television New Zealand’s One News shows that the ruling National Party is way ahead of others with 52 per cent popular support, followed by Labour at 28 per cent and Green Party with 10 per cent. New Zealand goes to polls on Sept 20.

A national leader from Iran has asked the Muslims to supply arms to Palestine so that Hamas can fight Israel well.

.Canada is getting ready to clinch a trade deal with the European Union. The CBC CA report says the Canadian Trade Minister Ed Fast’s office is claiming excellent progress in the trade pact despite reports of Germany being unhappy.

The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) has started targeting companies now that the carbon tax has been scrapped. It has specifically ordered airline companies Qantas and Virgin to explain why they cannot pass on to travelers the supposed savings they generated from implementing the said tax.