The New Zealand dollar rose to a four-year high against the yen after Japan’s Liberal Democratic party swept to power, mustering enough support to enact sweeping economic reforms and weaken the currency. The kiwi dollar jumped to 71.33 yen, the highest since September 2008, from 70.57 yen in New York on Friday. The kiwi traded at 84.54 US cents from …

Global efforts to get a new deal to combat climate change are foundering because they are based on the competitive mindset of trade negotiations rather than collaborative problem-solving, says Green Party climate change spokesman Kennedy Graham. Speaking at a Victoria University-hosted briefing on the outcomes of the latest round of global climate change talks in Doha, Graham said trade and …

SAME OLD SAME OLD IN JAPAN .  According to exit polls the Liberal Democratic Party has won a large majority in Japan ’s parliamentary elections. The return of Shinzo Abe marks Japan ’s seventh PM in fewer than seven years. Watch for a potential increase in tensions with China as Abe has talked tough regarding the disputed islands. The LDP has …