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 …

The clock is ticking ever more rapidly as a budget deal between US Democrats and Republicans remains elusive, with less than two weeks before about $US600 billion of tax increases and spending cuts take effect, potentially pushing the world’s biggest economy into recession. Last week made clear that lawmakers have made little progress in talks and that is capturing the …