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Businessman Howard Moore  has outed the All Whites for failing to turn-up at a Kea breafast in Shanghai after a night out at the infamous M1nt Club with the local hotties. Moore said on Facebook, that it was “Great to see the All Whites vs China last night here in Shanghai. The All Whites probably deserved to win based on …

As the world’s most populous nation unveils its new leadership, China’s political masters now face the unenviable task of addressing a slowing economy, rampant corruption, environmental pollution and deteriorating relations with some of its neighbours. The FT’s Beijing correspondents outline some of the challenges faced by China’s new generation of political leaders.

Xi Jinping is to take the reins of China’s all-powerful Communist Party in a leadership transition that will put him in charge of the world’s number-two economy for the next decade. Xi, the current vice president and successor to President Hu Jintao, assumes power at an uncertain time with the party facing urgent calls to clean its ranks of corruption and overhaul …

U2’s Bono sits down with World Bank President Jim Young Kim to talk about what’s needed to end poverty. Bono estimates that the billions of dollars of tax hikes and potential funding cuts in the US could affect  275,000 people and lead to around 65,000 deaths.  The figures come from the American Foundation for AIDS Research. Bono said based on …

New Chinese leader Xi Jinping has acknowledged the Communist party faces problems including  “corruption, taking bribes, being out of touch with the people.” Xi  today secured the Communist Party’s top spot as general secretary and consolidated his power base by also being appointed head of the commission that oversees the military (PLA). Xi’s elevation to the two top Chinese roles …

The Land and Water Forum is to be congratulated for a comprehensive third report that has the buy-in of most interested parties and provides a strong path forward for the management of freshwater in New Zealand, says Labour’s Environment spokesperson Grant Robertson. “The Land and Water Forum’s collaborative process takes into account the views of 58 interest groups and yet …

The Land and Water Forum (LWF) today published its third and final report on how freshwater management in New Zealand can be improved. The forum proposes a collaborative approach at both national and catchment levels to set and implement objectives for waterways, prescribe limits for takes and discharges where these are required, and to find fair, efficient and accountable ways …

Defence Minister Dr Jonathan Coleman is departing for Perth today to hold talks with the Australian Defence Minister, Stephen Smith on the outskirts of the Ausmin conference. It will be their first formal talks since they signed the Australia-New Zealand Defence Relationship Review at Melbourne in January this year. “We have an excellent defence relationship with Australia and this meeting …

The Government is supporting a $26 million initiative that seeks to boost aquaculture by domesticating the New Zealand Greenshell Mussel. SPATnz is a venture led by Sanford which has received a commitment of up to $13 million from the Government’s Primary Growth Partnership Fund for a seven-year project. Formal contracts have just been signed, following development of a business plan. The …

China Investment Corp – is in talks with New Zealand dairy giant Fonterra Co-Operative Group about investing in its shareholder fund  – according to the Wall St Journal. The WSJ reported today that CIC, which manages a chunk of China’s massive foreign-exchange reserves, is considering investing in the Fonterra non-voting units later this month with its initial investment expected to …