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The war on Iran is in its fourth week. Here’s what to know
Three full weeks of the war the US and Israel launched against Iran have shocked the world oil market, pierced a sense of safety in parts of the Middle East, and claimed lives in multiple countries.
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In the next pandemic, NZ doesn’t need to choose between health and the economy
9:40 am todayAnalysis - Covid models helped counter the virus but revealed less about the impacts of emergency measures. More sophisticated modelling can help balance those…
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Oil crisis exposes NZ's petrol dependence
21 Mar 2026Soaring prices is shine a spotlight on New Zealand's love affair with petrol vehicles.
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Trump adds to his list of insensitive comments on the dead
22 Mar 2026Analysis - For years, US President Donald Trump has offered crass and insensitive comments about people who died - especially his foes.
Comment & Analysis headlines with summaries.
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US and Israel tactics diverge over Trump's 'fuzzy' goals
20 Mar 2026Analysis: Earlier this month, the United States voiced unease after Israel bombed fuel depots around Tehran, smothering the city of 10 million people with toxic black smoke.
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What strikes on the world's largest natural gas sites could do to the global economy
20 Mar 2026Analysis: A wave of attacks on energy production sites across the Middle East has turned the spotlight on another crucial fossil fuel: liquefied natural gas.
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Prime Minister retreats to safe law and order ground in Pacific
Analysis: When stuck in a bind, Christopher Luxon can always rely on talking about law and order.
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Takeaways from US intelligence officials' testimony amid war with Iran
19 Mar 2026Analysis - Officials, including Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, repeatedly either contradicted Trump and the administration's claims about the war, or failed to back them up.
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Sophie Devine will earn $470,000 this season - she's the exception
18 Mar 2026Analysis - For most elite women athletes, professional sport still doesn't pay enough to make a living. But strategic investment will grow their visibility and earning power.
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Resignations and refusals: Trump increasingly isolated in Iran war
Analysis: US President Donald Trump has already lost friends abroad; now he's starting to lose them at home.
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If Trump has already won in Iran, why is he now asking for help?
17 Mar 2026Analysis - A week ago, the US President told Britain not to bother sending ships, because he'd already won the war. Audio
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Trump needs China's help in oil crisis - and is unlikely to get it
17 Mar 2026Analysis - Two weeks before the US president is scheduled to hash out critical US-China disputes, he's set a new condition for negotiations. Audio
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'The day will come': Halasima provides 80-minute performance in Warriors win
14 Mar 2026Analysis: Seven days earlier, coach Andrew Webster forecast what came to pass against Canberra Raiders.
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Trump may be unable to end the war, even if he wants to
Analysis: The US President is now caught in the oldest trap of modern warfare.
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How Trump and Vance are 'philosophically a little bit different' on Iran
How does launching Operation Epic Fury square with the principles of a man who stated Trump's best foreign policy was not starting any wars?
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'Boom Boom' US propaganda vs the reality in Iran
Analysis: The US government doesn't simply want Americans to support the war; it wants to pump people up.
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Iran war threatens to undermine Trump's favourite bragging point
The war with Iran is threatening to disrupt Trump's economic agenda, sending stocks lower and pushing yields and the dollar higher.
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Britain and the US had a special bond. This war might have changed that
12 Mar 2026Analysis: When British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer declared in parliament this month that his government "does not believe in regime change from the skies", he did two things.
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Does Donald Trump even know what’s happening in Iran?
Analysis: There are no signs that the US President's decisions on the war will be grounded in reality any time soon.
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Commercial space technology is shaping the Iran war – the law can’t keep up
A combination of advanced battlefield tactics and the rapid commercialisation of space technology means international law is now falling well behind.
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Luxon doubles down as more worrying polling emerges
9 Mar 2026Analysis: It's a bold prime minister who assumes the support of his entire caucus after one of his worst weeks in the job. Audio
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Meet 'Tous', an entirely new kind of mammal
9 Mar 2026A plantation worker photographed the animal thought to have been dead for 6000 years.
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Iran defies Trump and names new Supreme Leader
Analysis: Iran's clerical leadership chose confrontation over compromise.
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Insolvencies have spiked - would a law change help?
Analysis: New Zealand has been experiencing a striking rise in company failures, focusing attention on the role of directors when facing financial trouble.
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What would it take for Luxon to quit?
6 Mar 2026Analysis - One of Luxon's weaknesses has been his inability to take feedback. Another is his complete lack of self-doubt, writes Jo Moir.
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In Trump's precarious world, NZ will need all the middle‑sized friends it can get
6 Mar 2026Analysis: The hard part remains: how can middle and smaller powers effectively work together when still mostly reliant on great powers for security, trade and technology?
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Why Dave Rennie's Wallabies struggles could help the All Blacks
5 Mar 2026Analysis - His toughest chapters - not just his title-winning highs - may shape a smarter, stronger All Blacks era, writes Tony Johnson. Audio
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Trump's awkwardness about US deaths in Iran
Analysis: Speaking about dead and wounded service members is a blind spot for the US President.
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