"Inflation is still under control but no thanks to the Government," Labour finance spokesperson Michael Cullen said today.

"The CPI data for the June quarter, excluding credit services, show a 0.5 percent rise taking the annual figure to 1.2 percent, up from 1 percent in March. Although relatively modest, the movement was higher than market expectations.

"And much of it can be sheeted back directly to Government policy. Big contributors were the recent sharp increases in car registration and drivers' licence fees and the round of power price rises which followed the Government's electricity reforms.

"These influences are unhelpful given emerging inflationary pressures in the housing market and the likely impact of today's increase in petrol prices," Dr Cullen said.

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>