diff --git a/include/null.h b/include/null.h
index 4729803..c7c43cc 100644
--- a/include/null.h
+++ b/include/null.h
@@ -7,6 +7,9 @@
 namespace YAML
 {
 	struct _Null {};
+	inline bool operator == (const _Null&, const _Null&) { return true; }
+	inline bool operator != (const _Null&, const _Null&) { return false; }
+	
 	extern _Null Null;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/exp.h b/src/exp.h
index 1c36cb3..1b5ac74 100644
--- a/src/exp.h
+++ b/src/exp.h
@@ -33,10 +33,10 @@ namespace YAML
 		const RegEx DocStart = RegEx("---") + (BlankOrBreak || RegEx());
 		const RegEx DocEnd = RegEx("...") + (BlankOrBreak || RegEx());
 		const RegEx DocIndicator = DocStart || DocEnd;
-		const RegEx BlockEntry = RegEx('-') + BlankOrBreak;
+		const RegEx BlockEntry = RegEx('-') + (BlankOrBreak || RegEx());
 		const RegEx Key = RegEx('?'),
 		            KeyInFlow = RegEx('?') + BlankOrBreak;
-		const RegEx Value = RegEx(':') + BlankOrBreak,
+		const RegEx Value = RegEx(':') + (BlankOrBreak || RegEx()),
 		            ValueInFlow = RegEx(':') + BlankOrBreak;
 		const RegEx Comment = RegEx('#');
 		const RegEx AnchorEnd = RegEx("?:,]}%@`", REGEX_OR) || BlankOrBreak;
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ namespace YAML
 		// . In the flow context ? is illegal and : and - must not be followed with a space.
 		const RegEx PlainScalar = !(BlankOrBreak || RegEx(",[]{}#&*!|>\'\"%@`", REGEX_OR) || (RegEx("-?:", REGEX_OR) + Blank)),
 		            PlainScalarInFlow = !(BlankOrBreak || RegEx("?,[]{}#&*!|>\'\"%@`", REGEX_OR) || (RegEx("-:", REGEX_OR) + Blank));
-		const RegEx EndScalar = RegEx(':') + BlankOrBreak,
+		const RegEx EndScalar = RegEx(':') + (BlankOrBreak || RegEx()),
 		            EndScalarInFlow = (RegEx(':') + BlankOrBreak) || RegEx(",?[]{}", REGEX_OR);
 
 		const RegEx EscSingleQuote = RegEx("\'\'");
diff --git a/src/map.cpp b/src/map.cpp
index 46a6977..4682829 100644
--- a/src/map.cpp
+++ b/src/map.cpp
@@ -61,17 +61,21 @@ namespace YAML
 				throw ParserException(Mark::null(), ErrorMsg::END_OF_MAP);
 
 			Token token = pScanner->peek();
-			if(token.type != TT_KEY && token.type != TT_BLOCK_END)
+			if(token.type != TT_KEY && token.type != TT_VALUE && token.type != TT_BLOCK_END)
 				throw ParserException(token.mark, ErrorMsg::END_OF_MAP);
 
-			pScanner->pop();
-			if(token.type == TT_BLOCK_END)
+			if(token.type == TT_BLOCK_END) {
+				pScanner->pop();
 				break;
+			}
 
 			std::auto_ptr <Node> pKey(new Node), pValue(new Node);
-
-			// grab key
-			pKey->Parse(pScanner, state);
+			
+			// grab key (if non-null)
+			if(token.type == TT_KEY) {
+				pScanner->pop();
+				pKey->Parse(pScanner, state);
+			}
 
 			// now grab value (optional)
 			if(!pScanner->empty() && pScanner->peek().type == TT_VALUE) {
diff --git a/src/node.cpp b/src/node.cpp
index 587f4b3..a2230d9 100644
--- a/src/node.cpp
+++ b/src/node.cpp
@@ -243,8 +243,11 @@ namespace YAML
 
 	bool Node::GetScalar(std::string& s) const
 	{
-		if(!m_pContent)
-			return false;
+		if(!m_pContent) {
+			s = "~";
+			return true;
+		}
+		
 		return m_pContent->GetScalar(s);
 	}
 
diff --git a/src/token.h b/src/token.h
index 8bddc77..3c5fb58 100644
--- a/src/token.h
+++ b/src/token.h
@@ -30,8 +30,7 @@ namespace YAML
 		TT_ANCHOR,
 		TT_ALIAS,
 		TT_TAG,
-		TT_SCALAR,
-		TT_NULL
+		TT_SCALAR
 	};
 
 	const std::string TokenNames[] = {
@@ -52,8 +51,7 @@ namespace YAML
 		"ANCHOR",
 		"ALIAS",
 		"TAG",
-		"SCALAR",
-		"NULL"
+		"SCALAR"
 	};
 
 	struct Token {
diff --git a/yaml-reader/parsertests.cpp b/yaml-reader/parsertests.cpp
index b78cc53..721ceb9 100644
--- a/yaml-reader/parsertests.cpp
+++ b/yaml-reader/parsertests.cpp
@@ -247,5 +247,62 @@ namespace Test
 				
 			return true;
 		}
+
+		bool NullBlockSeqEntry()
+		{
+			std::string input = "- hello\n-\n- world";
+			
+			std::stringstream stream(input);
+			YAML::Parser parser(stream);
+			YAML::Node doc;
+			parser.GetNextDocument(doc);
+			
+			std::string output;
+			doc[0] >> output;
+			if(output != "hello")
+				return false;
+			doc[1] >> output;
+			if(output != "~")
+				return false;
+			doc[2] >> output;
+			if(output != "world")
+				return false;
+			
+			return true;
+		}
+		
+		bool NullBlockMapKey()
+		{
+			std::string input = ": empty key";
+			
+			std::stringstream stream(input);
+			YAML::Parser parser(stream);
+			YAML::Node doc;
+			parser.GetNextDocument(doc);
+			
+			std::string output;
+			doc[YAML::Null] >> output;
+			if(output != "empty key")
+				return false;
+			
+			return true;
+		}
+		
+		bool NullBlockMapValue()
+		{
+			std::string input = "empty value:";
+			
+			std::stringstream stream(input);
+			YAML::Parser parser(stream);
+			YAML::Node doc;
+			parser.GetNextDocument(doc);
+			
+			std::string output;
+			doc["empty value"] >> output;
+			if(output != "~")
+				return false;
+			
+			return true;
+		}
 	}
 }
diff --git a/yaml-reader/tests.cpp b/yaml-reader/tests.cpp
index 3476962..f434c03 100644
--- a/yaml-reader/tests.cpp
+++ b/yaml-reader/tests.cpp
@@ -263,7 +263,10 @@ namespace Test
 		RunParserTest(&Parser::FlowSeq, "flow seq", passed);
 		RunParserTest(&Parser::FlowMap, "flow map", passed);
 		RunParserTest(&Parser::QuotedSimpleKeys, "quoted simple keys", passed);
-
+		RunParserTest(&Parser::NullBlockSeqEntry, "null block seq entry", passed);
+		RunParserTest(&Parser::NullBlockMapKey, "null block map key", passed);
+		RunParserTest(&Parser::NullBlockMapValue, "null block map value", passed);
+		
 		RunEncodingTest(&EncodeToUtf8, false, "UTF-8, no BOM", passed);
 		RunEncodingTest(&EncodeToUtf8, true, "UTF-8 with BOM", passed);
 		RunEncodingTest(&EncodeToUtf16LE, false, "UTF-16LE, no BOM", passed);
diff --git a/yaml-reader/tests.h b/yaml-reader/tests.h
index 106b44c..e205166 100644
--- a/yaml-reader/tests.h
+++ b/yaml-reader/tests.h
@@ -34,6 +34,9 @@ namespace Test {
 		bool FlowSeq();
 		bool FlowMap();
 		bool QuotedSimpleKeys();
+		bool NullBlockSeqEntry();
+		bool NullBlockMapKey();
+		bool NullBlockMapValue();
 	}
 	
 	namespace Emitter {