The woman at the centre of a diplomatic incident and the victim of an alleged attack says Foreign Minister Murray McCully should resign.

The Malaysian Government asked New Zealand to drop all charges against a diplomat accused of sexual assault, newly released documents show.

Prime Minister John Key says Government wanted a diplomat accused of sexual assault to face charges in New Zealand.

A diplomat accused of a sex crime was ordered out of New Zealand after invoking full diplomatic immunity.

Vladimir Putin will not stop trying to expand Russia until he has “conquered” Belarus, the Baltic states and Finland, one of his closest former advisers has said.

Up to 16,000 Russian troops have tightened their stranglehold on Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula, openly defying the US and the European Union.

Ukraine's former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko has appealed for the US and Britain to adopt the "strongest means" against Russia.

If New Zealand is shown to be helping the Five Eyes spy on trading partners in the Asia/Pacific, then nice, reassuring words won't save us.

Political editor Audrey Young is travelling to the US-NZ Partnership Forum - the first since the 2011 quakes.

Director Ben Affleck has addressed his Oscar-winning film Argo's controversial treatment of New Zealand, saying he "loves New Zealand and New Zealanders".

A new Ben Affleck film about the Iranian hostage crisis of 1979-80 suggests New Zealand's embassy in Tehran refused to shelter American fugitives.

Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully says the UN risks losing its credibility because of its inability to act over Syria.

In a key shift, the United States is lifting a ban on New Zealand navy vessels visiting US ports, and will remove obstacles to defence talks and exercises.

Defence Minister Jonathan Coleman says deepening military co-operation with the US won't endanger NZ's relationship with China, saying we can be friends with both major powers.