The Saudi Arabian visit was a return to the old Key model of jet setting, glad-handing and grandstanding, which we can now see has never worked, writes Paul Little.

After years of objection from right-wing Israeli groups, the Jerusalem District Planning and Building Committee last month approved initial plans for 2500 houses on 150ha of land in the Kidron Valley in Al Sawahra.

The deaths of vulnerable people who are in state care or custody could have less independent scrutiny if proposed law changes go ahead.

I looked back through the archives to see whether Minister for Women, Louise Upston, had ever, in fact, said or done anything actually worthwhile for the women of NZ, writes Dita De Boni.

The executions of Bali Nine duo Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran has drawn much international criticism, but what do those who live in Indonesia think?

Prime Minister John Key has met with the Saudi Arabian king and raised the issue of human rights.

The Nigerian army has rescued 200 girls and 93 women who had been captured by terror group Boko Haram.

Rock superstar Serj Tankian may call NZ home - but today he'll be in Armenia, commemorating the lives of his ancestors lost to genocide 100 years ago.

A judge has granted the legal right of habeas corpus to two chimpanzees being held at a biomedical research facility in the US - a decision that animal rights activists hailed as the first time chimps that had been afforded the status of legal "persons".

The Human Rights Commission and two other groups want to join a legal challenge by a terminally ill woman seeking the right for a doctor to help her die without criminal prosecution.

New Zealand’s human rights watchdog has added its voice to those calling for drastic action to tackle New Zealand’s housing problems.

It's a safe, diverse and democratic country with a high standard of health care, a low cost of living, and virtually no violent crime or stray dogs.

A year after Islamic extremists Boko Haram kidnapped 220 girls from a girls boarding school in Nigeria, most of the girls are still missing.

Race Relations Commissioner Dame Susan Devoy was advised to ignore calls and don't answer the phone following concerns raised over foreign drivers.

A dual NZ-British citizen jailed in Burma for using an image of the Buddha to promote his bar has been "abandoned" by the British Foreign Office, according to human rights campaigners.

New Zealand's image as a global human rights leader is not backed up by performance at home, a new report says.

Popular pet food brands sold in New Zealand have been caught up in disturbing claims of slavery on the high seas.

On Race Relations Day, commissioner Dame Susan Devoy talks to Phil Taylor about the challenges of the job and the crossroads we have reached .

The Swedish Government this week decided to scrap an arms deal with Saudi Arabia, effectively bringing to an end a decade-old defence agreement with the kingdom.

A liquor store worker who was threatened, assaulted, called a "f***ing Indian" and "Indian dog" by his employer has been awarded $45,000 in damages.

Fighting began in the key central Iraqi city of Tikrit, birthplace of the former dictator Saddam Hussein, as government forces and Shia militia launched a major assault to displace Isis jihadists.

New Zealand is among the best in the world at expanding human rights, religious tolerance and peaceful dialogue, writes David Rutherford.

Edmund Burke once said political decisions often involve a choice between intolerable and disagreeable options.

The Judicature Modernisation Bill had its second reading last week. Somehow it has not led the news, Dr Richard Cornes writes.

A forensic mental health nurse who had sex with a recent patient after giving her wine quit his district health board job as soon as he was outed.

The conviction of Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim on sodomy charges has prompted widespread outrage.

The mastermind behind the Bali Nine drug trafficking plot is reportedly living large after winning the lottery as two Australians face execution.

Indonesian authorities are waiting for a Nigerian drug boss and others to receive word their clemency bids have been rejected before scheduling their executions and that of two Australians.