Governments increasingly view human rights as "a luxury" they can ill afford, Human Rights Watch said yesterday.

Supporters are preparing a candelight vigil in Sydney as hopes fade the Bali Nine duo will escape an Indonesian firing squad.

Kurdish militias claimed to have driven Isis (Islamic State) jihadists from the Syrian town of Kobane, after an intense four-month battle that killed thousands but captured the world's imagination.

In Europe and even parts of the United States, Jews report rising levels of the "oldest hatred". And we aren't immune from the subject here in New Zealand, writes Inge Woolf.

Late Saudi King Abdullah was hailed as "a strong advocate for women" - so why are four of his daughters reportedly under house arrest?

Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan are, by all accounts, model prisoners.

The right to freedom of expression is one of our fundamental rights.

The family and supporters of "one of the most abused prisoners in Guantanamo" has launched a new celebrity-backed campaign demanding his release, coinciding with the publication of his prison diary.

There is no word yet on Australian Andrew Chan's fate as Indonesia risks diplomatic tensions with its plans to execute more drug offenders this year.

Pushing the Treaty process beyond its natural limitations is spawning unintended consequences for our constitution. It is encroaching on equal citizenship.

So far we've identified the achievements of the Treaty settlement and reconciliation process, and flagged that the process is now being pushed beyond the point of being useful.

Australian PM Tony Abbott has been mocked online for saying women are "particularly focused on the household budget".

The UN's refugee agency has revealed "the most lethal route in the world" after a record number of deaths.

Middle-aged home buyers face being locked out of the property market because banks are worried they are too old to pay off their mortgage before they retire.

The southern French city of Marseille has been forced to scrap a system of yellow triangles intended to help spot homeless people after it was accused of employing Nazi-style tactics.

'It's a hotbed for the degradation of women.' A number of sexual assaults has seen several US colleges move to suspend fraternities.

Turkey's Foreign Minister says Ankara has no hard feelings towards New Zealand after its defeat in its bid to win a seat on the United Nations Security Council.

By the time the boys were returned to their parents, their jihadist kidnappers had achieved their goal: loyalty to the Islamic State (Isis).

Prime Minister John Key is expecting to receive advice over the coming weeks on further assistance New Zealand could offer to help counter the terrorist group Isis.

As the judge in the Oscar Pistorius trial was training to qualify, she changed her name from Matilda to Thokozile - the Zulu word meaning happy.

NFL player Michael Sam told reporters that he hoped in future he would be seen "as Michael Sam the football player, instead of as Michael Sam the gay football player".

A Queenstown man says he is subjected to taunts over his sexuality, which he likens to racism, every time he goes out in the resort at night.

Anxiety and anger remained a toxic cocktail in the St Louis suburb of Ferguson last night as demands for the arrest of the police officer who shot Michael Brown grew louder.

Most New Zealanders take their rights for granted, but they're rights often not realised by disabled people, writes Paul Gibson.

A confrontation occurred last night after the Governor of Missouri declared a state of emergency in Ferguson in an effort to end days of unrest.

A people smuggling operation has been uncovered in Britain, after dock workers heard screaming coming from a shipping container.

Police have said sorry for the raids on the Tuhoe people in 2007 but there will be no ministerial apology for what happened.

Two Aucklanders who share the name Wong have different opinions on Winston Peters' "two Wongs" joke.

The spate of race baiting, ethnic slurs and off-colour jokes that have marred this year's election campaign continued yesterday.