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.

How to explain Peters' "two Wongs don't make a right" excuse for a joke, writes John Armstrong.

The days of the military strongman are on the wane around the world - few people would be sad about that.

Prime Minister John Key is rejecting claims the Government is too soft on Israel and should expel the Israeli Ambassador.

Social media has become one of the weapons of war. The Israeli army, which has been on Twitter since 2009, now has 286,000 followers.

Washington has warned Israel against any ground invasion of Gaza, as the UN says more than 40 of the 176 dead were children.

Actress Angelina Jolie will visit the asylum seeker detention centre on Nauru in a move likely to put further international pressure on the Australian Government's harsh policies.

A parent has taken concerns about religious teaching to the Human Rights Commission in the latest effort to remove the lessons from state school time.

Samsung said 59 suppliers failed to provide adequate safety equipment for workers as the smartphone maker struggles to improve labour standards in China.

British High Commissioner Vicki Treadell says Britain would not abuse diplomatic immunity because it is there for a good reason.

Dress from a British retail store contained a label reading 'forced to work exhausting hours'.

Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner Jackie Blue is calling for targets to close gender and ethnic pay gaps in the public service.

They were four generations of one family, ranging in age from 98 to a few weeks, united by the desire for sanctuary and a better life.

Two teenage cousins found hanging from a mango tree may in fact have been murdered in an honour killing by members of their own family.

The image of Tank Man quickly became a powerful symbol of the Tiananmen Square massacre but the fate of the ‘unknown rebel’ is still debated.

Police broke the law and breached the human rights of hundreds of people when they blocked a Chch street for seven hours to check 200 cars, the IPCA has ruled.

A survey on how family violence affects victims' work is "chilling but compulsory" reading for Government leaders, the Human Rights Commission says.

The father of a transgender beauty pageant contestant says he lost a son but gained a daughter in accepting her.

A Hamilton girl has taken out the New Zealand final of an inaugural pub beauty pageant.

Contestants of a "battle of the babes" competition say they're looking forward to competing against a transgender teenager at the NZ final tonight.

'Help, help, help', started the note found by a shopper buying boots from a New York department store, from a man claiming to be held in a Chinese prison factory.

Women earn less than men because they are seen as pushovers when they don't negotiate hard and are seen as "ball-breakers" when they do, a psychologist says.