It is unfortunate that critics of Sri Lanka like Amnesty International's New Zealand executive director Grant Bayldon remain blinded to the significant progress in that country.

John Key is supremely confident that the United States has not been spying on his communications the way it evidently has been some of its Europe allies.

Justice Minister Judith Collins says she believes China is serious about clamping down on corruption under its new leadership.

The Obama Administration is considering ending spying on allied heads of state, a senior Administration official said.

Editorial: President Obama is in some trouble with friends and allies in Europe. Spying - even on friends - is as old as statecraft. What has changed is the method.

United States officials claim the White House only discovered the National Security Agency was spying on world leaders in the middle of the year.

People-smugglers are promoting passage to NZ for $17,000 and describe it to would-be customers as "the cruise ship option", secret recordings reveal.

New claims have emerged over the extent of United States intelligence agencies' monitoring of the mobile phone of Chancellor Angela Merkel.