A Maori hymn was sung before Margaret Thatcher's ashes were laid to rest in London late last night (NZT).

The US Government is moving closer to a shutdown, amid a deepening stand-off between the White House and Republicans demanding an Obamacare roll-back.

For almost three years the National Security Agency has been tapping the data it collects to map out some Americans' social connections.

"This is a big f***ing deal," Vice President Joe Biden famously said as Barack Obama signed his healthcare reform into law back in 2010. And it is.

The world's chemical weapons watchdog approved an ambitious and risky accelerated plan to rid Syria of its chemical arsenal.

Prime Minister John Key says a draft Security Council resolution on Syria does not go far enough in ensuring the Syrian regime is held to account.