US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visit to NZ is expected to mark the start of a closer relationship, Fran O'Sullivan looks at what's on the agenda.

Hillary Clinton's visit to NZ this month comes at a time of continued growth in the relationship with the US, Murray McCully says.

British intelligence passed on to US authorities about a Nigerian accused of trying to blow up a Detroit-bound airliner - but he was not singled out as a particular risk, Prime Minister Gordon Brown's office said Monday.

The closure of the US embassy in Yemen highlights how vulnerable embassy facilities and its workers are in the age of the suicide bomber writes Patrick Cockburn.

The US will not ask New Zealand to send more troops to Afghanistan as part of Barack Obama's final surge, its new ambassador to Wellington says.

US Ambassador David Huebner should fit in just fine in New Zealand: he loves rugby and drinking beer and wine.

John Key is preparing to attend the Copenhagen summit, with tickets provisionally booked as a 'precautionary step'.

A New Zealander was preparing to skipper a yacht in an international race when the boat was seized by Iranian authorities in territorial waters.

NZ would pay about $30m a year for at least three years into a US$10bn fund for developing countries to adopt low carbon-emitting policies, John Key has indicated.

The Queen yesterday urged the Commonwealth's members to lead the world in responding to global climate change.

Prime Minister John Key had a one-on-one meeting with the Queen in Trinidad this morning.