Up to 70,000 Syrians are heading for Turkey, threatening to send a new wave of refugees into Europe as Syria's civil war intensifies.

Isis is building an "army of the poor" in its new haven in Libya by recruiting foot soldiers from Africa's poorest nations, intelligence chiefs warn.

Qatar Airways to launch new route from Doha to Auckland that will become the longest flight in the world.

Middle Eastern carrier Qatar Airways has plans to fly to New Zealand.

Bringing Iran back from the cold has implications for New Zealand. With restrictions lifted, exporters should expect demand to rebound.

The Irish are descended from early Middle East farmers and from bronze metalworkers on the steppes around the Black Sea, scientists have found.

COMMENT: Russia's President has been taught a lesson with the shooting of a warplane over Turkish air space.

Mohammed Emwazi was killed by a missile fired from a Reaper drone over Raqqa in Syria.

One of the men impersonated a pregnant woman and was pushed in a wheelchair.

Fighting to protect the tyranny of Assad because of the fear of the evil of Isis would be pointless.

Nothing less than a multifaceted strategy is required to address both the political causes and the military symptoms of the rise of Isis, writes Robert Patman.

The generosity of Kiwis has helped that the plight of millions of refugees.

Rachel Smalley is drawn into the nightmare of two brothers who are separated en route to Germany.

Rachel Smalley comes face to face with the grim reality of life as a refugee in Turkey as she witnesses how families try to rebuild their lives.

Hundreds of thousands of Syrians are dead, millions are displaced or living as refugees, and 13.5 million people are relying on aid just to sustain their lives.

Rachel Smalley meets a couple of children affected differently by the ordeal but with equally unclear futures.

Every parent does it. I know I do. We have great hopes for our children.

Josh Emett dines out in Dubai and discovers the best creme brulee he has tasted.

Rachel Smalley reports about a couple's 2000km trip over land and sea with handicapped twins getting closer to their goal: 'To live respectful lives'.

The Forgotten Millions Campaign travels to the epicentre of the refugee crisis in Europe. Today, we reveal the human toll of the crisis.

My role, as a journalist, should be to act as a witness; to report on the situation as a bystander and then leave it as I found it, but an incident in 2013 changed my perspective, writes Rachel Smalley.

Immigration Minister confirms New Zealand will take a total of 750 Syrian refugees - 600 in an emergency intake over and above the usual annual quota of 750.

Church communities around New Zealand can host and settle an extra 1200 Syrian refugees, the Anglican and Catholic Church says.

The one-off intake will go "over and above" New Zealand's annual refugee quota, but will not number into the thousands, Prime Minister says.

Today the Herald restarts its campaign The Forgotten Millions to help refugees from the Syrian crisis.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has told fellow leaders that Europe has a duty to shelter refugees, rebuffing Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Rachel Smalley is set to return to the Middle East this year as she continues to spread awareness and raise money for the growing refugee crisis.

The three US airlines say competition from rapidly-expanding Persian Gulf carriers has cut their passenger load to the Middle East and Asia by more than 20%.

Celebrated New Zealand author Charlotte Grimshaw follows Ramadan, starting in Dubai and ending on the West Bank.

Forts and watchtowers by the hundred in the sultanate of Oman point to a fierce past.