Star doing her bit to draw world’s attention to new nation’s refugees of civil war, writes Judith Woods

Kurdish leaders accuse Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki of being hysterical and unbalanced, while he says the Kurdish capital, Erbil, is a centre for the Islamic State (Isis) and adherents of Saddam Hussein.

The son of a World War II prisoner of war and hero of the Battle of Crete has admitted stealing nearly $90,000 from his dead father's veterans' pension.

It was at the corner of Wehada St that the missile hit Mohammed Shaaban's car - and almost certainly propelled Israel's phoney war with Hamas into an all-out conflict.

A Kiwi sniper fighting in Afghanistan was killed by friendly fire after a US fighter pilot failed to enter attack co-ordinates into his onboard computer, an inquest has heard.

A memorial plaque immortalising Kiwis awarded the Victoria Cross during WW1 has been donated to New Zealand by the UK Government.

A video game that recreates the Battle of El Alamein has been backed by old Kiwi soldiers who want children to learn more about World War II.

Iraq has bought used fighter jets from Russia and Belarus to battle Islamist militants after delays by the US to deliver planes.

Well, which is it? Would New Zealand support a United States intervention in Iraq, as the Prime Minister said in Washington?

United States Secretary of State John Kerry landed in Baghdad last night on a surprise trip to push for Iraqi unity and stability, as Sunni militants advanced in west Iraq after security forces retreated.

Islamists leading the jihadist advance in Iraq are using the World Cup to seek recruits and spread their propaganda via social media, according to reports.

The Iraqi Army and Isis rebels are battling for control of Iraq's largest refinery outside Baiji, north of Baghdad, with each side holding part of the complex.

A WW II Grenade has been detonated in Waikato after being found by children yesterday.

The humanitarian situation in Syria is worsening and the number of people needing urgent help has reached 10.8 million.

A major new report has revealed that the numbers of refugees, asylum-seekers and internally displaced people worldwide has soared to 50 million for the first time since World War II.

The United States should launch targeted military attacks against an emerging "terrorist army" in Iraq if the security of the West is jeopardised, the former head of coalition forces in the country said yesterday.

Tom Sandford admits he has forgotten the details. Asked how he proposed to wife Carol 70 years ago, he pauses, before laughing heartily: "Oh, I can't remember."

It was once the emblem of United States military success in Iraq - the city where American forces defeated their adversaries twice.

The Sunni revolt led by Isis shock troops is getting ever closer to Baghdad, amid fears the capital itself might soon be engulfed by the violence.

The search for three teenagers who disappeared last week plunged Israeli-Palestinian relations into a deepening crisis yesterday.

Iraq's war of sectarian vengeance has its first pictures of record: images that show Sunni extremist fighters massacring army soldiers.

Tony Blair said Britain needed to take action in Iraq and Syria to stop a 'total disaster' that could see jihadist fighters returning to strike in their own country.

The footage, posted online as Isis propaganda videos, reveals the cruel psychopathy of men whose humanity has been lost to the extremist cause.