Four and a half years and hundreds of thousands of deaths later, the end of the rebellion in Syria is drawing near.

Some fares to London aboard one of the world's top airlines have dropped to equal a record low.

Syrian forces are arresting and forcibly conscripting civilians fleeing opposition-held areas of east Aleppo, relatives of detainees say.

A 15-year-old boy who tried to enter a football stadium wearing a suicide belt has spoken of the training he was given by Isis and his disappointment at failing.

COMMENT: A number of lessons can be learned from Belgium. This is particularly true for NZ where the problem of Islamic extremism is much more manageable.

Syrian rebel groups have promised to continue their war by adopting the guerrilla tactics of assassinations, armed raids and roadside bombs.

An outspoken billionaire Saudi prince wants an 'urgent' end to his country's ban on women driving.

New Zealand's partnership with Jordan was never more important than it is today, says Jordan's King Abdullah II.

Woman arrested after alleging rape is told she's free to go after case collapses.

The US presidential election has become an object lesson in everything that ails a country long seen as a beacon of freedom and hope.

Thousands of residents poured out of eastern neighbourhoods of Mosul yesterday, the first significant wave of people to escape the city held by Isis.

The United Nations have said that at least 239 migrants have drowned this week in two shipwrecks off the coast of Libya.

More than 300 child soldiers, dubbed the "cubs of the caliphate", have reportedly been killed after being sent into battle.

Iran's supreme leader says the statements made by the frontrunners in the US Presidential race are proof of the destruction of human values in the United States,"

COMMENT: It is time to sober up. The superpowers are drunk on rhetoric, mistrust and posturing. They are dragging us all towards the brink.

Qatar Airways will start flying next year and is offering fares as low as $1455 from Auckland to Europe return.

Nick Jenkins discovers a friendly way to visit the turbulent Middle East.

Iraq has launched its biggest fight against Isis. PM Haider al-Abadi pledged to raise the Iraqi flag over Mosul once more.

A stalled free trade deal with Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries will be completed, Trade Minister Todd McClay has announced.

On a clear afternoon last Monday a line of humanitarian aid trucks eased to a stop in front of a cluster of warehouses packed with aid supplies 24km outside the Syrian city of Aleppo.

Alison Stephenson realises why her luxury hotel was so cheap - it's 50C outside.

'Magnificent mosques, diverse history and unrivalled hospitality,' are drawcards for the country.

COMMENT: Burkinis be damned is the one-sided debate raging here in France. Comeback king Nicolas Sarkozy has promised voters he'll ban the burkini.

Graham Reid spends 24 hours in Dubai International's famously huge and busy terminals.

A Kiwi team is battling sweltering and dusty conditions in the Middle East.

Dubai's new rainforest hotel will make for a unique guest experience.

An Islamic State insider has revealed the never-before-told story of the shadowy meeting that spawned the bloodthirsty terror group.

In parts of the world right now, it feels like 60C. Experts fear it won't be long till the scorching heat threatens human survival.

Christopher Adams runs into an alarming situation in a Middle Eastern market.

US-backed Syrian fighters have found evidence that the Islamic State has rewritten school textbooks to promote its violent ideology.