Australian special forces and aircraft will not be sent into Iraq until the Cabinet considers a risk assessment and the United Nations gives the operation the nod.

Cameras captured the moment a Palestinian man was allegedly shot by an Israeli sniper while he searched for his family, before being shot again as he struggled to get up.

This winter was not a good one for farmers in the Fertile Crescent.

Pope Francis sacked the five-man board of the Vatican's financial watchdog - all Italians - in the latest move to break with a murky past under his predecessor.

Pope Francis has called for Christians, Jews and Muslims to work together for peace as he toured holy sites in Jerusalem on the final day of his Middle East pilgrimage.

His only previous trip to the Middle East had to be cut short after the outbreak of one of its worst crises - the 1973 Yom Kippur War that pitted Israel against Egypt and Syria.

To some, they are heroes ready to trade their personal liberty for the sake of high principle. To others, they are spoiled rich children, shirking their national duty on the backs of the less fortunate.

The second round of peace talks for Syria have now collapsed. This double failure will accelerate the death toll.

The fate of dozens of men detained by the Syrian security forces as they left the besieged city of Homs is continuing to cause international concern.

A New Zealand Army officer serving as a United Nations military observer was detained and released by armed men in Syria on Monday.

A senior Taliban leader thought to be behind a roadside bombing in which three New Zealand soldiers died has reportedly been killed by coalition forces.

A New Zealand documentary maker has escaped the Gaza Strip in a taxi as Israeli air strikes began while he was filming.