The head of Egypt's military, Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, sat with a polite smile in the front row listening to President Mohammed Morsi give a 2 1/2-hour speech defending his year in office.

As millions of Muslim pilgrims prepare to converge on holy sites in Saudi Arabia this [northern] autumn, the global health community is anxiously monitoring an outbreak of a respiratory virus known as Mers.

Fresh from toppling the country's first democratically elected leader, Egypt's military risked further outrage from the Muslim Brotherhood by arresting the group's Supreme Guide as he was staying in a resort by the Mediterranean coast.

Thanks to blockbuster movies and intrepid travel programmes, New Zealanders are broadening their holiday horizons.

More than half a million people fled Syria's civil war last year, and the UN says that number could double by the end of 2013.

Visit Israel and you swiftly adjust to the solemnity with which its people honours its history, as Kevin Pilley found.

A peace activist was detained for 48 hours before being sent back to New Zealand for trying to enter Israel on a tourist visa.

Marina Erakovic's recent run of good form came to an abrupt halt yesterday when she was ousted in the first round of the prestigious Indian Wells tennis tournament in California, going down 6-3 6-4 to former world No 12 Shahar Peer from Israel.

Hamas and Fatah, the two rival Palestinian political factions, are in talks about forming a unity government, with Hamas leader Khaled Meshal claiming long-stalled elections in the occupied territories are also being planned.

There is more to see in Dubai than the world’s tallest building, largest shopping malls and indoor ski fields. Situated conveniently between New Zealand and Europe, Dubai makes an excellent stopover, but it’s also a cool destination in its own right.

On second anniversary of fall of Mubarak, Egyptians take to Tahrir Square over lack of progress.

Lupe Fiasco has been rushed off stage at a pre-inauguration concert for Barack Obama after performing an anti-war song telling the audience he did not vote for the President.