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.

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.