Jill Worrall laments the closure of a popular teahouse where visitors once recited the words of mystical poet Hafez.

The King of Jordan's sister has appealed to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to stop the slaughter of conscious animals for halal meat in Australia.

Jill Worrall visits the roadside inns which once housed camel caravans travelling the silk road.

Jill Worrall wonders how much longer Iran's leaders can control the personal freedoms of its citizens.

Tired of holy sites? Try tuning in to Nazareth's heavy metal scene.

Mental health professionals say use of the synthetic opioid Tramadol has risen sharply in Gaza since Israel's three-week Operation Cast Lead offensive.

It's impossible to envisage the All Whites living on the same planet as the world's best soccer sides.

Burj Dubai, the world's tallest tower, will open on December 2.

A young war veteran dies after receiving cancerous lungs from a heavy smoker in a transplant.

US President Barack Obama's recent Nobel Peace Prize has generated much praise as well consternation around the world.

There was a deserved "mission accomplished" tag to the New Zealand performance in holding higher-rated Bahrain to 0-0 in Manama yesterday.

Come November 14, NZ soccer will be hoping for a dose of the foulest weather the capital can muster.