Chinese companies are big winners in the competition among foreign bidders for stakes in Abu Dhabi's largest oil concession.

A statement from the Trump administration called Iran's missile launch 'provocative', but did not outline any actions it intends to take.

A former New Zealand student who built a bomb used in an Isis suicide attack was allegedly inspired by a close friend's death.

A security expert is calling for more scrutiny of foreign students coming here to study following a former student in NZ being gunned down in Saudi Arabia after planning an attack.

A woman in Saudi Arabia who posed for a photo in public without a hijab has been arrested and faces being lashed.

Bangladeshi Nazer al-Islam Abdul Karim, 65, was showered with gifts after people took pity on him on social media.

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

The sister of the San Bernardino shooter has spent months trying to adopt her niece, but so far is only allowed to see her in six-hour regular visits.

A British tourist allegedly gang-raped in Dubai faces a prison sentence and needs $42,200 for legal fees after police accused her of having "extra-marital sex".

Despite the Auditor-General's findings, the Opposition continues to call for McCully's head..

A report by the Auditor-General into the controversial deal that saw $11.5 million of taxpayer money spent on a Saudi farm has been released.

A marriage in Saudi Arabia lasted just two hours - because the bride broke an agreement not to share pictures of the ceremony over Snapchat.

It hasn't exactly been the best week for Donald Trump. But things aren't exactly smooth sailing for Hillary Clinton's camp either.

The daughter of King Salman of Saudi Arabia has fled Paris after allegedly instructing one of her bodyguards to murder a painter and decorator.

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

A free trade deal between New Zealand and the GCC was concluded in 2009 but has not been signed or ratified.

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.

Even from beyond the grave Dr Walid Juffali continues to defy a former wife. The Saudi tycoon succumbed to cancer on July 20, just

Suicide bombers suspected of links to Isis struck for the fourth time in less than a week when they targeted three locations in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi's big $3.5b investment in Uber isn't popular with many women.

A pair of lizards mating on a runway caused a pilot to abort take-off earlier this week.

It is difficult to view Saudi Arabia's relentless war of attrition in Yemen as anything other than a destructive failure.

The wreck uncovered off the coast of Al Hallaniyah, Mearns announced this week, is almost certainly da Gama's ship Esmeralda, which sank in 1503.

Royal Brunei's first all-female flight crew touched down in Saudi Arabia - a country they're not allowed to drive in.

Citizens of the conservative Saudi Arabia are increasingly turning to social media networks to pursue relationships and plan forbidden rendezvous.

Even if Saudi Arabia wins its struggle with US shale producers over market share, it will face a new billion-barrel adversary.

Saudi Arabia - Stung by falling oil prices, Saudi Arabia has cut spending and subsidies as part of harsh austerity measures that threaten the lavish welfare programs underpinning its stability.

The Turkish government, in league with Saudi Arabia, made a tentative decision to enter the war on the ground in Syria, writes Gwynne Dyer.

It is still not known who will own an abattoir in Saudi Arabia that is being built with taxpayer money, the Government says.