Syrian refugee Mohamad Eid Morad and his family are grateful to be celebrating a safe first Christmas together in New Zealand.

Tens of thousands of people from east Aleppo as well as two Shi'ite villages in Syria's Idlib province have been evacuated.

New Zealand is increasing aid to those affected by six years of bloody civil war in Syria.

A chilling video shows two young girls - aged 7 and 9 - being embraced and kissed by their parents before being sent on suicide missions in Damascus.

COMMENT: I don't want to live in a world where we shrug our shoulders at the destruction of a state and the killing of its people. That's not the NZ that I grew up in.

A look at the two main players in the killing of a Russian diplomat in Ankara, Turkey.

COMMENT: The situation is complex even for the people who live there, let alone us trying to understand it. None of our business.

Now, as the battle reaches its final stages, visitors are returning to the historical sites at the city's centre - and taking selfies amid the ruins.

Seven policemen, two Jordanian civilians and one Canadian tourist were killed on Sunday.

A small faction of people, some wearing 'Make America Great Again caps, ended up clashing with the Syrian Solidarity NZ group.

Even though the city he grew up in has been largely destroyed by war, Ibrahim Abu Laith says he will return.

Of all the events of 2016, the Syrian conflict has been the darkest.

COMMENT: The indiscriminate killing in Syria and the use of chemical weapons continues. Women and children are gunned down in the streets. For what?

Four and a half years and hundreds of thousands of deaths later, the end of the rebellion in Syria is drawing near.

Dozens of people have been executed by Syrian government loyalists sweeping through the remaining opposition-held districts of Aleppo.

The end of a long and bloody war is nearing but the use of deadly weapons is escalating. Those trapped inside Syria's Aleppo have no way out.

Syrian government forces swept through the old city of Aleppo as rebel forces debated when to withdraw from their shattered stronghold.

Syrian forces are arresting and forcibly conscripting civilians fleeing opposition-held areas of east Aleppo, relatives of detainees say.

Syrian forces have rounded up hundreds of young men as government troops advance into rebel-held zones in embattled Aleppo.

New Zealand is leading a bid to get UN Security Council members to agree to resumption of a ceasefire in Syria.

Syrian regime forces seized full control of northeast Aleppo, overrunning a third of what remained of the rebel enclave and sending thousands of civilians into flight.

COMMENT: Do the outside powers that have intervened in the war accept Bashar al-Assad's victory, or do they keep the war going?

The President invited a 6-year-old to White House to congratulate him on his compassion.

The listeners who call in to Radio Alghad are typical of talk radio audiences around the world, except the callers to Radio Tomorrow are in the Isis-controlled city of Mosul.

Syrian government airstrikes pounded eastern Aleppo yesterday.

Just a day after Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin vowed to fight terrorism together, Russia has unleashed a major offensive against the country.

Airstrikes by the United States-led coalition appear to have killed hundreds of civilians in Syria, a leading rights group said yesterday.

A Kiwi firefighter will help train Syria's 'White Helmet' civil defence workers who help in the aftermath of missile strikes and attacks.

COMMENT: It is time to sober up. The superpowers are drunk on rhetoric, mistrust and posturing. They are dragging us all towards the brink.

Russia is deploying "two of the most powerful warships in the world" - and sending a message to the Americans. What is Putin up to?