A sudden surge of population puts too much strain on the social and physical infrastructure of receiving countries, but it also severely diminishes the hope that the forsaken country can ever recover.

Fighting to protect the tyranny of Assad because of the fear of the evil of Isis would be pointless.

A Kiwi who allegedly tried to join the conflict in Syria was advised to use online messaging apps to avoid detection by authorities, a court has been told.

Prime Minister John Key will attend President Obama's summit on countering Isis early tomorrow morning New Zealand time.

For two years, Raed Saleh, leader and spokesman of the White Helmets, a movement of 2700 local civilian volunteers, has been digging Syria's inhabitants out of its rubble.

Russian President's dramatic deployment of soldiers, weapons and aircraft to Syria aimed at reshaping civil war.

PM John Key arrives in NY today to join about 160 other world leaders for a UN General Assembly week in which Syria is again expected to overshadow the main business of the week.

Mohamad Ouzoun feels guilty for living in NZ - because his twin sister and her children cannot leave their house without fear of being molested.

The generosity of Kiwis has helped that the plight of millions of refugees.

More than 100,000 people attended an "anti-terrorism" rally in Istanbul yesterday to back President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's controversial offensive against Kurdish rebels, six weeks before....

Rachel Smalley comes face to face with the grim reality of life as a refugee in Turkey as she witnesses how families try to rebuild their lives.

Hundreds of thousands of Syrians are dead, millions are displaced or living as refugees, and 13.5 million people are relying on aid just to sustain their lives.

Rachel Smalley meets a couple of children affected differently by the ordeal but with equally unclear futures.

Every parent does it. I know I do. We have great hopes for our children.

Hazara family tell Rachel Smalley they are in Serbia to escape the resurgent Taliban in their home country.

Rachel Smalley reports about a couple's 2000km trip over land and sea with handicapped twins getting closer to their goal: 'To live respectful lives'.

Don't go. It is illegal for you to go," the Serbian police tell us. "You are not refugees."

Just a few kilometres from the Serbian-Hungarian border, a large group of refugees has gathered beneath a small copse of trees, sheltering themselves and their few bags of luggage from the rain.

Iraq and Syria may have been permanently torn asunder by war and sectarian tensions, the head of the United States Defence Intelligence Agency said yesterday in a frank assessment that is at odds with Obama Administration policy.

Volunteer tells Simon Collins working with refugees has taught her tolerance.

Australian combat aircraft could conduct their first missions to bomb Islamic State forces inside a week.

It's often said that magic is the art of misdirection. In the debate on the Syrian refugee crisis, misdirection seems ubiquitous, writes Dr Zain Ali.

'Thank you in the name of all the refugees," is the first thing the Syrian father-of-three says to us at the Mangere refugee resettlement centre.

Why Winston Peters says it is "reasonable" to expect male refugees from Syria to return home and fight.

For millions of Syrians and other people displaced by conflict in their home countries, the Western Balkan Route can be a road towards refuge in Europe.

The Cabinet's response yesterday to the Syrian refugee crisis is no more than a token gesture.

Syrian refugees Lilas and Basal Slik have been sleeping soundly this year for the first time in their lives.

Immigration Minister confirms New Zealand will take a total of 750 Syrian refugees - 600 in an emergency intake over and above the usual annual quota of 750.

Europe, with its ageing population, needs to increase its younger population by several million to avoid a situation where pension systems grow unsustainable.