Latest from Syria

NZ to take 750 refugees over three years

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.

Ageing Europe needs young immigrants

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

NZ to take in hundreds more refugees

The one-off intake will go "over and above" New Zealand's annual refugee quota, but will not number into the thousands, Prime Minister says.

Deborah Hill Cone: Easing the refugee suffering

The poet W.H. Auden said about suffering: it takes place while someone is eating or just walking dully along or doing a Pump class, writes Deborah Hill Cone.

Russia puts boots on ground in Syria

Russia is building a military base in Syrian president Bashar al-Assad's heartland and the US is worried.

The tragic story of Syria: how you can help

Today the Herald restarts its campaign The Forgotten Millions to help refugees from the Syrian crisis.

Church leaders call for increase in refugee numbers

The leaders of the Roman Catholic and Anglican Churches will put on a united front, asking the Prime Minister to increase the number of refugees New Zealand lets in.

Relieved refugees welcomed into Austria

The pre-dawn move eased immediate pressure on Hungary, which has struggled to manage the flow of thousands of migrants arriving daily from non-EU member Serbia.

Heather du Plessis-Allan: Our lack of generosity is showing

It wasn't long ago that Iceland went broke. When the Global Financial Crisis hit, the country became a beggar. It couldn't pay its debts. The rest of the world ridiculed it, Heather du Plessis-Allan writes.

Heather du Plessis-Allan: NZ needs to let in more refugees

New Zealand's annual refugee quota of 750 has not changed since 1987. We're falling shamefully short every year in how much we help refugees.

Jihadi John unmasked for the first time

New footage is believed to show the British Isis killer nicknamed 'Jihadi John' unmasked for the first time in Syria.

Glen Johnson: Turkey's high-stakes Syria gamble

The Middle East continues its slide into chaos with Turkish warplanes joining the fray in Syria, further embroiling Nato's eastern rampart in that country's civil war.

Nowegian PM Erna Solberg: Children trapped in conflict and crisis

More than half the 57 million young children still not in classrooms today live in countries torn apart by conflict or natural disaster, writes Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg.

Palmyra treasures destroyed

Militants from Isis (Islamic State) are feared to have begun destruction of Syria's Roman city of Palmyra as the head of Unesco warned of "cultural cleansing" by the extremist group.

Isis grows even more brutal

Isis jihadists have threatened "a calamity for kuffars" over the fasting month of Ramadan, and released a gruesome video of unorthodox execution methods.

Jihadists mine historic site

Isis jihadists have planted mines around the ancient ruins in Syria's Palmyra, prompting fears for the Unesco World Heritage site.

$20 trillion spent on conflicts in year

The spending represents 13 per cent of global GDP and is roughly the combined value of the economies of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada, Spain and Brazil.

Kurds close in on Isis-held town

Jihadists from Isis are preparing a last stand in a key border post between Syria and Turkey, threatening to turn it into another Kobane.