New Zealand has suffered a first-up loss at the World Basketball Championships in Turkey, going down to Lithuania.

All Whites striker Shane Smeltz's determination to further his soccer career in Turkey could be sabotaged by the Chinese club he spurned last month.

The Tall Blacks will come up against a familiar face in their opening game at the basketball world championships.

NZ scientists have recreated the face of a 2500-year-old Turkish peasant with technology they hope could be used in court in coming years.

With the leadership of Recep Erdogan, Turkey is once more becoming a powerful player in the Middle East.

Six days after Israel's bloody assault on an aid flotilla that left nine foreign protesters dead, nobody can recount precisely what happened.

Israeli forces seized a Gaza-bound aid vessel peacefully and without meeting resistance on Saturday.

A crash between Red Bull's two cars put paid to Mark Webber's chance of winning the Turkish Grand Prix.

Our taste for haute cuisine and fine wine is nothing new, writes The Independent's Ferdinand Mount.

Last year, 76 per cent of British adults surveyed said they thought it was appropriate to run advertisements offering help for those dealing with unplanned pregnancies.

Mr Key has joined the New Zealand contingent in Turkey, which includes 22 veterans, 23 secondary school students and Defence Force staff.