A “domestic beheading” inspired by foreign fanatics is one of several threats New Zealand potentially faces from the so-called Islamic State, John Key said this morning.

Toby Manhire argues the decision of whether NZ will jump into a looming war against Islamic State is simply too big for John Key to decide by himself.

If New Zealand decides to send forces to support an international response to the "Islamic State" in Iraq and Syria (Isis), the decision will be made by the Government not Parliament, the Prime Minister has explained.

35: Hundreds of vessels were sunk by U-boats and Allied submarines during World War I, from the Mediterranean to the South Atlantic to the Pacific.

Any commitment of military assistance to counter Islamic State militants in Iraq should not make NZ more of a target for terrorism, Prime Minister John Key says.

Paula Bennett, Jonathan Coleman, Amy Adams and Simon Bridges have consolidated their status as the National Government’s rising stars in John Key’s new Cabinet.

34: It's said the greatest technological advances come in wartime. Indeed, World War I saw the invention of tanks, flamethrowers, tracer bullets, depth charges, aircraft carriers, and even sanitary napkins.

The leader of al-Qaida's Syria affiliate has vowed that his group would "use all possible means" to fight back against airstrikes by the U.S.-led coalition.

NZ's elite SAS personnel aren't yet on standby for deployment to combat Islamic State militants - but the PM can't rule out sending them in if asked.

Prime Minister John Key won't rule out sending New Zealand's elite SAS personnel to assist US efforts to counter Islamic State militants in Iraq or even Syria.

Prime Minister John Key is expecting to receive advice over the coming weeks on further assistance New Zealand could offer to help counter the terrorist group Isis.

RAF jets were unleashed above Iraq as Britain threw its military might behind a US-led air war against the Isis (Islamic State) terror group.

32: An adventurous Frenchman whose attempts to get New Zealand's fledgling aviation industry off the ground were cut short by the outbreak of World War I.

Britain could join air strikes in Iraq by the weekend after Prime Minister David Cameron set the country on the path to war.

Jihadist fighters have begun preparing defences against American air strikes and a feared land-based counter-offensive in Iraq and Syria, residents living under their rule say.

Australian special forces and aircraft will not be sent into Iraq until the Cabinet considers a risk assessment and the United Nations gives the operation the nod.

Welfare payments will be stripped from people in Australia suspected of supporting terrorism.

He strode out. He spoke well and he "My Fellow Americans-ed" with the best of them. But this speech was one US President Barack Obama never wanted to make, writes Jack Tame.

New Zealand would back United States airstrikes against Islamic State jihadists in Iraq, Prime Minister John Key and Labour leader David Cunliffe say.

American drones are being flown over the Syrian stronghold of Isis (Islamic State) for the first time, in an effort to target the jihadi group's leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

As the Nato summit in Wales ends, Simon Tisdall assesses their choices.

A ceasefire between Ukraine and separatist rebels began last night and appears to still be in place following a five-month bloody conflict left more than 2,000 dead.