Dubai's new rainforest hotel will make for a unique guest experience.

An Islamic State insider has revealed the never-before-told story of the shadowy meeting that spawned the bloodthirsty terror group.

In parts of the world right now, it feels like 60C. Experts fear it won't be long till the scorching heat threatens human survival.

Christopher Adams runs into an alarming situation in a Middle Eastern market.

US-backed Syrian fighters have found evidence that the Islamic State has rewritten school textbooks to promote its violent ideology.

Isis fighters shot down a Russian helicopter above Syria, killing both pilots on board.

Relatives of Marie Colvin, a Sunday Times journalist, have filed a lawsuit claiming that Syrian government officials killed her.

Massacres attributed to Isis have struck on four continents this year, reflecting how its appeal is growing despite setbacks in Iraq and Syria.

COMMENT: David Shearer's article last week, "Border decisions condemn countries to conflict", seems conflicted.

The non-combat deployment in the battle against the Islamic State had been set to finish early next year, but would now last until November 2018.

In the same way, people in 100 years will live with the consequences of the decisions we make now.

A disfiguring tropical disease has spread across the Middle East as millions are displaced from the war-torn region.

In the Middle East, the luxury-goods industry is grappling with shifting sands.

Lebanon's Hizbollah militia has blamed the killing of a militant described as its top commander in Syria on extremist Sunni insurgents.

It is not often that international solutions work so well but when it happens, it deserves a tentative cheer.

The Isis affiliate in Egypt prompts Israel, Egypt and the Palestinian militant group Hamas to form an unlikely alliance against the terrorist group.

Recovering in Turkey after a deadly air strike in Aleppo, all Abu Abdu Tebyiah could think about was the six children he had been forced to leave behind.

Putin's announcement that Russia will begin withdrawing the "main part" of its military from Syria is a surprise potential end to a six-month intervention.

The terrorist group is making millions by funnelling dollars looted from banks into legitimate currency markets in the Middle East.

Isis militants killed dozens of people in two major attacks on Baghdad yesterday, bombing a market and assaulting security forces on the city's outskirts.

Across Syria's battered and blasted landscape, the relief was palpable as an unlikely truce actually took hold.

The serenity of Majdal Shams leaves Edna Heled at peace.

Up to 70,000 Syrians are heading for Turkey, threatening to send a new wave of refugees into Europe as Syria's civil war intensifies.

Isis is building an "army of the poor" in its new haven in Libya by recruiting foot soldiers from Africa's poorest nations, intelligence chiefs warn.

Qatar Airways to launch new route from Doha to Auckland that will become the longest flight in the world.

Middle Eastern carrier Qatar Airways has plans to fly to New Zealand.

Bringing Iran back from the cold has implications for New Zealand. With restrictions lifted, exporters should expect demand to rebound.

The Irish are descended from early Middle East farmers and from bronze metalworkers on the steppes around the Black Sea, scientists have found.

COMMENT: Russia's President has been taught a lesson with the shooting of a warplane over Turkish air space.

Mohammed Emwazi was killed by a missile fired from a Reaper drone over Raqqa in Syria.