Latest fromMiddle East

NZ Army officer detained, released in Syria
A New Zealand Army officer serving as a United Nations military observer was detained and released by armed men in Syria on Monday.

BurgerFuel opens biggest ever store
Fast food chain and franchisor BurgerFuel Worldwide has opened its largest store ever, in the capital city of Saudi Arabia.

Leslie Bravery: Palestinians demonised with half truths
Leslie Bravery responds to the Israeli ambassador's comments on the Gaza conflict

Israel: Pedalling along the sea of Galilee
The Sea of Galilee is a must for any tourist on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. After all, it is mentioned frequently in the New Testament.

Kiwi flees Gaza Strip
A New Zealand documentary maker has escaped the Gaza Strip in a taxi as Israeli air strikes began while he was filming.

Dubai develops world's largest mall
Dubai, famed for its mega-projects before it was hit by the global financial crisis, has announced a new development to open the world's biggest mall and a park larger than London's Hyde Park.

Paul Thomas: Why America ruined the fat cats' party
In their unwillingness to face the reality of changing demographics, US Republicans are behaving like King Canute.

Rev. Jesse Jackson: Obama still righting old wrongs
The US President must be allowed to build on his Administration's achievements, writes Reverend Jesse Jackson.

Lebanon: Temples and T-shirts
Lebanon's Baalbek is, as Brett Atkinson, discovered, an extreme cultural mosaic.

Saudi Arabia: Opening up long hidden ancient ruins
Dating back to the second century BC, the Nabataean archaeological site, also known as Madain Saleh, has long been hidden from foreign visitors to Saudi Arabia. Assaad Abboud checks out a site that rarely opens up to tourists.

Triplets' dad: New claims hurtful
The father of Kiwi triplets killed in a Qatar mall fire says it is distressing to see stories circulating about the fire being an act of terrorism without any facts to back them up.

Doubts over mall fire claim
Journalists and academics have questioned a Saudi news agency that claims the Qatar mall fire that killed New Zealand triplets was an act of terrorism.

Escaping Syria's civil war
Former NZ diplomat Warren Searell called Damascus home until the Arab spring made life far too dangerous. This is his story.

Peter Calder: Film row faint in NZ Muslims' ears
Parking congestion at Auckland mosque more pressing issue than conflagration over clumsy anti-Islamic production.