Latest from Middle East

Israelis seize protest yacht as it tries to run blockade
Israeli commandos yesterday boarded and seized control of a yacht carrying pro-Palestinian activists.

My son, the 'American Taleban', is innocent
John Lindh travelled to Afghanistan to help the ruling Taleban fight against Russian-backed insurgents. Then 9/11 happened. US troops tortured him, tried him as a terrorist and jailed him for 20 years.

Audrey Young: Pacific party sets tone for better relations
As John Key prepares for a White House visit next week, New Zealand's Pacific role is growing in value.

How to avoid being killed: A traveller's guide
A Middle East-based journalist has penned a book advising travellers how to keep themselves safe in dangerous places.

Caviar farm will satisfy Gulf's growing appetite
The desert city of Abu Dhabi is the newest location for a vast caviar farm that dwarfs its global competitors.

Paul Holmes: No place here for burqa
Culturalism, schmulteralism: Mask wearers want no part of the West except our privileges, according to Paul Holmes.

Neo-Nazis ditch skinhead image in bid to entice voters
Despite a less aggressive image the violence committed by these extremists continues to increase dramatically.

Paul Thomas: I'll take boring over US loony extremes
Biggest economy wouldn't default over politics, would it?

Obama's dead! Fox's Twitter hacked
Hackers broke into Fox's Twitter account, posting updates saying President Barack Obama had been assassinated.

Activist flotilla sinks deeper into mystery
Israel dismisses claims it is behind events hampering Gaza protest.

A transport of delight in Dubai
It's an oasis in the desert, filled with massive and mind-bending wonderments, all easily accessible by train, air, ferry ... or camel. Jim Eagles takes a look.

Subaru asked to back Saudi Arabian women
A group campaigning for an end to Saudi Arabia's ban on women drivers is calling on Subaru-maker Fuji Heavy Industries to pull out of the kingdom.