Traffic is terrible in Riyadh.

I did a women-only trip in one of the world’s most notorious countries

It’s one of the world’s most patriarchal societies,but I had a behind-the-scenes look at the secret lives of women here.

  • Katrina Lobley

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Stroll through the magroves at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve.

The new bucket list for Asia:25 must-do places and experiences

From neon-lit cities to some of the oldest civilisations on Earth,from white-sand beaches to the highest mountains,no other continent can rival Asia for diversity.

  • Ute Junker
Umayyad Mosque at sunset – a Christian basilica in a previous life,a Roman temple to Jupiter before that.

A country too dangerous to visit is one I can’t wait to return to

As Mark Twain wrote,Damascus “measures time not by days and months and years,but by the empires she has seen rise and prosper and crumble into ruin”.

  • Luke Slattery
Terminal A.

Inside the $4.8 billion ‘world’s most beautiful airport’

It’s an increasingly popular stopover spot for Australians and was striking enough for Tom Cruise to shoot a major Mission Impossible scene in.

  • Anthony Dennis
Even better than the real thing:Anantara Santorini Abu Dhabi Retreat.

Avoid Greek island’s infamous crowds by visiting the fake one instead

Overcrowded Santorini tops my anti-bucket list:the places I’ve absolutely no intention to visit. Could this little fake version be nicer than the real deal?

  • Hazel Plush
Balcony view of whitewashed Muscat from the Mandarin Oriental.

A five-star stopover stay in a neighbour beats bustling Dubai

This outstanding outpost of the venerable Mandarin Oriental brand impresses even more than most.

  • Anthony Dennis
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US President Donald Trump during a news conference with Benjamin Netanyahu.

Trump wants to turn Gaza into the Gold Coast. His motive is blindingly transparent

Donald Trump,the property tycoon,tells us Gaza is “a demolition site”. You can almost picture him negotiating with the agent for a better price.

  • Michael Koziol
Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Antisemitism and Islamophobia are not the only things rupturing our communities

Conflict entrepreneurs politicise conversations over the Middle East and then decry the breakdown in social cohesion. They’re part of the problem.

  • Tim Costello
Israeli ambasador Amir Maimon said Israel was trying to “uproot the cancer” of Hamas.

‘Don’t point fingers at us’:Israeli ambassador’s message to Australians

In a rare interview,the Israeli ambassador said he believed many Australians fail to grasp the seriousness of the security threats his nation faces.

  • Matthew Knott
Syrian women chant slogans as they hold placards with Arabic that read:“No for free society without a free woman,” right,and “Secularism,” left,during a protest in December to demand a secular state.

Love poems axed from schools under Syria’s new ‘extremist’ curriculum

Other controversial moves include plans to remove references to gods from ancient history courses,as well as a period of history that saw France rule Syria.

  • Liz Cookman