Australia on Friday said it has sent a small detachment of soldiers to protect its embassy in Baghdad in the face of an offensive by jihadist ISIL forces.

The decision follows key ally the United States deploying 275 troops to help American personnel and protect its diplomatic compound in the Iraqi capital.

Australian's foreign minister met Arab and Islamic ambassadors Thursday to try to soothe concerns over Canberra's stance on East Jerusalem, insisting there was no policy change despite moves to stop referring to it as "occupied".

The meeting followed fury after Attorney-General George Brandis said the term would not be used as it carried pejorative implications and was neither appropriate nor useful.

Building work in quake-damaged Christchurch helped drive New Zealand's economy to its fastest rate of growth in more than six years, according to figures released Thursday.

Government agency Statistics New Zealand said the economy grew 3.8 percent in the first quarter from the same quarter a year ago.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop Thursday said she was deeply concerned about 150 Australians learning the "terrorist trade" fighting alongside Sunni militants in Iraq and Syria.

The country's top diplomat was briefed by her intelligence analysts this week on the number of Australians, some dual citizens, taking up arms alongside rebel groups.

The Netherlands moved to the verge of the World Cup last 16 on Wednesday with a breathless, come from behind 3-2 win over Australia.

Louis van Gaal's side will become the first team into the knockout phase if Spain fail to beat Chile in Group B's late game.

Australian officials said Wednesday they will announce the new search zone for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 by month's end, as mapping of the Indian Ocean seabed resumed.

The jet went missing on March 8 flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing and despite a massive aerial and sea search no sign of the aircraft which was carrying 239 people has been found.

Australia's highest court Wednesday dismissed a challenge to the government's policy of sending asylum-seekers to Papua New Guinea, ruling detention at an island immigration camp legal.

An Iranian who arrived at Australia's Indian Ocean territory of Christmas Island by boat in July 2013 brought the case after he was transferred to PNG's Manus Island.

Families of asylum-seekers killed in a shipwreck off Australia's Christmas Island in 2010 are suing the government, arguing it breached its duty of care in a move Canberra Tuesday blasted as "shameful".

Fifty people died when a rickety fishing boat crowded with nearly 100 Iraqi, Kurdish and Iranian asylum-seekers was dashed against jagged rocks in dangerous seas at the remote Indian Ocean outpost.

Western embassies began evacuating staff from Baghdad Monday despite Iraq's claim it was repelling militants who have captured vast amounts of territory in a lightning offensive that has shaken regional stability.

The possibility of direct talks between the U.S. and Iran, foes for decades, has even been broached in a bid to resolve the crisis that has seen key cities overrun by anti-government fighters, led by the powerful Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) jihadist group.

Australia's foreign minister will meet ambassadors angered by the country's decision to stop referring to East Jerusalem as "occupied", Prime Minister Tony Abbott said Sunday as he stressed there was "no change in policy".

Australia has been warned of possible Arab trade sanctions after last week's move, which Attorney-General George Brandis said was made because the term "occupied" carried pejorative implications and was neither appropriate or useful.