Middle East

Libyan forces are deployed in Tripoli, Libya, on Saturday. Clashes broke out early Saturday between rival militias in Libya's capital, a health official said.

World News

At least 23 people were killed as militias fight each other in Libya's capital

5:58pm August 27, 2022

by The Associated Press

More than 140 were wounded as militias backed by its two rival administrations clashed, portending a return to violence amid a long political stalemate.

Relatives of Lian al-Shaer, a 10-year-old Palestinian girl, mourn during her funeral ceremony in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on Aug. 11. Lian died of injuries sustained during the violence between Israel and Islamic Jihad.

World News

Palestinians grow frustrated with militants in Gaza, and a rift could be forming

11:15am August 26, 2022

by Fatma Tanis

Most Gazans support resistance against Israel and Hamas and Islamic Jihad still do have a following, though some Gazans are frustrated with the groups. Analysts see a rift forming between them.

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For some in the Gaza Strip, summer tastes like a baby watermelon cooked over flames

5:22pm August 25, 2022

by Daniel Estrin

Unripe watermelons are cooked over flames are a summer delicacy available only for a short time. The dish is made in the southern part of Gaza, traditionally associated with Bedouin desert culture.

World News

How Palestinians view the militant groups that hold power in the Gaza Strip

10:28am August 23, 2022

by Fatma Tanis

Palestinians in the Gaza Strip take stock of militant groups there — Hamas and Islamic Jihad — after another round of conflict with Israel.

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Some see Iran's assassination plots as yet another reason not to revive nuclear deal

5:38pm August 18, 2022

by Michele Kelemen

Feeling vindicated by recent evidence of an Iranian plot to kill former U.S. national security adviser John Bolton, opponents to reviving the nuclear deal with Iran are pressing their case.

Bassam al-Sheikh Hussein looks through the bank's window in Beirut, Lebanon during the hostage standoff on Thursday. He surrended after several hours of negotiations in exchange for a portion of his savings.

A man who held up a bank demanding his own money becomes an unlikely hero

10:34am August 16, 2022

by Rachel Treisman

Many in Lebanon can't access their life savings because of the economic crisis. A hostage-taker in Beirut surrendered in exchange for some of his funds, which he needed for his father's medical bills.

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Gazans say they pay the price of fighting between Israel and militant groups

7:28am August 15, 2022

by Fatma Tanis

Still recovering from the last bout of fighting between Israel and Islamic Jihad last week, civilians in Gaza are exhausted by suffering through the cycles of conflict.

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The Kabul airport was a chaotic mess in the weeks leading up the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan as Afghans tried to flee the country.

For Biden, the chaotic withdrawal from Kabul was a turning point in his presidency

5:00am August 15, 2022

by Franco Ordoñez

President Biden was elected on a promise of competency. The bungled exit from Afghanistan undercut that image. His approval ratings took a big hit, and have never recovered.

The self-proclaimed Islamic emirate now controls government compounds, universities and other institutions surrounded by blast walls—concrete structures once built to keep out the Taliban, along with bombers from other extremist groups.

These photos show who is (and isn't) included in the Taliban's Afghanistan

6:12pm August 14, 2022

One year ago, the Taliban raised their white flag over Afghanistan's capital for the second time. NPR toured the country and spoke to the Taliban and residents about what has happened since.

Saudi Aramco engineers and journalists look at the Hawiyah Natural Gas Liquids Recovery Plant in Hawiyah, in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia in 2021.

Your price at the pump went up. So did Saudi Aramco's profits — to a new record

10:05am August 14, 2022

by The Associated Press

Saudi energy company Aramco said Sunday its profits jumped 90% in the second quarter compared to the same time last year, helping its half-year earnings reach nearly $88 billion.