Middle East

Omar Shakir, who oversees Israeli and Palestinian policy for Human Rights Watch, awaits a hearing in September at Israel's Supreme Court in Jerusalem. The court affirmed Shakir's deportation, a move that has prompted protests from members of the internati

World News

Israel's Top Court Approves Expulsion Of Human Rights Official

2:19pm November 05, 2019

by Colin Dwyer

Omar Shakir of Human Rights Watch was ordered to leave the country for allegedly backing boycotts of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. Aghast critics call it a blow to free expression.

Demonstrators in Baghdad perch on top of an abandoned high-rise overlooking Tahrir Square.

World News

'They Have Stolen Everything From Us': Iraq's Anti-Government Protests Continue

12:58pm November 05, 2019

by Jane Arraf

Much of the protesters' anger is directed at Iran and at corrupt Iraqi politicians. "Parliament is just mafias and corrupt parties — all of them came to destroy this country," says one protester.

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Advocates Try To Raise Environmental Awareness In Lebanon

5:08am November 05, 2019

by Ruth Sherlock

From its seas, to rivers, to its air quality, Lebanon is ruining itself. Scientists say the country should be a cautionary tale of what happens when governments prioritize business over environment.

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World News

Iran Hostage Crisis Continues To Cast Shadows Over U.S.-Iran Relations 40 Years Later

5:51pm November 04, 2019

The Iran hostage crisis began 40 years ago. NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with Assal Rad of the National Iranian American Council about how the crisis remains important.

World News

Protests In Iraq Are Growing In Both Size And Ambition

4:23pm November 04, 2019

by Jane Arraf

The view from atop a building taken over by protesters in Baghdad shows a sea of people with aspirations for a broad change in the country's political system.

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Armored Vehicles Will Support U.S. Forces Guarding Syrian Oil Fields

6:28am November 04, 2019

by Scott Bowman

Defense Secretary Mark Esper said U.S. troops would protect Syrian oil fields from ISIS, and later acknowledged the troops would also prevent Russian and Syrian troops from getting the oil.

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World News

Commemorating 4 Decades Since The Iran Hostage Crisis

6:28am November 04, 2019

Forty years ago, protesters stormed the U.S. embassy in Tehran — resulting in a 444-day hostage crisis. NPR's David Greene talks to Ambassador John Limbert, who was one of the Americans held captive.

President and CEO of Saudi Aramco Amin Nasser and company chairman Yasir al-Rumayyan at a press conference in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia on Sunday. The privately-owned oil giant announced it will IPO next month.

World News

Saudi Aramco, World's Most Profitable Company, Will Make First Public Offering

5:43pm November 03, 2019

by Laurel Wamsley

The oil company said it will sell an unspecified number of shares on a Saudi Arabian exchange. Its valuation could be $1.5 trillion, and it may be the world's biggest IPO.

Iraqi Youth Protesters Risk Lives To Mount Revolution

5:24pm November 03, 2019

by Jane Arraf

Past protests in Iraq have featured older supporters of the country's political factions. Now, many of the protesters are younger, and they want to change the entire political establishment.

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World News

Yazidi Advocate Reacts To ISIS Leader's Death

8:10am November 03, 2019

NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro speaks to Hadi Pir, vice president of a Yazidi advocacy organization, about how the minority group targeted by ISIS feels about the death of its leader.