Middle East

World News

In This Omani Village, Locals Say Supernatural Creatures Are Behind Strange Events

4:17pm August 13, 2019

by Ruth Sherlock

An oasis town in the country of Oman is famous for its tales of spirits and jinns — possibly a result of its history as a fortress town surrounded by dangerous desert.

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Asma Assad Says She Is Free Of Cancer While Syrian Regime Bombs Hospitals

8:04am August 11, 2019

NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro speaks to Human Rights Watch's Lama Fakih about the Syrian reaction to Asmaa Al-Assad's declaration she is cancer free — while hospitals in Syria continue to be bombed.

Inside Saudi Arabia's Disinformation Campaign

8:34am August 10, 2019

A new investigation finds that Saudi Arabia is behind a disinformation campaign aimed at discrediting its enemies. NPR's Sacha Pfeiffer speaks to the report's researcher of Bellingcat.

World News

Wife Appeals For Help To Free American Academic Held In Iran

7:56am August 09, 2019

by Michele Kelemen

The wife of an American citizen being held in an Iranian prison is calling on the Trump administration to do more to free her husband.

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News Brief: Gun Legislation, Intelligence Leadership Changes, Jimmy Aldaoud

5:08am August 09, 2019

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the Senate will discuss measures aimed at addressing gun violence in September. Also, changes in national intelligence leadership.

Jimmy Aldaoud, shown here as a teen, was deported at age 41 to Iraq, a country that his family said he had never set foot in.

'I've Got Nothing Over Here': Michigan Man Deported By ICE Dies In Baghdad

9:34pm August 08, 2019

"It's crazy to know that he died alone in a country he'd never been in," Jimmy Aldaoud's sister told NPR. He had arrived in the U.S. with his Iraqi family when he was a very young child.

Families and friends enjoy their time on a Gaza City beach. Israel allows in international aid workers, journalists and diplomats, but tourists are prohibited.

World News

Here's What Tourists Might See If They Were Allowed To Visit Gaza

8:37pm August 08, 2019

Gaza has been off-limits to tourists since Hamas took over in 2007. A veteran Palestinian tour guide leads NPR to see the sites, including a palace, a mosque and a bathhouse.

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Man Dies After Being Deported To Iraq From Michigan

6:50pm August 08, 2019

by Jane Arraf

A man deported from the U.S. to Iraq even though he had mental health problems, hadn't lived in Iraq and didn't speak Arabic, has died. It highlights several cases of similar deportations to Iraq.

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World News

Looking For Accountability For Syria's Disappeared

5:13am August 08, 2019

by Michele Kelemen

A senior U.N. official points to the Syrian government for the tens of thousands of disappearances during the long civil war there. But the government's looking like it's winning the war.

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Here's What Tourists Might See If They Were Allowed To Visit The Gaza Strip

5:39pm August 07, 2019

by Daniel Estrin

Gaza has been off limits to tourists since Hamas took over in 2007 and the territory came under blockade. A veteran Palestinian tour guide shows off historical sites that tourists used to visit.