Middle East

World News

Opposition Disputes Turkish President Erdogan's Victory Claims

5:53am June 25, 2018

by Peter Kenyon

Turkey's incumbent president won re-election in snap elections that he had called for more than a year ahead of schedule. Critics say it's part of a blatant power grab.

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Hessah al-Ajaji drives down the busy Tahlia Street after midnight for the first time in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Sunday, June 24, 2018.

World News

Saudi Arabia Lifts Ban On Women Drivers

7:20pm June 24, 2018

by Shannon Van Sant

The country allowed women to drive for the first time on Sunday, ending its widely-criticized ban on women drivers.

World News

Saudi Women Can Finally Drive, As Ban Is Lifted

5:29pm June 24, 2018

Saudi Arabia has lifted its ban on women driving. NPR's Michel Martin speaks with Time magazine's Aryn Baker who's been out on a ride with some of the first women drivers.

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Antiquities Return To Iraq

7:55am June 23, 2018

by Jane Arraf

Antiquities that had been smuggled into the U.S. and bought by Hobby Lobby, the craft store giant, are headed back to the Iraq Museum in Baghdad, Iraq's main archeological museum.

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Inside Turkey's Aid Efforts In Syria

7:55am June 23, 2018

by Ruth Sherlock

Turkey controls a swath of Syria along its border where it's doling out massive amounts of aid to displaced Syrians and keeping the regime away.

Sara Netanyahu, wife of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left), is charged with fraud and breach of trust over her ordering of food from pricey restaurants for private meals.

World News

Sara Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister's Wife, Is Charged With Fraud

1:54pm June 21, 2018

by Bill Chappell

Sara Netanyahu is accused of ordering some $100,000 worth of food and having the government pick up the tab, despite having a cook on staff at her home.

Ahmed Alaa, shown here in Cairo, spent three months in prison for raising a rainbow flag at the concert of a Lebanese band in Cairo last year.

World News

After Crackdown, Egypt's LGBT Community Contemplates 'Dark Future'

4:22pm June 18, 2018

by Jane Arraf

Homosexuality isn't illegal in Egypt but human rights groups say other laws have been used to target LGBT Egyptians. "Prison killed me. It destroyed me," says an Egyptian woman jailed after a concert.

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World News

In Yemen, A Battle Over A Crucial Port

6:14pm June 17, 2018

With the battle for a key supply port underway, former U.S. ambassador to Yemen Barbara Bodine tells NPR's Michel Martin why the U.S. is supporting the Saudi-led war on rebels in Yemen.

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Yemeni pro-government forces gather at the south of Hodeida airport, in Yemen. Yemen's rebel chief urged his forces to fight on against pro-government troops pressing a Saudi-backed offensive to retake the key aid hub of Hodeida, as the United Nations cal

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U.N. Reportedly In Talks To Take Over Major Port In Yemen

5:52pm June 17, 2018

by Wynne Davis

The report comes after U.N. special envoy Martin Griffiths arrived in Sana'a on Saturday to attempt to broker a cease-fire between the Houthi rebel group and the Saudi-led coalition.

Afghan Muslims celebrated the start of the Eid al-Fitr holiday on Friday. An attack on Saturday disturbed the peace, leaving dozens of casualties.

World News

Afghan President Extends Ceasefire, Despite Suicide Bombing

5:43pm June 16, 2018

by Sasha Ingber

The attack, claimed by ISIS, disrupted a historic moment when national security forces were celebrating a temporary truce between the Taliban and national security forces.