Middle East

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas reads from a placard during his meeting with the German Foreign Minister at the Palestinian presidential complex in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Jan. 31.

Palestinian Authority Faces Blowback Over Allegations Of CIA-Backed Wiretapping

11:38am February 07, 2018

by Daniel Estrin

An ex-Palestinian intelligence chief and an attorney filed complaints against the Palestinian Authority after an anonymous document alleged the government tapped their calls for the U.S. spy agency.

World News

Iran Sends 81-Year-Old Iranian-American Back To Prison

5:23am February 07, 2018

by Michele Kelemen

Baquer Namazi, an 81-year-old Iranian-American, was sent back to jail in Iran, despite his declining health. A family lawyer says the move is tantamount to a death sentence.

World News

Inside Raqqa, The Former ISIS Capital

5:23am February 07, 2018

by Tom Bowman

In October, Kurdish militias captured the Syrian city of Raqqa with the help of U.S. planes and special forces. We report from inside the former ISIS stronghold.

Abdirahman Sheik Mohamud is shown in a Columbus, Ohio, courtroom in 2015. He was arrested after traveling to Syria, then returning to Ohio, where he planned to carry out an attack. According to a new report, he's one of 12 Americans who went to join extre

Americans In ISIS: Some 300 Tried To Join, 12 Have Returned To U.S.

9:31pm February 05, 2018

by Greg Myre

Some have risen to senior positions, others died in the fighting and many remain unaccounted for, according to a report. Twelve returned, but none has carried out an attack on U.S. soil.

World News

Syrian Civil War Intensifies With Air Strikes In Civilian Areas

5:13pm February 05, 2018

by Ruth Sherlock

Air strikes by the Syrian government and its Russian backers have increased, hitting hospitals and apparently employing chlorine gas. The escalation comes after rebels shot down a Russian plane.

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Anti-Corruption Campaign In Saudi Arabia Raises Questions On Economic Health Of Country

5:13pm February 05, 2018

by Jackie Northam

Saudi Arabia's attorney general says the kingdom has netted more than $100 billion from princes and businessmen being held at a luxury hotel in the capital, Riyadh. The incident has raised questions about the economic health of the oil-rich kingdom.

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A woman takes a photo inside the tomb of an Old Kingdom priestess that was unveiled on Saturday after being discovered during excavation work in Giza's western cemetery by a team of Egyptian archaeologists.

Egyptian Archaeologists Unearth A 4,400-Year-Old Tomb

10:59am February 04, 2018

by Emily Sullivan

Unusual paintings and well-preserved artifacts were found outside Giza in the tomb of Hetpet, a priestess to the goddess of fertility. The country hopes to draw more tourists with the discovery.

World News

Iranian Women Protest Mandatory Wearing Of Headscarves

5:03am February 02, 2018

Najmeh Bozorgmehr, a Tehran-based correspondent for the Financial Times, talks with NPR's Steve Inskeep about why women in Iran are boldly protesting the compulsory hijab.

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World News

U.N. Compiles List Of Companies That Profit From Israeli Settlements

8:13am February 01, 2018

by Daniel Estrin

The human rights office at the U.N. says it has list of about 200 global companies that do business in Israeli settlements in the West Bank. The U.S. and Israel don't want the list published.

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A man waves a Syrian flag during a rally last year in Allentown, Pa., which has one of the largest Syrian populations in the U.S.

U.S. Renews Temporary Protected Status For Some Syrians

8:37pm January 31, 2018

In 2012, Syrians living in the U.S. were shielded from having to return to a country embroiled in war. Those protections were extended Wednesday, but only for Syrians in the U.S. since Aug. 1, 2016.