Middle East

Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah (left) met with Qatari Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Doha, Qatar, earlier this month as the Kuwaiti leader tried to mediate an end to the regional crisis. But analysts warn there will be no quick o

World News

Qatar's Crisis With Saudi Arabia And Gulf Neighbors Has Decades-Long Roots

4:45pm June 17, 2017

by Peter Kenyon

It's the most recent flare-up in a series of long-running tensions between Qatar and Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states. This time, analysts say, there will be no easy or quick resolution.

U.S. Prepares To Send Thousands More Troops To Afghanistan

7:16pm June 16, 2017

by Tom Bowman

The United States appears set to send thousands more troops to Afghanistan in the latest attempt to get control of the war U.S. generals say is in stalemate. But the Pentagon has not developed any new strategy for how to use those forces.

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A Yemeni child suspected of being infected with cholera is treated at a hospital in Sanaa in May.

Health & Safety

Cholera Ravages Yemen

5:40pm June 16, 2017

by Jason Beaubien

More than 124,000 suspected cases have been reported over the past six weeks. And the health care system is collapsing.

Russian officials say they have not confirmed that a strike on ISIS killed the extremist group's leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, shown in 2014.

World News

Russia Says It's Not '100 Percent' Sure Its Airstrike Killed ISIS Leader Al-Baghdadi

11:34am June 16, 2017

by Bill Chappell

"So far, I have no 100 percent confirmation of this information," Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, after defense officials said they believe a strike might have killed the ISIS leader.

A youth, trailed by his friends, gropes a woman as she crosses a street in Cairo, Egypt.

Why Do Men Harass Women? New Study Sheds Light On Motivations

7:00pm June 15, 2017

by Malaka Gharib

Researchers interviewed 4,830 men in the Middle East and came to some surprising conclusions.

Washington, D.C., Police Charge Turkish Security Guards For Beating Protesters

5:19pm June 15, 2017

by Michele Kelemen

Washington, D.C., authorities announced charges against members of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's security detail who allegedly attacked protesters outside the Turkish embassy last month.

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For Christians In Egypt, Building A New Church Can Set Off Violence

10:17am June 14, 2017

by Jane Arraf

Christians in Minya province have faced long-running tensions with their Muslim neighbors over an issue central to their survival as a community — whether they can build churches.

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Morning News Brief: Democrats Sue Trump, GOP Health Care Plan's Future

8:06am June 14, 2017

More than 190 Democrats in Congress are suing President Trump over foreign payments to his businesses. Also, a look at the future of the Republican health care plan, and white phosphorous use in Iraq.

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World News

U.S.-Backed Forces Continue Effort To Drive ISIS From Raqqa

5:13am June 14, 2017

NPR's Steve Inskeep talks to Army Lt. Gen. Steve Townsend about the offensive to unseat ISIS from its stronghold in Raqqa.

White phosphorous smoke screens were fired by the U.S. Army in November 2004 on the outskirts of Fallujah, Iraq.

U.S.-Led Coalition Has Used White Phosphorus In Fight For Mosul, General Says

8:34pm June 13, 2017

by Alison Meuse

It's the first time the coalition has admitted using the incendiary substance in the push to retake Mosul from the Islamic State. A general says it's used "to get civilians out safely."