Middle East

World News

Films About Syrian Civil War Move From Online To New York Gallery

7:43pm October 31, 2015

by Deborah Amos

Through years of brutal civil war, a Syrian film collective has been producing short films, which are now in a New York gallery, where the collective hopes to show a more human side of war victims.

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The Metrojet Airbus A-321 with registration number EI-ETJ that crashed in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula is seen here last month, at an airport in Turkey. The Russian airliner crashed while carrying 224 passengers and crew, the Egyptian civil aviation authority

World News

Russian Passenger Plane Crashes In Sinai With 224 Aboard

2:52pm October 31, 2015

by Emma Bowman

After taking off in Egypt on a flight to St. Petersburg, Russia, the aircraft crashed in the Sinai Peninsula. Egyptian officials say there were no survivors.

Small Number Of U.S. Special Forces Will Help Fight ISIS In Syria

6:37pm October 30, 2015

by Tom Bowman

The White House announced Friday it will send a small number of special forces soldiers to help fight ISIS in Syria.

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The U.S. plans to send up to 50 members of its Special Operations Forces to Syria to help fight ISIS. They'll be entering a war zone with many combatants. Here, smoke rises from a building in the rebel-controlled area of Douma, east of Damascus, early Fri

U.S. Will Send Special Operations Troops To Help Fight ISIS In Syria

4:03pm October 30, 2015

by Bill Chappell

The small force will be sent to northern Syria to "help coordinate local ground forces and Coalition efforts" to counter ISIS, a senior administration official confirms to NPR's Scott Horsley.

World News

Iranian-American Businessman Reportedly Arrested In Iran

2:32pm October 30, 2015

There are reports that an Iranian-American businessman has been arrested in Iran. David Greene speaks with Wall Street Journal reporter Farnaz Fassihi about what is known and what it could mean.

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Rising Death Toll Of Migrants Turns EU's Attention To Smugglers

2:28pm October 30, 2015

by Sylvia Poggioli

A new European operation is stopping, seizing and searching boats in the Mediterranean suspected of migrant trafficking.

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U.N. Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura (center left), Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (center right) meet with foreign ministers for talks on Syria at a hotel in Vienna, Austria, on Friday.

World News

Diplomats From Iran, U.S. And Other Nations Discuss Crisis In Syria

12:38pm October 30, 2015

by Bill Chappell

Much of the difficulty lies in finding a solution to the civil war and humanitarian crisis that's acceptable to all parties — both within and outside of Syria.

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World News

Iranian-American Is Reportedly Arrested At Tehran Airport

11:50am October 30, 2015

by Bill Chappell

News of Siamak Namazi's detention comes as Iran takes part in international talks on Syria, with foreign ministers of the U.S. and other countries meeting today in Vienna.

World News

Iran Joins Talks About War In Syria

6:19am October 30, 2015

Talks on the Syrian civil war taking place in Vienna have an unprecedented new arrival: Iran. It's the first time Iran has formally met with the U.S. and other world powers about the war.

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World News

Israeli Defense Minister Gives Grim Assessment Of Syrian Civil War Amid Talks

5:21am October 30, 2015

Steve Inskeep talks to Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon about Israel's perspective on Syria. There are no good options in Syria for Israel, he says.