Middle East

Politics & Government

Tennesse's Republican Leader Wants To Close The Door To Syrian Refugees

2:42pm November 19, 2015

by Chas Sisk

A small group of Syrian refugees has arrived in Tennessee. A top Republican lawmaker there has called for the state's National Guard to remove them and prevent new refugees from entering the state.

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A member of the Syrian government forces stands next to a well at Jazel oil field, near the ancient city of Palmyra, after they retook the area from the Islamic State in March. U.S.-led airstrikes have targeted oil facilities run by ISIS, which, according

World News

Hitting ISIS Where It Hurts By Striking Oil Trucks

2:34pm November 19, 2015

by Jackie Northam

Illicit oil sales generate large revenues every day for the Islamic State. The U.S. airstrikes could dry up a significant stream of cash for the group.

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World News

U.S. Looks For More Help To Fight ISIS, End Syria's Civil War

2:30pm November 19, 2015

Deputy Secretary of State Anthony Blinken says defeating militants from the Islamic State is going to take some time. He tells Steve Inskeep that coalition forces have made significant progress.

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China's President Xi Jinping speaks at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in Manila, Philippines, on Wednesday. Xi condemned the killing of a Chinese citizen by ISIS, but did not specify any actions that China might take.

World News

China's Muted Response To ISIS' Killing Of A Chinese Citizen

1:25pm November 19, 2015

by Greg Myre

China's president condemned the Islamic State, but in keeping with China policy, the remarks were low-key and did not suggest Beijing would take any particular action.

Donald Trump's direct message on bombing ISIS seemed to resonate louder than all the others.

Why 'Bomb The S*** Out Of Them' Sounds Pretty Good To A Lot Of Voters Right Now

1:12pm November 19, 2015

by Mara Liasson

Pundits have been wrongly predicting Donald Trump's downfall in the presidential race for months. The latest conventional wisdom says that after Paris, he will fade. But that might be very wrong.

If You Follow These Signs, You'll Flush With Success: #WorldToiletDay

10:36am November 19, 2015

by Malaka Gharib

Billions of people around the world don't use flush toilets. That's why there are so many signs that explain what to do — and what not to do.

U.S., French, Russian Airstrikes Continue To Attack ISIS Targets In Syria

6:59pm November 18, 2015

by Tom Bowman

Russian, French and U.S. warplanes continue to attack ISIS targets inside Syria. But despite an increase in resolve since Friday's attacks in Paris and vows by President Obama to "intensify" operations, there has been no new coordination between the U.S.-led coalition and the Russians.

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Syrian boys herd sheep near a refugee camp in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley.

Barring Syrian Refugees From The West Would Be Bad For The Middle East

6:25pm November 18, 2015

by Jason Beaubien

Millions of Syrians are crowding into Jordan and Lebanon as well as Turkey. Aid efforts there are already at the breaking point.

Jeb Bush Calls For Use Of Ground Troops In Fight Against ISIS

5:13pm November 18, 2015

by Don Gonyea

Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush delivered a national security speech Wednesday at the Citadel in South Carolina. NPR reports on his remarks and looks at how the other GOP contenders are responding to the attacks on Paris.

Dimitri Bontinck, right, took part in a 2013 meeting in Brussels with parents of other young Belgian men who'd left to fight in Syria.

World News

A Belgian Father Works To Prevent Kids From Joining The Jihad

4:28pm November 18, 2015

by Peter Kenyon

A Belgian man rescued his son, who ran away to join Islamist extremists in Syria. Now he is trying to stop others from making the same mistake as his boy.

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