Middle East

World News

Ex-Mossad Chief Supports Iran Nuclear Deal

11:18am July 31, 2015

Israel is among the critics of the Iran nuclear agreement. Steve Inskeep talks to Efraim Halevy, ex-head of Israel's national intelligence agency, who sees the deal as a step in the right direction.

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A Lebanese woman covers her nose as she walks past piles of garbage on a Beirut street.

Amid Political Dysfunction, Beirut Residents Suffer The Stench Of Garbage

8:04pm July 30, 2015

by Alice Fordham

Beirut's streets are piled with two weeks' worth of uncollected trash. To many Lebanese, it's no surprise. The country has been without a president for more than a year.

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U.S. Couple Held In Egyptian Prison For 1 Year Over Unfounded Child Abuse

6:49pm July 30, 2015

by Leila Fadel

An Egyptian-American and her husband have been held in Cairo prisons for more than a year. They're accused of abusing street children in the shelter they ran, but the government has shown little evidence and may be after them because of suspected political activity.

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Senate Republicans Raise Concerns About Lifting Iran Economic Sanctions

7:56pm July 29, 2015

by Tom Bowman

Senate Republicans expressed skepticism about the Iran nuclear deal Wednesday, including concern that the deal would allow Iran to acquire missiles and conventional arms in the coming years.

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Afghan Government Says Taliban Leader Mullah Omar Is Dead

7:56pm July 29, 2015

by Jackie Northam

The Afghan government said Wednesday that Taliban leader Mullah Omar "died in April 2013 in Pakistan." The news comes just as peace talks between Afghanistan and the Taliban are due to resume.

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Obama Administration Officials Take The 'Malign' Line On Iran

7:56pm July 29, 2015

by David Welna

'Malign' is the buzzword of the moment among administration officials to describe Iran's activities in the region. NPR takes a look at the use of the word.

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Imprisoned Israeli Spy Jonathan Pollard To Be Paroled In November

2:15pm July 29, 2015

Israelis support the release of convicted spy Jonathan Pollard from a U.S. jail. He was arrested in 1985 and charged with passing secrets to Israel. Renee Montagne talks to reporter Daniel Estrin.

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World News

U.S. Turkey To Create ISIS Free Zone Along Syrian Border

2:12pm July 29, 2015

They're finalizing plans for a so-called Islamic-State-free zone inside Syria along the Turkish border. Steve Inskeep talks about the plan with Robert Ford, a former U.S. ambassador to Syria.

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Syrian refugees live in makeshift shelters in the Beqaa Valley in Lebanon, just a few miles west of the Syrian border.

World News

Lebanon Evicted Syrians From A Refugee Camp; They Refused To Go

2:10pm July 29, 2015

by Jason Beaubien

Tensions are rising between the flood of refugees and the Lebanese, who fear that the camps will become a drain on the country's resources. "We don't have anyplace to go," is one Syrian's cry.

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World News

Saudi-Led Coalition Pushes Houthi Rebels Out Of Aden, Yemen

2:09pm July 29, 2015

by Alice Fordham

Aid corridors into Yemen are opening up in Yemen as Houthi rebels were recently forced out of the port city of Aden. That could allow for badly needed reconstruction even as the fighting continues.

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