Middle East

An undated file picture shows Osama bin Laden. A new Wikileaks release purports to reveal that one of his sons requested a death certificate for the al-Qaida leader, who was killed in a U.S. military raid in 2011.

Bin Laden Son Asked U.S. For Father's Death Certificate, Wikileaks Says

1:40pm June 20, 2015

by Scott Neuman

The website has begun the release of 500,000 documents it says are related to Saudi Arabian diplomatic communications. Among them was the request from Abdullah bin Laden.

World News

Hopes Fade As Yemen Peace Talks Falter

10:40am June 20, 2015

Hisham Al-Omeisy, a Yemeni activist and analyst, talks with NPR's Scott Simon about the failed peace talks in Geneva, and what life is like in Yemen's capital.

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World News

How The Kurds Are Succeeding In Iraq

10:40am June 20, 2015

Kurdish fighters have recaptured a strategic Syrian city from the so-called Islamic State. NPR's Scott Simon talks to Joshua Landis at the University of Oklahoma about the Kurds' strategy.

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Pages bookstore partner and manager Samer al-Kadri (center) talks with customers. The Syrian founded a publishing company in Damascus, but fled when the war made it impossible to run. He wound up in Istanbul, where he noticed a lack of books in Arabic, an

Istanbul Bookstore Caters To Syrian Refugees In Need Of A Good Read

2:14pm June 19, 2015

by Peter Kenyon

The mere mention of Syrian refugees can conjure up images of families living in tents in the desert. But a bookstore in Istanbul serves as a cultural oasis and informal community center for Syrians.

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The indictment against 24-year-old Palestinian Ayman Mahareeq says comments he posted on Facebook illegally insulted the West Bank police force and the Palestinian Authority, which governs the West Bank.

World News

In The West Bank, Facebook Posts Can Get You Arrested, Or Worse

2:14pm June 19, 2015

by Emily Harris

A Palestinian man in Ramallah faces charges of insulting officials — based on his Facebook comments. This case and others point to the limits to free speech under the Palestinian Authority.

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Saudi Muslims Mix Tradition With Shopping In Ramadan Celebration

2:13pm June 19, 2015

by Deb Amos

Saudi Muslims are turning the holy month of Ramadan into a display of consumerism and commerce. It is traditionally a month of fasting and prayer that began with the first Muslim community, Mecca.

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Islamic State Stitches Itself Into Fabric Of Seized Communities

2:06pm June 19, 2015

NPR's Melissa Block talks to New York Times reporter Ben Hubbard about how the self-declared Islamic State has been digging itself deeper into the communities it has seized.

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Some 800 migrants from the Middle East arrive at the Greek port of Piraeus on Sunday. Smugglers are charging thousands of dollars to take migrants across the Mediterranean, and prices can vary widely. Children are often allowed to travel for free.

World News

The Business Of Smuggling Migrants Across The Mediterranean

11:06am June 19, 2015

by Leila Fadel

A family and a smuggler talk about how the smuggling market works on the Egyptian coast. It can run up to $5,000 a person, but kids go for free.

World News

Europe's Migrant Crisis Spreads Ashore As Refugees Enter Bulgaria On Foot

1:13am June 19, 2015

by Ari Shapiro

Desperate refugees from Syria and other strife-torn nations are surging into Europe not just by sea, but also over land from Turkey. They are straining border guards of Bulgaria, one of the poorest nations in the European Union.

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World News

Peace Talks Fail To Stop Destruction In Yemen

1:10am June 19, 2015

Warring parties are in Geneva trying to settle the conflict in Yemen. Renee Montagne talks to independent journalist Sharif Abdel Kouddous, who is in the Yemeni capital of Sana'a.

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