Middle East

Women's rights advocates say more than 100 women have been killed in Turkey so far this year, most by male relatives.

Veteran diplomat Lakhdar Brahimi has taken on tough gigs, but being an envoy to Syria during the civil war topped them all. He now works with The Elders, a group of global leaders working for peace.

Retired Marine General John Allen was appointed by President Obama to build a coalition against the self-proclaimed Islamic State, also known as ISIS. Last month, Ramadi fell to ISIS militants.

The Joint Chiefs chairman has been deeply involved in Iraq for more than a decade. In an NPR interview, he says he's not surprised by the slow going against ISIS, calling it a "long campaign."

The Gaza Strip's ruling Hamas party has been in a battle with more extreme Islamists who have carried out recent bombings. Hamas forces killed an alleged extremist on Tuesday who they were trying to arrest.

The four families testify before a House committee and urge the U.S. to step up efforts. The renewed focus comes as Iran and world powers try to work out a nuclear deal ahead of a June 30 deadline.

Mecca is the destination for Muslim pilgrims. To house the millions of worshippers, massive hotels are rising at a furious pace, upsetting those seeking to protect the city's traditional architecture.

Hundreds of ancient artifacts have been damaged or destroyed during violence in the Middle East. Researchers are using the power of crowdsourcing and 3-D imaging to re-create the ancient artifacts.