Middle East

News Brief: COVID-19 Pandemic, Calif. Wildfires, Beirut Blast Aftermath

5:52am September 07, 2020

A roundup of the latest coronavirus news. A record setting heat wave hampers efforts to fight California's wildfires. And, an update on the recovery effort in Beirut after last month's massive blast.

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World News

Beirut Remains In Mourning A Month After Massive Explosion

5:03am September 07, 2020

NPR's Noel King talks to Leila Molana-Allen, a reporter for TV network France 24, about the recovery effort following last month's deadly massive explosion in the Lebanese capital Beirut.

A woman watches from her apartment balcony as a crane removes the rubble of a building after a Chilean rescue team detected signals there may be a survivor at the site in Beirut, Lebanon, on Sept. 4, 2020.

World News

'There's No Sign Of Life.' Rescue Team In Beirut Ends Search For Possible Survivor

1:28pm September 06, 2020

by Nada Homsi

After 72 hours of searching the wreckage of a collapsed building in the Lebanese capital, the Chilean rescue team leading the operation has said they were unable to find a survivor in the rubble.

Rescue workers dig through the rubble of a badly damaged building in Lebanon's capital, Beirut, searching for possible survivors a month after a massive blast at the nearby port.

World News

Rescue Workers Hope To Find Survivor Of Beirut Blast 1 Month Later

4:06pm September 04, 2020

The effort was launched after a sniffer dog named Flash signaled to his Chilean search and rescue team that someone might be alive under a pile of concrete and debris.

Israeli national security adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat (left) elbow-bumps with an Emirati official as he leaves Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Tuesday.

World News

Reporter's Notebook: What It Was Like On Israel's 'Peace Plane' To UAE

5:47pm September 02, 2020

by Daniel Estrin

Weeks ago it would have been unimaginable to see Israeli officials fly to the United Arab Emirates and walk out onto a red carpet. That wasn't the only unusual part of the visit.

Workers remove debris from a hospital that was heavily damaged in last month's explosion in Beirut. Lebanon's interim health minister, Hamad Hasan, told local media last month that the health system was "on the brink" of being overwhelmed because of the n

After Beirut Explosion, Lebanon Sees A Spike In Coronavirus Infections

3:42pm September 02, 2020

by Ruth Sherlock

Since the Aug. 4 blast, the number of COVID-19 cases has increased by some 220%, according to the International Rescue Committee. The country is also coping with damage to medical facilities.

World News

Despite Israel's Objections, UAE Seeks To Buy U.S. Fighter Jets

6:15am September 02, 2020

by Daniel Estrin

At an airbase in the United Arab Emirates, Emirati officials touted the military partnership with the U.S. They would like to buy a version of the F-35 fighter jet, but Israel is against the sale.

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Blood and Oil: Mohammed bin Salman's Ruthless Quest for Global Power, by Bradley Hope and Justin Scheck

'Blood And Oil' Traces Mohammed Bin Salman's Rise As A Ruthless Saudi Leader

12:46pm September 01, 2020

by Jackie Northam

The Wall Street Journal's Bradley Hope and Justin Scheck chart MBS' evolution from an unfocused, overweight kid with a taste for McDonald's to an increasingly brutish man with an eye on the throne.

Israeli, U.S. Officials Arrive In UAE To Cement A Peace Deal

4:09pm August 31, 2020

by Daniel Estrin

White House adviser Jared Kushner and Israeli officials are set to meet in the United Arab Emirates to tout a pending deal between the UAE and Israel.

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An official stands at the door of an Israeli El Al airliner after it landed in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Monday after flying in from Tel Aviv.

World News

With Israel-UAE Flight, Israelis And Emiratis Mark Closer Ties As Palestinians Worry

12:59pm August 31, 2020

by Daniel Estrin

Jared Kushner joined U.S. and Israeli officials Monday on the first official Israeli flight from Tel Aviv to Abu Dhabi to advance the Aug. 13 deal to establish diplomatic ties.