Middle East

World News

Saudi Crown Prince Spends Weekend Stifling Dissent And Triggering Oil Price War

4:58pm March 09, 2020

by Jackie Northam

Saudi Arabia's erratic crown prince Mohammed bin Salman spent the weekend playing brinksmanship in oil markets and crushing dissent at home, raising alarms again about his leadership.

Saudi Arabia's Gambit Sets Off Turmoil Across Financial Markets

12:15pm March 09, 2020

NPR's David Greene talks to NPR's Camila Domonoske and Mohamed El-Erian, chief economic adviser to Allianz, about the ramifications after Saudi Arabia announced a stunning discount in oil prices.

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Lebanese anti-government protesters use the light on their mobile phones during a demonstration in downtown Beirut in November. Activists turned to social media platforms to get out their message, streaming protests live on Twitter and highlighting police

World News

Lebanon's Government Is Accused Of Swarming WhatsApp To Catch Protesters

9:05am March 09, 2020

by Deborah Amos

Protest organizers, lawyers and rights advocates tell NPR the authorities have adopted surveillance tactics, including allegedly invading chat groups to intimidate and investigate critics.

Cease-Fire Holds In Syria's Idlib

7:03am March 09, 2020

by Jane Arraf

On Friday, Russia, the Syrian regime's main military backer, and Turkey announced a cease-fire in northwest Syria.

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News Brief: Coronavirus, Oil Prices Plunge, 6 Democratic Primaries

5:04am March 09, 2020

After delays, testing for the coronavirus ramps up in the U.S. Saudi Arabia cuts oil prices — in part due to coronavirus. And, six states vote Tuesday in the latest Democratic presidential primaries.

Iran Sanctions Aggravate Coronavirus Crisis

5:55pm March 07, 2020

by Jackie Northam

Have years of U.S. sanctions and efforts to isolate Iran affected the ability to get information about –- or aid to help control –- the coronavirus, as it continues to spread?

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Counterterrorism Expert Explains U.S.-Taliban Peace Deal

10:22am March 07, 2020

NPR's Scott Simon speaks with Seth Jones of Center for Strategic and International Studies about the situation in Afghanistan where violence continues after the U.S.-Taliban peace deal.

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In Syria, The U.S. Fight To Protect Oil Fields

4:45pm March 06, 2020

by Tom Bowman

The U.S. has a new mission in Syria: keeping the country's oil fields away from Syrian and Russian forces.

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Emergency response workers load an injured man into an ambulance after an attack Friday in the Afghan capital, Kabul, left more than two dozen people dead.

World News

At Least 32 Dead After Shooting In Kabul; ISIS Group Claims Responsibility

3:31pm March 06, 2020

by Colin Dwyer

The attack interrupted a memorial for a Shiite leader that the country's chief executive had been attending. The Taliban, which just signed a peace deal with the U.S., said they were not involved.

Afghan Taliban militants and villagers celebrate the U.S. peace deal Monday in the Alingar district of Laghman Province. The group resumed offensive operations against Afghan security forces this week, ending a partial truce.

Despite Bloody Week In Afghanistan, U.S. Pushes Taliban Peace Talks Forward

3:27pm March 06, 2020

by David Welna

Afghanistan's president is resisting a promised prisoner swap, the Taliban has resumed attacks, but U.S. officials are pushing both sides to sit down for a political settlement to end the war.