Middle East

Syrians drive past government billboards in the capital of Damascus on Saturday, as a partial cease-fire — the first major truce of the five-year war — takes hold. Guns fell silent at midnight in suburbs around the capital and the bomb-scarred norther

World News

During First Day Of Syrian Truce, 'Cessation Of Hostilities' Mostly Honored

1:53pm February 27, 2016

by Camila Domonoske

The truce, which falls short of a cease-fire, appears to have been observed by most parties. But the Islamic State, not included in the agreement, launched a new attack in northern Syria.

Syrian refugees hang out at the Elbeyli Refugee Camp in southern Turkey, near the border with Syria. Turkey has absorbed 2.6 million Syrian refugees in recent years, but has recently closed its borders despite tens of thousands of Syrians who are trying t

World News

The Syrians Keep Fleeing, But Now They Hit Turkey's Closed Border

9:24am February 27, 2016

by Alice Fordham

Recent fighting in northern Syria has been pushing more and more civilians to seek shelter elsewhere. But neighboring Turkey, already burdened with 2.6 million refugees, has locked down its border.

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Boko Haram Abductees Face Tough Return

7:54am February 27, 2016

Nigerian women and girls, forced into marriages with Boko Haram fighters, are being rejected upon returning home. Rachel Harvey of UNICEF talks about the stigma they face.

World News

Iranians Vote For A New Parliament

7:38pm February 26, 2016

by Peter Kenyon

Friday's election is a test of whether the reform movement can get any traction after a year in which hard-liners have been flexing their muscle.

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Destroyed buildings in the old city of Homs, Syria, on Friday.

World News

'Cessation Of Hostilities' Scheduled To Begin In Syria

5:12pm February 26, 2016

by Merrit Kennedy

But it's unclear whether the various sides agree to all the terms. Many rebels are skeptical that the truce will have any effect on Syria's raging 5-year-old war.

World News

Food Aid Drop In Syria Ends In Failure

3:29pm February 26, 2016

Aircraft tried to drop aid to a Syrian city cut off by fighting. Matthew Hollingworth of the World Food Program tells David Greene that because the wind changed direction, the food missed the mark.

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Migrants and refugees seeking asylum in Sarstedt, Germany, line up Feb. 26 for lunch at the shelter where they live while their asylum applications are processed. Germany wants to send more migrants home and sent a charter plane filled with Afghan migrant

World News

Discouraged By Delays In Germany, Some Migrants Opt To Return Home

2:43pm February 26, 2016

by Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson

They say they are leaving because of lengthy delays in being recognized as refugees, poor living conditions and humiliation at the hands of German authorities.

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World News

Disqualified Candidate Sits On Sidelines Of Iran's Parliamentary Election

6:53am February 26, 2016

by Steve Inskeep

Iranians are voting Friday in a parliamentary election but not everyone who wants to be a candidate is permitted to run. A group must affirm candidates are properly educated, religious and loyal.

Iranians in Qom walk past electoral posters on Wednesday. Parliamentary elections are being held in Iran on Friday. Few people in Qom believe more engagement with the West is a good idea.

World News

In Iran's Religious Heartland, An Enduring Distrust Of The U.S.

3:29pm February 25, 2016

by Peter Kenyon

In the city of Qom, ayatollahs and hardliners fret that their government relinquished too much in its nuclear deal with the U.S. and other world powers. "God knows what we gave up," says an ayatollah.

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World News

Tony Blair Works To Define The Problem Of Islamist Extremism

3:27pm February 25, 2016

Steve Inskeep talks to former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who is teaming up with former U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, to launch a commission to counter Islamist extremism.

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