Middle East

Analysts Parse Differences Between San Bernardino, Paris Attacks

1:51pm February 16, 2016

by Dina Temple-Raston

For months, the San Bernardino, Calif., and Paris attacks have been reported together. Analysts say the two could not be more different, and ISIS' actions since those attacks has made that clear.

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"I've had more than 50 years [of] fantastic life," says Saeed Laylaz. "One year in prison is nothing against it."

After Prison, A Tough-Minded Optimist Looks To Iran's Future

8:11am February 16, 2016

by Steve Inskeep

Saeed Laylaz, a former journalist and economist, has been a vocal advocate of reform in Iran. He was jailed in a 2009 post-election crackdown, but now runs an auto business. "I am alive yet," he says.

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A hospital in Idlib province was destroyed Monday in what Massimiliano Rebaudengo, MSF's head of mission in Syria, calls "a deliberate attack on a health structure."

World News

Airstrikes Hit 2 Hospitals In Syria, Killing At Least 50

7:10pm February 15, 2016

by Bill Chappell

One attack reportedly hit a children's hospital; another hit a facility supported by Doctors Without Borders.

World News

Pro-Regime Attacks Kill Civilians At Syrian Hospitals

5:37pm February 15, 2016

by Alice Fordham

Several Syrian hospitals were hit by airstrikes and missile attacks, throwing more doubts on the chances for a truce plan made by world powers last week.

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Sacks of food and clothes collected by Zeynap Kurmus Hurbas (left) and her volunteer group at a neighborhood refugee center in a poor Istanbul neighborhood.

World News

Ordinary Turks Quietly Volunteer To Help Syrian Refugees

4:00pm February 15, 2016

by Peter Kenyon

While the Turkish government is under fire for not letting more Syrians in, many Turks are bringing aid to refugees. One took to social media to help find others looking to share more than sympathy.

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For the first time since Gallup started asking the question, 54 percent of Americans said they see Cuba favorably. Here, an old American car passes by the U.S. Embassy in Havana on Dec. 17, when the United States announced a plan to resume regular flights

For The First Time, Majority Of Americans See Cuba Favorably In Poll

3:45pm February 15, 2016

by Bill Chappell

Gallup says that for the first time since it started asking Americans about Cuba back in 1996, a majority now see the country in a favorable light.

World News

Fighting Escalates In Syria Ahead Of Planned Cease-Fire

2:36pm February 15, 2016

David Greene talks to James Jeffrey, former U.S. ambassador to Iraq and Turkey, about the potential for a lasting cease-fire between the Syrian government and rebels.

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From Turkish side of the Syrian border, Turkish army howitzers shell Kurdish targets in Syria on Sunday.

World News

Fighting In Syria Intensifies Ahead Of Proposed Truce

1:47pm February 14, 2016

by Camila Domonoske

Turkey is shelling Kurdish forces in Syria. Russia is waging air strikes to bolster an advance by Bashar Assad's government. Prospects for a truce aren't looking good.

West Point Students' Plan To Counter ISIS Online Strategy

9:11am February 14, 2016

The State Department sponsored a contest to find the best ways to combat ISIS propaganda online. A group of cadets from West Point got second prize. Rachel Martin speaks with team member CJ Drew.

World News

Russia Holds Center Stage In Syrian Peace Talks

5:52pm February 13, 2016

by Michele Kelemen

Talks on the brutal Syrian conflict have ended in Munich with the West and Russia far apart. Russia, whose planes are carrying out deadly bombing raids, seems to hold the cards.