Middle East

World News

What Prisoner Swap Means For Future U.S.-Iran Relations

3:17pm January 16, 2016

by Peter Kenyon

U.S. officials have confirmed that Iran has released four Americans - including Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian. Scott Simon talks with NPR's Peter Kenyon what it means for US-Iran relations.

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Iranian Release Of Prisoners May Be Part Of Broader Deal To Lift Sanctions

1:02pm January 16, 2016

by Michele Kelemen

Secretary of State John Kerry is in Vienna this morning, and Iranian state media are reporting the release of four Iranian-American prisoners. It may be part of a deal with Iran to lift sanctions.

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Aid Groups Confronted With Syria's Starvation Tactics

8:27am January 16, 2016

by Michele Kelemen

The UN secretary general has describing the use of starvation by the warring sides in Syria as a "war crime." The UN met on the matter today.

Iraqi security forces and allied Sunni tribal fighters evacuate an injured woman after she was shot by the Islamic State in Ramadi on Jan. 4. Iraqi forces have pushed ISIS out of much of Ramadi, but daily fighting is still taking place in the southeast pa

World News

In Shattered Ramadi, A Weakened ISIS Fights On Behind Human Shields

8:00pm January 15, 2016

by Alice Fordham

Iraq recently celebrated a victory against the Islamic State in Ramadi, a city just 70 miles west of Baghdad. But NPR's Alice Fordham went there and found there's still heavy fighting.

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Stocks on Wall Street and around the world fell on Friday as concerns about oil prices and the Chinese economy persisted.

Wall Street Traders Get Mauled By The Rampaging Bear

6:45pm January 15, 2016

by Marilyn Geewax

Stocks all over the world plunged Friday as investors became even more nervous about China's weakness and oil's collapse. The worries triggered a broad stock sell-off and sent oil below $30 a barrel.

Dawn Anahid MacKeen's grandfather, Stepan Miskjian (left), is pictured with friends around 1910, just a few years before the Armenian genocide.

Long After Armenian Genocide, Retracing A Grandfather's Steps To Survival

4:23pm January 15, 2016

by NPR Staff

For The Hundred-Year Walk, author Dawn Anahid MacKeen visited the sites of her grandfather's escape. Like him, she says she found a haven in Raqqa, Syria, a city currently controlled by ISIS.

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U.S. Must Normalize Its Relationship With Saudi Arabia, Expert says

1:28pm January 15, 2016

The U.S.-Saudi partnership endures despite the regular divergence of values and sometimes even regional interests. David Greene talks to Ali Al-Ahmed, director of the Institute for Gulf Affairs.

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Human Rights Groups Criticize Use Of Cluster Bombs In Yemen Conflict

5:21pm January 14, 2016

by Jackie Northam

Human rights groups say there has been a marked increase in the number of Saudi-led air strikes in Yemen recently. Many are worried about the use of American-made cluster bombs in civilian areas, which could pull the U.S. further into the conflict.

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Turkish Investigators Identify Bomber In Istanbul Attack

4:24pm January 14, 2016

by Peter Kenyon

Investigators in Turkey have identified the bomber in this week's attack on a tourist district of Istanbul as a recent refugee from Syria. The revelation highlights the country's vulnerability with the war next door.

Tunisians celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Arab Spring on Thursday in Tunis.

World News

5 Years After Ousting A Dictator, Is Tunisia Backsliding On Human Rights?

3:02pm January 14, 2016

by Merrit Kennedy

Amnesty International says it has evidence of deaths in custody and torture in Tunisia, which has been heralded as a bright spot in a troubled region.

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