Middle East

Israelis can now travel to the United States without needing a visa

11:27am September 27, 2023

After Israel eased entry for Arab Americans traveling there, Israelis are allowed to enter the U.S. without first applying for a visa. Israel has been seeking this privilege for decades.

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Security forces gather at the site of a fatal fire in the district of Hamdaniya in Mosul, Iraq, on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023.

World News

A fire at a wedding hall in Iraq kills at least 100 people and injures 150 more

11:18pm September 26, 2023

by The Associated Press

There was no immediate official word on the cause of the blaze but initial reports suggested fireworks at the venue may have sparked the fire.

World News

A day of atonement turns tense in Israel as secular-religious divide heats up

5:51pm September 26, 2023

by Daniel Estrin

In secular Tel Aviv, a religious group sought to pray in a public square with women and men segregated — until secular protestors confronted them.

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It appears abuse by Americans at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison is largely forgotten

7:25am September 26, 2023

by Ruth Sherlock

A new report by Human Rights Watch says the U.S. still hasn't helped Iraqi victims of abuse in the Abu Ghraib prison 20 years ago. That matches a report NPR did with one man this spring.

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Jamileh Alamolhoda is the wife of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.

World News

Why Iran won't budge on mandatory hijab laws — according to the president's wife

8:53am September 25, 2023

by Steve Inskeep

Jamileh Alamolhoda, the wife of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, talks about why Iran's government is unwilling to compromise on compulsory headscarf rules.

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Iran faces pressure for its treatment of women. The president's wife defends it

5:08am September 25, 2023

NPR's Steve Inskeep talks to Jamileh Alamolhoda, wife of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, about why Iran's ruling establishment won't compromise on compulsory headscarves.

Palestinians inspect a damaged building following an Israeli army raid in Nour Shams refugee camp in the northern West Bank, Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023. Palestinians said at least two people were killed in the raid, which the army said was carried out to destroy a militant command center and bomb-storage facility in the building.

World News

Israel strikes Gaza for the third straight day as West Bank violence escalates

2:17pm September 24, 2023

by The Associated Press

A series of violent escalations on the border between Israel and Gaza over the past week during a sensitive Jewish holiday period raised the specter of an escalation for the first time since May.

Pentagon files NPR obtained in its investigation of casualties in the Baghdadi raid

8:01am September 24, 2023

by Daniel Estrin

An NPR investigation found flaws in the Pentagon's claim that deadly airstrikes did not hit civilians. These are the documents NPR obtained from the Pentagon.

U.S. Envoy for Yemen says we are at a moment for hope in near decade-long conflict

4:30pm September 22, 2023

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks to U.S. Special Envoy for Yemen, Tim Lenderking, about his recent efforts to rally international support for the war-ravage country

World News

After hostage deal with Iran, U.S. looks to deter arbitrary arrests abroad

6:05pm September 21, 2023

by Michele Kelemen

After making a deal to free Americans held in Iran, the U.S. is looking with other countries to find ways to stop countries from making arbitrary arrests.

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