Middle East

World News

A look at where Iran demonstrations are headed after over 100 days of public protests

3:59pm December 28, 2022

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Columbia Global Senior Advisor Kian Tajbakhsh about the protests in Iran, which have continued for more than 100 days.

Campaign to get people to try chicken feet used a fake photo of soccer star

6:17am December 28, 2022

In a Facebook post, Egypt's National Nutrition Institute wanted people to switch to chicken feet as a low-cost alternative for protein by using a photoshopped image of Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo.

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World News

Protests for greater freedoms continue in Iran

8:04am December 24, 2022

Protests in Iran for greater freedoms are continuing, though they may be slowing down. The government has made widespread arrests and executed two people for taking part in the demonstrations.

World News

Revisiting an Afghan woman's experience of being a student under the Taliban

7:53am December 24, 2022

by Scott Simon

NPR's Scott Simon speaks with Afghan student Zakia Menhas, now in the U.S., about the Taliban's decision to forbid women from attending university.

Worshipers light candles next to a statue of the Virgin Mary.

World News

Filipino workers in Dubai gather to celebrate Christmas far away from home

9:30am December 23, 2022

by Aya Batrawy

Filipino workers come to the United Arab Emirates seeking opportunity and to support relatives back home. Christmas isn't a UAE holiday, so many will work — but also manage to find joy and community.

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World News

Syrian refugees in Turkey face racist attacks and the fear of deportation

4:05pm December 22, 2022

by Fatma Tanis

Syrian refugees found refuge in southern Turkey, even building businesses that help the local economy. But now the political winds are shifting, and many feel they're no longer welcome.

A doctor in Iran is sentenced to death for participating in an antigovernment protest

5:05am December 22, 2022

NPR's Steve Inskeep talks to Hassan Hassanlou about his brother, Hamid Ghareh Hassanlou, a doctor in Iran who was sentenced to death by the Iranian government after he attended a demonstration.

A large community of Filipino workers in Dubai celebrates Christmas far from home

5:05am December 22, 2022

by Aya Batrawy

Filipinos living in Dubai often mark Christmas without relatives, who are back home in the Philippines. Many also work through the holiday but still manage to find joy and community.

Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu leaves a rally in front of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality building in Istanbul on Dec. 14, following a Turkish court decision to sentence him to two years and seven months in prison for insulting election officials.

World News

Turkey's attempt to ban an Erdogan rival from politics is drawing a backlash

1:53pm December 21, 2022

by Peter Kenyon

People are protesting a court ruling to sentence Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu to prison and bar him from politics for two-plus years. He's seen as a key challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Girls study at a secret school on the outskirts of Kabul in July of 2022.

Taliban begins to enforce education ban, leaving Afghan women with tears and anger

1:21pm December 21, 2022

by Diaa Hadid

Teachers report security forces barging into classrooms and shouting at girls to go home, while the international community swiftly condems the Taliban's move.