Middle East

World News

Protestor in Iran's Kurdish region describes government crackdown

7:53am October 16, 2022

by Ayesha Rascoe

As protests in Iran continue into their fifth week, we hear from a protester in the country's Kurdish region where the government has been violently cracking down on dissent.

This is a locator map for Iran with its capital, Tehran.

World News

A huge fire broke out at Iran's Evin prison, where political prisoners are held

10:06pm October 15, 2022

by The Associated Press

State-run IRNA reported that there were clashes between prisoners in one ward and prison personnel, citing a senior security official.

World News

Iran tries to crack down on protests, even online. Here's how activists are evading those efforts

5:00pm October 15, 2022

by Michel Martin

NPR's Michel Martin speaks with Dina Temple-Raston, host of the podcast Click Here, who spoke with some of the protesters.

A view of the entrance of the mine in Amasra, in the Black Sea coastal province of Bartin, Turkey, on Friday.

World News

A coal mine explosion in Turkey has killed at least 41 people, officials say

8:53am October 15, 2022

by The Associated Press

Eleven people were injured and hospitalized, while 58 others managed to get out of the mine on their own or were rescued unharmed, officials said.

What caused the unusually public rift between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia

7:59am October 15, 2022

by Jackie Northam

The US and Saudi Arabia usually try to keep their differences behind closed doors. But they broke out into the open this week over oil supplies and Ukraine.

People look at a large mosaic that dates back to the Roman era in the town of Rastan, Syria, on Wednesday.

A rare Roman-era mosaic is uncovered during the excavation of an old building in Syria

6:00am October 15, 2022

by The Associated Press

Syria uncovered a large intact mosaic that dates back to the Roman era, with officials describing it as the most important archaeological discovery since the country's conflict began 11 years ago.

World News

How protests in Iran are similar to the Constitutional Revolution of 1906

4:19pm October 14, 2022

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with Iranian American writer Reza Aslan about similarities between the current protests in Iran and the Constitutional Revolution of 1906.

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Abdulaziz bin Salman, Saudi Arabia's energy minister, speaks during a news conference after the 45th Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee and the 33rd OPEC and non-OPEC Ministerial Meeting in Vienna, Austria, on Oct. 5.

World News

The White House accuses Saudi Arabia of aiding Russia and coercing OPEC oil producers

12:40pm October 13, 2022

by Jackie Northam

A major oil output cut by Saudi Arabia, Russia and other oil producers has drawn sharp accusations in Washington.

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An Israeli soldier walks past a sign at a tourist site at the Israeli side of the border with Lebanon in Rosh Hanikra, Israel, on Tuesday.

World News

For Israel and Lebanon, a U.S.-mediated deal settles a long-running maritime dispute

2:25pm October 12, 2022

by Daniel Estrin

After a decade of negotiations, this week's agreement resolves questions of who gets to drill for natural gas in disputed waters off the Mediterranean coast. But its implementation isn't a sure thing.

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Saudi Arabia's Minister of Energy Abdulaziz bin Salman at the OPEC and non-OPEC meeting on October 5, 2022.

Biden is rethinking the U.S. relationship with Saudi Arabia after OPEC cuts

9:46pm October 11, 2022

by Dustin Jones

After the cartel said it would cut oil production by 2 million barrels per day starting next month, the White House said it's time to look at the longstanding partnership with Saudi Arabia.