Middle East

This image released by the FBI, Aug. 10, 2022 in Washington, shows the wanted poster for Shahram Poursafi. The Justice Department says Poursafi, identified by U.S. officials as a member of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, has been charged in a plot to murder f

Iranian charged in alleged plot to kill former national security adviser John Bolton

1:42pm August 10, 2022

by Ryan Lucas

The Justice Department says Shahram Poursafi tried to arrange the murder of John Bolton as part of an alleged plot to retaliate for the U.S. killing of a top Iranian general.

Commander of U.S. Central Command Gen. Kenneth McKenzie testifies during a hearing before Senate Armed Services Committee in September, 2021. The committee held the hearing "to receive testimony on the conclusion of military operations in Afghanistan and

World News

The U.S. lost track of why it was in Afghanistan, former commander says

5:00am August 10, 2022

Recently retired General Frank McKenzie reflects on the withdrawal from Afghanistan, who bears responsibility for the way it unfolded, and how the U.S. "lost track" of why it was in the country.

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A man works on the evening broadcast from TOLOnews, Afghanistan's first 24/7 new channel.

World News

Inside a TV news station determined to report facts in the Taliban's Afghanistan

11:30am August 09, 2022

Once a mortal threat, the Taliban have let Afghanistan's leading news channel stand. But every day is a struggle for the journalists who still work there.

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Health & Safety

Iraqis have been exposed to the effects of burn pits for more than 10 years

5:11am August 09, 2022

NPR's Leila Fadel speaks with Kali Rubaii, an assistant professor at Purdue University, about the impact of U.S. military burn pits in Iraq on Iraqi civilians.

World News

Ceasefire takes effect after 3 days of fighting between Israel and Gaza militants

4:59pm August 08, 2022

by Fatma Tanis

A ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza appears to be mostly holding as both sides assess what just happened in three days of fighting.

Former president of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai says the Taliban have to correct their mistakes in the country, as does the United States.

World News

Hamid Karzai stays on in Afghanistan — hoping for the best, but unable to leave

5:49am August 08, 2022

When the Taliban reclaimed Kabul last August, the U.S.-backed government collapsed and hundreds of thousands of Afghans fled the country. Former president Hamid Karzai was not one of them.

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A cease-fire between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza appears to be holding

5:07am August 08, 2022

NPR's Leila Fadel speaks with Steve Hendrix, the Jerusalem bureau chief for The Washington Post, about the ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza.

Smoke rises after Israeli airstrikes on a residential building in Gaza on Sunday.

World News

A cease-fire between Israel and Palestinian militants has taken effect in Gaza

9:05pm August 07, 2022

by The Associated Press

Egyptian officials said both sides agreed to a truce to end a flare-up of violence that has killed dozens of Palestinians.

Gaza residents on Saturday inspect the rubble of a destroyed residential building hit by Israeli airstrikes.

World News

Israel and Gaza militants exchange fire after deadly strikes

7:32pm August 06, 2022

by The Associated Press

Israeli airstrikes flattened homes in Gaza and rocket barrages into southern Israel persisted, raising fears of an escalation in a conflict that has killed at least 24 people in Gaza.

Music & Culture

A Palestinian pop singer faces threats to make music with a message

5:24pm August 06, 2022

Palestinian pop artist Bashar Murad is an openly gay singer who uses his music to address a number of societal issues. NPR's Daniel Estrin visited him at a recording studio in East Jerusalem.