Middle East

Abdul Hadi Nejrabi, the deputy ambassador, is the highest ranking official at the Afghan Embassy and one of the few employees left. "We choose to serve the people," he says. "That's the reason we are here."

In Washington, the last employees at the Afghan Embassy work until the lights go off

2:57pm November 18, 2021

by Laura Sullivan

The embassy in Washington, D.C., was once a symbol of a new Afghanistan. Now, the few staffers left refuse to serve the Taliban and are racing to help as many refugees as they can.

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Matthias Schmale, serving as director of operations in Gaza for UNRWA, speaks during a news conference in front of the agency's headquarters in Gaza City, in May.

World News

He was the top U.N. official in Gaza. An Israeli TV interview cost him his post

2:33pm November 18, 2021

by Daniel Estrin

The U.N.'s Matthias Schmale reflects on his time as a leading international aid rep in Gaza. He departed UNRWA this week after offending Palestinians with his remarks on Israeli airstrikes.

Teenager Sama Ahel was taught deep breathing to cope following the Gaza-Israel conflict in May.

Health & Safety

Deep breathing helps kids ease 'Gaza trauma'

8:42pm November 16, 2021

It's difficult to treat Gazans, said psychologist Ismael Ahel. "We can't just deal with the first trauma or the second trauma. It's a complexity of trauma." And children are deeply affected.

World News

Gazans are still coping with the trauma of the war with Israel in May

4:44pm November 16, 2021

by Daniel Estrin

When a rocket hit their building during the war between Hamas and Israel, a Gaza therapist calmed his family with breathing exercises — one way parents there have dealt with their children's trauma.

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A scorpion is pictured at the Scorpion Kingdom laboratory and farm in Egypt's Western Desert, near the city of Dakhla in the New Valley, in February 2021.

World News

3 dead, hundreds injured after storms rouse scorpions in Egypt

7:08pm November 14, 2021

by Sharon Pruitt-Young

The city of Aswan has been dealing with an influx of scorpions and snakes, thanks to a recent rash of heavy storms disturbing their hiding places.

How $6 billion from Elon Musk could feed millions on the brink of famine

8:11pm November 11, 2021

by Joanne Lu

Elon Musk reportedly made $36 billion in a single day. What if he gave a sixth of that to the World Food Programme? We ask researchers how much of a change $6 billion could bring.

World News

They got hacked with NSO spyware. Now Israel wants Palestinian activists' funding cut

4:27pm November 10, 2021

by Daniel Estrin

A battle over Palestinian activist groups that Israel accuses of terrorism has taken a turn into the world of Israeli spyware. Israel hopes to convince European countries to stop funding the groups.

As water levels dropped in the marshlands this summer, the marsh water became too salty for the water buffalo to drink.

In Iraq's famed marshlands, climate change is upending a way of life

10:11am November 07, 2021

by Ruth Sherlock

Drought and extreme heat that scientists link to climate change are altering the UNESCO-protected marshlands. Iraq's average annual temperatures are increasing at nearly double the rate of Earth's.

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USAID Administrator Samantha Power delivered a speech on her "new vision" for the agency on Nov. 4 at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

New USAID director aims to shake up 60-year-old aid agency. Here's her 'new vision'

11:47am November 05, 2021

by Malaka Gharib

Like any government agency, the biggest American foreign aid group has its problems. This week, its new administrator Samantha Power outlined her solutions.

Vice President Harris will travel overseas next week to meet with world leaders at two conferences in Paris.

Vice President Harris is going to France next week. Here's what she will be doing

8:05am November 04, 2021

by Asma Khalid

While in Paris, Vice President Harris will get facetime with about two dozen world leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron.