Middle East

Biden Draws Criticism For Failing To Hold Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Accountable

4:12pm March 01, 2021

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof about the Biden administration's role in holding Saudi Arabia's crown prince accountable for Jamal Khashoggi's killing.

Queue Listen Now

A man speaks on his mobile phone in the Mahane Yehuda market in Jerusalem in December. In the early days of the pandemic, Israel began using a mass surveillance tool on its own people, tracking civilians' mobile phones to halt the spread of the coronaviru

World News

Israel's Supreme Court Ends Spy Agency Cellphone Tracking Of COVID-19 Infections

3:44pm March 01, 2021

by Daniel Estrin

About a year ago the country's domestic intelligence agency began monitoring Israelis' movements through cellular phone location data, leading critics to say it was spying on its own citizens.

Palestinian elementary school students wearing protective face masks take their seats in their classroom amid the coronavirus pandemic on the first day of class in September at a United Nations-run school in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

World News

Israeli Health Officials To Government: Vaccinate All Palestinians

3:43pm March 01, 2021

by Daniel Estrin

An outgoing high official told NPR that Israel has a public health imperative to protect all Palestinians from COVID-19, plus a humanitarian obligation.

Avril Haines, the new director of national intelligence, released a declassified report Friday that says Saudi Arabia's crown prince was responsible for a 2018 killing of a prominent journalist. Haines spoke to NPR in her first interview since taking offi

Avril Haines Takes Over As Intelligence Chief At 'A Challenging Time'

1:24pm February 28, 2021

by Greg Myre

As Haines sat down for an interview with NPR, her aides handed out a declassified report blaming Saudi Arabia's crown prince for a brutal killing.

All Female Flight Crew In Afghanistan Makes History

8:01am February 28, 2021

Afghanistan just had its very first airline flight with an all-female crew, a milestone in a country where women often have very limited opportunities.

Masuma Ahuja, author of Girlhood: Teenagers Around The World In Their Own Voices, set out to document girls' ordinary lives.

In 'Girlhood,' Teens Across The Globe Write About Their Everyday Lives

7:00am February 28, 2021

by Isabella Gomez Sarmiento

'Girlhood,' a collection of diary-style entries by teen girls, aims to bust stereotypes about cultures while revealing girls' everyday lives.

Lawmakers and journalists are among those calling for penalties against Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the 2018 killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi after a U.S. intelligence report finding the crown prince had approved the ope

Report On Khashoggi Killing Prompts Calls For Penalties Against Crown Prince

9:38pm February 27, 2021

by Jason Slotkin

Lawmakers and journalists are calling on President Biden to punish Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman after a report found he had approved the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Report Reveals More Than 6,500 Migrant Workers Have Died In Qatar's World Cup Prep

8:00am February 27, 2021

NPR's Scott Simon asks Pete Pattisson of The Guardian about his reporting on migrant worker deaths in Qatar, including those who died while constructing venues for FIFA's 2022 World Cup.

US SYRIA STRIKE

8:14pm February 26, 2021

by Tom Bowman

The U.S. has carried out an airstrike in Syria against an Iranian-backed militia target. The move appears to be in response to a series of rocket attacks against U.S. targets in Iraq.

Queue Listen Now

People hold posters of slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, near Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul in the fall, marking the two-year anniversary of his death.

U.S. Intelligence: Saudi Crown Prince Approved Operation To Kill Jamal Khashoggi

7:32pm February 26, 2021

by Greg Myre

Khashoggi was killed during a visit to the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul in 2018. The report is expected to damage the already complicated relations between the traditional allies.

Queue Listen Now