Middle East

A health worker in personal protective equipment stands in a COVID-19 intensive care unit in Taiz, Yemen.

'I Will Kill You': Health Care Workers Face Rising Attacks Amid COVID-19 Outbreak

4:46pm June 29, 2020

by Malaka Gharib

A doctor in Yemen says he was threatened at gunpoint when treating a patient infected with the virus. The incident is part of a larger trend of pandemic-related attacks worldwide.

Afghan War Veteran Talks About Bounties Russia Offered Taliban To Kill U.S. Troops

4:45pm June 29, 2020

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with Aaron O'Connell, a former National Security Council member and an Afghan war veteran, about reports that Russia paid the Taliban to kill U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

(L to R): Sen. Heherson Alvarez, an environmental lawmaker from the Philippines; Durdana Rizvi, a doctor from Pakistan; Colombian actor Antonio Bolívar; 'Nanī' Nabi, a grandmother from Kashmir; Rocio Choque, a soup kitchen volunteer from Argentina.

Global Lives Lost: From A Wise And Wonderful Grandma To A Soccer Pioneer

7:00am June 28, 2020

by NPR Staff

Writers and activists around the world share stories of those who have died from COVID-19 — in Colombia, Senegal, Pakistan, the Philippines and many other nations.

World News

Gravediggers Give Glimpse To The Severity Of COVID-19 In Kabul

7:57am June 27, 2020

by Diaa Hadid

Kabul's cemeteries are hiring more grave diggers and they're preparing burial spots in advance to deal with a rush of COVID-19 victims.

Trump Administration Says It's Up To Israel To Annex Parts Of West Bank

3:24pm June 24, 2020

by Michele Kelemen

Countries at the United Nations Security Council have condemned Israeli plans to annex parts of the occupied West Bank, but the Trump administration says it is up to Israel.

Passengers have their temperature checked before entering a railway station in the Israeli coastal city of Netanya on June 22.

Israel's Government Wants Spy Agency To Resume COVID-19 Tracing. Spy Chief Objects

3:01pm June 24, 2020

by Daniel Estrin

As the country's coronavirus cases surge, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pushing for law reform to resume a surveillance program that the Supreme Court halted earlier this month.

World News

Protests Over Syria's Economy Threaten Assad's Hold On Power

6:22pm June 23, 2020

by Ruth Sherlock

Syrian President Bashar Assad –- with Russian and Iranian help –- has weathered nearly a decade of armed uprisings, but his hold on power faces new threats as Syria's battered economy collapses.

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A pro-LGBTQ banner is flipped over on a wall outside the U.S. Embassy in downtown Jerusalem.

World News

At Jerusalem's Request, U.S. Embassy Briefly Takes Down Its LGBTQ Pride Banner

5:14pm June 23, 2020

by Daniel Estrin

The city's deputy mayor said the banner was removed because he received complaints that it was offensive to residents.

Saudi Officials Announce This Year's Hajj Will Be 'Very Limited'

9:24am June 23, 2020

by Jane Arraf

Saudi Arabia has said this year's Hajj will be restricted to pilgrims already within the kingdom. Because of the coronavirus, pilgrims will not be able to enter Saudi Arabia.

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The area around the Kaaba, the cubic building at the Grand Mosque in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, was closed and disinfected in March. Officials have announced that this year's hajj will be restricted because of the pandemic.

World News

Saudi Arabia Announces This Year's Hajj Will Be 'Very Limited'

7:37pm June 22, 2020

by Rachel Treisman

Officials announce on Monday that this year's pilgrimage to Mecca will be restricted in size and limited to Saudi residents. In a typical year, millions of Muslims would make the journey.