Middle East

World News

Israel Uses Controversial Technology To Screen Palestinians In The West Bank

6:40am August 21, 2019

by Daniel Estrin

Israel is using facial recognition software at checkpoints where Palestinians enter the country — speeding the commute for some, but prompting concerns about the technology and the occupation.

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Syrian Opposition Fighters Withdraw From Stronghold In Idlib Province

6:26am August 21, 2019

by Ruth Sherlock

Syrian government forces are advancing into a strategic town, forcing opposition fighters to leave. The province has been a refuge for many Syrian civilians, but now it's threatened.

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News Brief: U.S. Economy, Iran Sanctions, Syria's Civil War

6:14am August 21, 2019

White House takes steps to stoke the economy. The U.S. says it will continue sanctions against Iran. And, Syrian government forces advance into a strategic town in the country's last rebel stronghold.

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A Look At The ISIS Presence In Afghanistan

5:54pm August 20, 2019

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with Kelly Magsamen, vice president for national security and international policy at the Center for American Progress, about ISIS in Afghanistan, and beyond.

World News

Syrian Government On The Verge Of Taking Back Important Town From Rebels In Civil War

5:54pm August 20, 2019

by Ruth Sherlock

An important rebel city falls in Syria as the government's relentless attack on the last rebel province turns one of the last corner's in the civil war.

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Secretary Of State Mike Pompeo Tries To Rally U.N. Security Council To Counter Iran

5:42pm August 20, 2019

by Michele Kelemen

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo takes his case against Iran to the United Nations Security Council, addressing a special meeting on threats in the Middle East.

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How The Trump Administration's Sanctions Are Affecting Iranians

5:09pm August 20, 2019

by Steve Inskeep

Reporting from Tehran, NPR's Steve Inskeep talks about how the Trump administration's decision to reimpose sanctions is affecting Iranians and whom they blame for their economic woes.

Maybe The Way To Control Locusts Is By Growing Crops They Don't Like

10:56pm August 19, 2019

by Joe Palca

A lab at Arizona State University tries to find new ways to combat the global scourge of locusts. One solution may have to do with farming practices.

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Afghanistan Ambassador To U.S. Discusses U.S. Security Talks With The Taliban

5:15pm August 19, 2019

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with Roya Rahmani, Afghanistan's ambassador to the U.S., about the latest attack in her country and U.S. security talks with the Taliban.

A view of the Grace 1 supertanker with its new name, Adrian Darya 1, on the transom, on Saturday in Gibraltar.

World News

Seized Iranian Ship Steams From Gibraltar After U.S. Loses Legal Fight

8:08am August 19, 2019

by Scott Neuman

The vessel, which was intercepted by British Royal Marines on July 4, left Gibraltar after a court there ruled that it had no authority to enforce U.S. sanctions against Iran.