Middle East

World News

How Europe Is Grappling With The Realities Of The Migrant Influx

6:16pm August 28, 2015

Several European countries are coming under criticism for their response to a recent surge of migrants. Peter Sutherland, a special representative for the United Nations, discusses the situation.

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World News

Following One Migrant's Journey Across The Sea To Europe

3:50pm August 28, 2015

by Ari Shapiro

A quarter million people have crossed the sea to Greece this year. NPR follows one of them, a teacher who has left his wife and children in Syria in hopes of finding a better life for them in Europe.

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Thousands Of Homes Destroyed In Gaza War Remain In Ruins

1:37pm August 28, 2015

NPR's Audie Cornish talks with Katleen Maes, head of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Gaza, about the rebuilding of homes destroyed in last year's war in Gaza.

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You Stink!: Protests Over Beirut's Garbage Crisis Take Larger Stance

1:34pm August 28, 2015

by Alison Meuse

Protests in the streets of Beirut started over a garbage crisis but have become a larger call for government reform. The movement is growing under the banner "You Stink!"

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World News

Turkey And ISIS Are Both Fighting The Kurds And Each Other

1:25pm August 28, 2015

by Peter Kenyon

As Turkey escalates its military operations against Kurdish fighters in the country's southeast, Kurds there are bracing for attacks from another enemy at the same time: the Islamic State.

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A Lebanese protester smokes a water pipe during clashes with security forces following a demonstration against the ongoing trash crisis Tuesday.

World News

Lebanon's Cabinet Rejects Bid That Might Have Eased Garbage Crisis

5:38pm August 25, 2015

by Bill Chappell

Protesters from a group that's translated as either "You Stink" or "You Reek" criticized the bid for being too expensive and the government for being too corrupt.

Lebanese gather at a public beach in Beirut on Aug. 2. Lax governance has allowed developers to turn much of the coastline into private clubs, leaving a dwindling number of public beaches along the Mediterranean.

World News

Lebanon's Shrinking Public Beaches

3:06pm August 25, 2015

by Alice Fordham

In a country with a stunning coastline, a lack of governance has allowed private developers to gobble up prime seaside real estate and shunt aside ordinary Lebanese who depend on public beaches.

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Syrian refugees at the Midyat refugee camp in Mardin, southeastern Turkey, near the Syrian border in June.

U.S. To Accept Up To 8,000 Syrian Refugees Next Year

11:27am August 25, 2015

by Laura Wagner

More than 4 million Syrians have become homeless since civil war broke out in 2011. As of June, fewer than 1,000 had been admitted to the U.S.

Egyptian Government Imposes Strict Anti-Terrorism Law

6:51pm August 24, 2015

NPR's Robert Siegel interviews Nathan Brown, a professor at George Washington University, about the constitutionality of the law and the concern it will be used to crackdown on political dissent.

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A clothing store in Izmir, Turkey, now specializes in life vests for migrants crossing the Aegean Sea to Greece. They carry children's and adults' sizes.

World News

Your Questions Answered About Europe's Migrant Crisis

5:03pm August 24, 2015

by NPR Staff

On Facebook, reporters Ari Shapiro and Joanna Kakissis discussed reporting on record numbers of people fleeing violence in the Mideast and elsewhere. One concern: Is "migrant" even the right word?