Middle East

World News

Migrants Penned Inside Sports Stadium On Greek Island Of Kos

3:44pm August 13, 2015

NPR's Melissa Block speaks with Julia Kourafa, spokeswoman for Doctors Without Borders on Kos, where migrants are locked in a stadium as they await travel papers. They have little food or water.

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Scientists Write Letter To Obama Praising Iran Nuclear Deal

3:37pm August 13, 2015

NPR's Robert Siegel interviews physicist Richard Garwin, one of the authors of the letter, who says the deal defers Iran's ability to develop a weapon for several years.

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Jeb Bush Criticizes Obama, Clinton For Spread Of ISIS

3:29pm August 13, 2015

by Kirk Siegler

GOP presidential hopeful Jeb Bush outlined his strategy to combat the self-proclaimed Islamic State, also known as ISIS, in a speech at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California on Tuesday.

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A Saudi company produced the first successful Arabic-language online video game, Unearthed: Trail of Ibn Battuta. It's an adventure tale based on the life of a 14th century Arab explorer.

World News

As Saudi Arabia's Love Of Online Gaming Grows, Developers Bloom

7:02am August 12, 2015

by Deborah Amos

In a conservative country where opportunities for entertainment are limited, online video games give Saudis the chance for some fun. With powerful female characters, they also convey social messages.

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NPR's Steve Inskeep interviews President Obama at the White House on Thursday.

Obama's Iran Deal Argument In 1 Video Clip

2:49pm August 11, 2015

by Steve Inskeep

For the president, it seems, there is no logic in a moderate course on the Iran deal. In an interview with NPR, he is laughing at his critics' arguments and treating his opponents with scorn.

Obama On Iran Deal: 'Attitudes Will Change'

10:49am August 11, 2015

by NPR Staff

In an interview with NPR, President Obama said once people see the nuclear deal in action, they will "recognize that whatever parade of horribles was presented in opposition have not come true."

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World News

ISIS Advances In Syria, Capturing More Than 200 People

4:05pm August 10, 2015

by Alice Fordham

The self-declared Islamic State has made gains in Syria, capturing a largely Christian town and abducting people along the way.

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Lucie Morillon, head of research at French watchdog of Reporters Sans Frontieres (Reporters without Borders) holds a banner depicting Syrian human rights activist Mazen Darwish during a protest against violence in Syria, in Paris, Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012.

Syrian Journalist Released After Years In Prison

12:32pm August 10, 2015

by Sam Sanders

Mazen Darwish was arrested in February 2012 while reporting on Syrian President Bashar Assad's government crackdown on protesters.

U.S. Marines arrive at Saudi Arabia's Dhahran Air Base on Aug. 21, 1990. The U.S. began a buildup in the region just days after Iraq invaded Kuwait on Aug. 2 of that year. The U.S. military has been active in Iraq virtually nonstop for the past quarter-ce

25 Years In Iraq, With No End In Sight

9:54am August 09, 2015

by Greg Myre

Iraq invaded Kuwait on Aug. 2, 1990. The U.S. reversed Saddam Hussein's aggression, but it was just the start of the U.S. military role in Iraq that's spanned four presidents and a panoply of goals.

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World News

Egypt Trumpets Canal's Massive Expansion, But A Windfall's Far From Certain

5:37pm August 07, 2015

by Jackie Northam

Egypt has opened a major extension of the Suez Canal, doubling the number of ships that can pass through it. As the shortest route between Asia and Europe, the canal is most lucrative route in the shipping industry.

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