Middle East

Civilians, reportedly wounded by fighting in Kobani, wait with their relatives to cross into Turkey at the Syrian-Turkish border crossing of Tel Abyad, Syria, on Thursday.

World News

ISIS Launches Push To Retake Border Town Of Kobani

1:16pm June 25, 2015

by Scott Neuman

The battle began with one or more car bombs set off inside the Syrian city. There are unconfirmed reports that Islamic State fighters hid themselves among refugees flooding into Kobani.

Mother Of Son Who Was Held Hostage: 'I Was Very Moved By The President'

8:01pm June 24, 2015

NPR's Audie Cornish talks with Nancy Curtis about the changes to U.S. policy on American hostages. Curtis' son, Theo Padnos, was held hostage in Syria for two years until he was released last August.

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World News

After Kosovo Emerged From War, Foreign Extremists Radicalized Youth

8:01pm June 24, 2015

by Ari Shapiro

Decades of communism left Kosovo a largely secular place. But after the U.S.-backed war for independence, extremists radicalized young people. Now some have joined the Islamic State in Syria.

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World News

'New Yorker' On Secret Civilian Efforts To Save America's ISIS Hostages

8:05am June 24, 2015

Renee Montagne talks to Lawrence Wright of The New Yorker about his article on the impact of U.S. hostage policy on 5 families whose children where held hostage in Syria by the Islamic State.

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Farmer Efi Cohen inspects almond trees on a kibbutz south of Jerusalem. The Israeli government says it's safe to use treated sewage water to irrigate tree fruit, but not all crops.

Israel Bets On Recycled Water To Meet Its Growing Thirst

2:19pm June 23, 2015

by Emily Harris

Treated sewage water accounts for half the water used by Israel's farms. Entrepreneurs are experimenting with ways to cut costs and to ensure that the 86 percent of wastewater that's recycled is safe.

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World News

U.N. Report Finds Israel, Hamas Possibly Committed War Crimes In Gaza

2:10pm June 23, 2015

by Emily Harris

A United Nations report accuses both Israel and Hamas of possible war crimes during the war in Gaza last summer.

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60 Million People Displaced By World Conflicts, U.N. Refugee Agency Says

7:17pm June 22, 2015

by Michele Kelemen

The United Nation's refugee agency says there is a record number of people uprooted by war, conflict and persecution: nearly 60 million.

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Seen here in an undated photograph, Macer Gifford — an alias he uses to protect his family — left his job as a financial trader in London to fight ISIS in Syria.

World News

For A British Man, Fighting ISIS Was Simply The Right Thing To Do

3:48pm June 21, 2015

by NPR Staff

Macer Gifford — an alias he uses to protect his family — left his job as a financial trader in London to fight ISIS in Syria. He lost much of what he had, but says he never regretted his decision.

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The Roman theater in Palmyra, which dates from the 1st century A.D. Islamic States militants have reportedly placed landmines around it and other ancient ruins.

World News

Report: ISIS Lays Mines Around Ancient Sites In Palmyra

3:01pm June 21, 2015

by Scott Neuman

The U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says it isn't clear whether the move is meant to secure the ancient treasures from government forces or to destroy them.

World News

Europe's Migrant Crisis Spreads Ashore As Refugees Enter Bulgaria On Foot

6:42pm June 20, 2015

by Ari Shapiro

Migrants from Syria and other nations are fleeing to Europe not just by sea but also over land via Turkey. In Bulgaria, one of the European Union's poorest nations, about 1,000 people used to cross the border in a year. Last weekend alone, 650 people tried to cross, most of them unsuccessfully.A version of this story originally aired on All Things Considered on June 17, 2015.

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