Middle East

A Saudi woman poses in this picture to illustrate driving a car in Jiddah as part of a June 2011 protest. An advisory council has recommended for the first time lifting a ban on female drivers.

World News

Saudi Council Reportedly Recommends Letting Some Women Drive

2:25pm February 10, 2015

by Scott Neuman

The Associated Press reports that after years of refusing to review the kingdom's ban on female drivers, a key council now says that with restrictions, women could be allowed to drive.

Syria's President Bashar Assad is seen Monday during the filming of an interview with the BBC in Damascus. Assad said third parties including Iraq were conveying information about a U.S.-led campaign of airstrikes against the self-declared Islamic State g

World News

Syria Has Learned About Airstrikes On ISIS Via 'Iraq And Other Countries'

2:07pm February 10, 2015

by Bill Chappell

Word that some communication is taking place helps explain how military jets from the U.S.-led coalition and Syria have avoided clashing as they attack targets on the ground.

U.S. State Department Suspends Operations In Yemen

2:00pm February 10, 2015

by Jackie Northam

The deteriorating security situation in Yemen is leading the U.S. embassy in Sanaa to reduce staff and suspend consular operations.

A screen shot from Seven Quests shows a battle with the hero, Rostam, and his troops. The game is based on a 1,000-year-old Iranian poem.

World News

Video Game Based On Ancient Story Aims For Audiences In Iran, Beyond

9:17pm February 09, 2015

by Deborah Amos

Two entrepreneurs with Iranian roots hope to make an international splash with a new online multiplayer game that is an update of a 1,000-year-old Iranian poem.

Queue Listen Now

Obama Defends Decision Not To Meet With Netanyahu During D.C. Visit

4:07pm February 09, 2015

by Jackie Northam

President Obama says it would break protocol to meet with Israel's prime minister just two weeks before Israeli elections. The two leaders have developed a prickly relationship over the years.

Ukraine Is Just 1 Foreign Policy Challenge On Obama's Agenda

7:38am February 09, 2015

by Ron Elving

President Obama is expected to submit to Congress what's called an AUMF, an authorization for the use of military force against ISIS, which calls itself the Islamic State.

Queue Listen Now

Horrendous Violence By ISIS Is Unacceptable, U.N. Commissioner Says

7:38am February 09, 2015

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein tells Renee Montagne that while his fears about Ebola have eased, ISIS, also known as the Islamic State, remains a constant threat.

Queue Listen Now

Australian journalist Peter Greste (left) of Al-Jazeera news channel and his colleagues, Egyptian-Canadian Mohamed Fadel Fahmy (center) and Egyptian Baher Mohamed, listen to the verdict inside the defendants' cage during their trial for allegedly supporti

World News

Al-Jazeera English Journalists To Get Retrial In Egypt

11:52am February 08, 2015

by Scott Neuman

The announcement of a retrial comes days after the journalists' colleague, Australian Peter Greste, was suddenly released and deported.

World News

Jordanians Seek Retribution After ISIS' Burning Of Captured Pilot

9:29pm February 07, 2015

There is an appetite for revenge in Jordan after an ISIS video showed a captured Jordanian pilot being burned to death in a cage. NPR's Arun Rath talks with correspondent Peter Kenyon in Amman.

Queue Listen Now

UAE To Resume Anti-ISIS Airstrikes 'In Solidarity With Jordan'

3:32pm February 07, 2015

by Scott Neuman

The United Arab Emirates had suspended sorties against the self-declared Islamic State over concerns that its pilots wouldn't be rescued if shot down.