Middle East

Shiite Houthis wearing Yemeni army uniforms stand guard on a street leading to the presidential palace in Sanaa, Yemen, on Wednesday.

World News

Yemen's President, Shiite Rebels Reportedly Strike Deal

8:13pm January 21, 2015

by Krishnadev Calamur

The agreement, which would see the rebels withdraw from parts of the capital in exchange for concessions, could defuse a political crisis that has threatened the stability of a key U.S. ally.

World News

ISIS Demands $200 Million Ransom For Japanese Hostages

8:00pm January 21, 2015

by Peter Kenyon

The Japanese government is facing a ransom demand of $200 million for the lives of two Japanese men held by the self-described Islamic State. The demand was made in a video posted online, in which a hooded fighter gave Japan 72 hours to come up with the money.

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Scholar: U.S. Drone Use Has Contributed To Yemen's Instability

7:00pm January 21, 2015

The spectre of civil war and chaos hangs over Yemen's capitol. Robert Siegel talks with Brookings Institute scholar Ibrahim Sharqieh about the dynamics in this poor and troubled nation.

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World News

After Days Of Clashes, Rebels Seize Yemen's Presidential Palace

3:24pm January 21, 2015

The presidential palace has been overrun by sectarian rebels. David Greene talks to Yara Bayoumy, of Reuters, about the rebels' attack and takeover of the presidential palace in the capital Sanaa.

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World News

Al Qaida, Houthi Rebels Push Yemen Toward Sectarian Conflict

11:25am January 21, 2015

Audie Cornish talks to journalist Iona Craig about the Houthi rebels' attack and takeover of the Yemeni presidential palace in Sanaa. Craig has been based in Yemen for the past four years.

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World News

Saudi Arabia Builds Iraq Border Wall To Protect Against ISIS

11:25am January 21, 2015

Audie Cornish talks with Saudi Arabia expert Gregory Gause about how the country views the ISIS threat. The kingdom is building a 600-mile border wall along its northern border with Iraq.

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World News

At Least 11 Israelis Stabbed Aboard Tel Aviv Bus

10:27am January 21, 2015

by Krishnadev Calamur

Three of those stabbed are said to have been seriously wounded. News reports say the assailant was shot in the leg while trying to escape. Israel is calling the incident a terrorist act.

A Yemeni man walks amid the debris inside a heavily damaged house near the presidential palace on Tuesday.

World News

What's Going On In Yemen?

9:42am January 21, 2015

by Greg Myre

Yemen has once again been plunged into chaos as rebels reportedly have taken the presidential palace. The U.S., Saudi Arabia and Iran all have an important stake in the troubled country.

White House Seeks More Time From Congress On Iran

2:41pm January 20, 2015

by Krishnadev Calamur

There is bipartisan support for sanctions — and a veto threat from the president. His chief of staff, Denis McDonough, says the White House would consider congressional action "later in the year."

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Houses of local residents are seen damaged in clashes that erupted between presidential guards and Shiite Houthi fighters in Sanaa, Yemen, on Tuesday.

World News

Shiite Rebels Shell Yemeni Leader's House, Seize Presidential Palace

2:07pm January 20, 2015

by Krishnadev Calamur

The Associated Press is calling the "shelling ... a dramatic escalation in the violence that has gripped Sanaa since Monday." Some Yemeni officials are calling the rebels' move "a coup."