Middle East

World News

What Will New King Mean For Women In Saudi Arabia?

6:30pm January 27, 2015

Melissa Block speaks with Rajaa Al Sanea, a dentist and Saudi writer best known for her novel, Girls of Riyadh. She talks about how women's rights changed and expectations for the new king.

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A Pakistani polio vaccination worker gives a dose to a child in Islamabad during a 2014 campaign.

For Dollars Donated To Vaccine Campaigns, Norway Wears The Crown

6:12pm January 27, 2015

by Jason Beaubien

Donations to the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization hit $7.5 billion. The UK and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation were the most generous dollar-wise. Norway is the per capita champ.

President Obama meets Saudi King Salman bin Abdul Aziz in Riyadh on Tuesday.

World News

Obama Meets New Saudi King, Balancing Human Rights, U.S. Interests

2:39pm January 27, 2015

by Krishnadev Calamur

The president cut short his visit to India to travel to Saudi Arabia. There, he met King Salman, who ascended to the throne last week following the death of his half-brother, Abdullah.

The Drone War's Bottleneck: Too Many Targets, Not Enough Pilots

1:36pm January 27, 2015

Much of America's military campaign in Iraq and Syria is conducted by drones. NPR's Scott Simon talks with U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff General Mark Welsh about the shortage of drone pilots.

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Kurds in Istanbul wave the flags of the outlawed PKK on Monday after Kurdish fighters backed by U.S.-led airstrikes pushed the Islamic State group out of Kobani, Syria.

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Backed By U.S.-Led Coalition, Kurds Take Kobani From ISIS

12:12pm January 27, 2015

by Alison Meuse

The Syrian town was not seen as militarily important, but Islamic State propaganda bumped it up the list of targets.

Mourning In Riyadh: Obama Visits New Saudi King To Offer Condolences

11:27am January 27, 2015

by Scott Horsley

President Obama has stopped in Saudi Arabia on his way home from India. He's meeting with the new Saudi king. Steve Inskeep talks to NPR's Scott Horsley, who is traveling with the President.

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World News

New Generation Of Saudi Royals In Line To Run Country

9:00am January 27, 2015

For 62 years, Saudi Arabia has been ruled by sons of the founder of the Kingdom, Abdul Aziz. Robert Siegel talks to Middle East specialist Joseph Braude about Saudi succession.

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Netanyahu Speech To Congress Is High-Risk, High-Reward, Analysts Say

7:50pm January 26, 2015

by Emily Harris

Israelis are watching the latest spat between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the White House — which could worsen his country's global standing, but win him votes in Israel's March elections.

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Comic book creator Suleiman Bakhit says he found that many kids did not have heroes to look up to and sometimes gravitated to religious extremists. This frame is from his story about a Jordanian special forces hero.

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In Jordan, The Comic Book Superheroes Fight Extremism

7:11pm January 26, 2015

by Alice Fordham

Comic book creator Suleiman Bakhit found that many kids didn't have figures to look up to. So he created superheroes who combat religious extremism — and they've been a big hit.

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World News

U.S. Drone Strikes Target Suspected Al-Qaida Militants In Yemen

2:38pm January 26, 2015

by Krishnadev Calamur

The strikes come just days after Yemen's the U.S.-backed government resigned in the face of an uprising by Shiite Houthi rebels, effectively leaving the country with no government.