World

World News

Mideast Conflicts Converge In Once-Quiet Turkish City

2:52pm December 11, 2014

Gaziantep is a city that brings together Syrian rebels, U.S. aid workers and suspected ISIS militants. NPR's Rachel Martin talks to Robin Wright of the Wilson Center about her recent trip there.

Queue Listen Now

Iranian women walk past a window display in Tabriz in northwestern Iran on Oct. 15. Iran is facing a host of economic problems as world oil prices fall and international sanctions remain in place.

World News

For Iran, The Trend Lines All Seem To Point In The Wrong Direction

2:52pm December 11, 2014

by Peter Kenyon

Many Iranians were upbeat when Hassan Rouhani was elected last year. But much of that optimism has faded due to the nuclear talks that are dragging and a bleak economic outlook.

Queue Listen Now

Mazen Hariz, a bartender and business student in east Beirut, says it took him seven months to grow his beard.

World News

Who's That Lebanese Man With A Beard: Hipster Or Jihadi?

2:03pm December 11, 2014

by Alice Fordham

Hipsters in Beirut have a problem. Their long, lustrous beards are getting them mistaken for Islamist extremists and drawing unwanted scrutiny from the security forces.

Queue Listen Now

Nazila Fathi reported from her native Iran for The New York Times. Fearing arrest, she fled in 2009 with her family and now lives in suburban Washington, D.C. Her new book, The Lonely War, describes the challenges of reporting from the country.

The Risks, Rewards And Mysteries Of Reporting From Iran

1:53pm December 11, 2014

by Greg Myre

Nazila Fathi covered Iran for The New York Times until she feared her arrest was imminent. She then fled her homeland. Her new book, The Lonely War, tells of the challenges of reporting on Iran.

Queue Listen Now

5 Interrogation Methods The CIA Used On Terrorism Suspects

12:34pm December 11, 2014

by Krishnadev Calamur

The Senate's report says CIA interrogators used methods such as rectal infusion and waterboarding on detainees. The report says the techniques were ineffective, a point the agency disputes.

Men load bags of cement from a warehouse in Gaza. Under a complicated system meant to prevent militants from getting cement to use for tunnels, Palestinians must get approval from home inspectors to buy just one sack.

World News

'People Are Going To Rebel': Slow Pace Of Rebuilding Frustrates Gazans

12:31pm December 11, 2014

by Emily Harris

Three months after the war between Israel and Hamas ended, reconstruction has barely started. Many people still live in half-bombed houses. But there are a few bright spots and a bit of innovation.

Queue Listen Now

World News

Fidel Castro Awarded China's Confucius Peace Prize

11:14am December 11, 2014

by Krishnadev Calamur

The award was set up in 2010 after the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to a Chinese dissident. Chinese media said the former Cuban leader was honored because he didn't use force in foreign relations.

U.S. Says It Has Closed Its Final Detention Center In Afghanistan

11:05am December 11, 2014

by Eyder Peralta

The U.S. said it closed its facility at Bagram, ending a controversial chapter in American history. The U.S. said it no longer holds any prisoners in Afghanistan.

Hong Kong police arrest lawmaker and pro-democracy activist Leung Kwok-Hung during a sit-in Thursday as police clear the main protest site in the Admiralty district.

World News

In Hong Kong, Police Clear Final 'Occupy' Protest Site

11:02am December 11, 2014

by Eyder Peralta

Following months of acts of civil disobedience to demand democratic reforms, police have rousted the final bastion of what's come to be known as the Umbrella Revolution.

At about $15 a gram, saffron is the world's most expensive spice. Rumi Spice has a unique model of employing Afghan farmers who are growing it that aims to double or even triple their annual income.

How Afghanistan Vets Are Trying To Cultivate Peace Through Saffron

11:01am December 11, 2014

by James Clark

Afghanistan has an ideal climate for growing saffron, the most expensive spice in the world. But little is exported. Rumi Spice is working with small farmers there to build the U.S. market for it.