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UNESCO Admits Palestine, May Lose U.S. Aid Money

UNESCO votes to admit Palestine, ensuring a cutoff of U.S. aid to the U.N. organization. The U.S. and Israel have also warned that the action could harm the Middle East peace process.

UNESCO Admits Palestine, May Lose U.S. Aid Money

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Assad Warns Against Outside Intervention

Syrian President Bashar Assad warned of an "earthquake" if any outside forces intervened in his country. Meanwhile, protesters say dozens of people were killed in the last few days, making this one of the bloodiest weekends since the uprising began.

Assad Warns Against Outside Intervention

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Can Oil Fuel Libya's Reconstruction?

Rebuilding Libya will be complex, but the Libyans should be able to pay for reconstruction with their oil. Host Audie Cornish talks with John Hamilton, a Libya expert at Cross Border Information, about the current state and future of Libya's oil industry.

Can Oil Fuel Libya's Reconstruction?

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Media

Tribal Unrest In The New Libya

Bani Walid was one of the last pro-Moammar Gadhafi bastions to fall to revolutionary forces. It's also the seat of the Warfalla tribe, the largest in Libya. In the wake of Gadhafi's death, NPR's Lourdes Garcia-Navarro reports the tribe is aggrieved and the city is seething.

Tribal Unrest In The New Libya

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The Arab Uprisings: Now Comes The Hard Part

Supporters of the moderate Islamist party Ennahda celebrate Tuesday after the party received the most votes to form an assembly that will write a new constitution. Tunisia was the first Arab country to stage a revolution this year, and the first to hold elections.

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Amine Landoulsi/AP

The Arab Uprisings: Now Comes The Hard Part

The Arab uprisings brought down dictators. But it's a long, tough road to build democratic states and strong economies that can sustain restless populations.

Iran's Largest Banks Swindled Out Of $2.6 Billion

The banking scandal has political implications in Iran, and the president's top adviser, Rahim Mashaei, has come under criticism. He's shown here in 2007.

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Paul White/AP

Iran's Largest Banks Swindled Out Of $2.6 Billion

Several of Iran's largest banks have been swindled out of an estimated $2.6 billion. The scandal has sparked a widening investigation with more than 30 arrests so far. Some question if advisers close to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are involved.

Iran's Largest Banks Swindled Out Of $2.6 Billion

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World

Egypt To Release Israeli-American In Prisoner Trade

Another prisoner exchange is expected in the Middle East on Thursday. Israel is freeing 25 Egyptian prisoners — mostly smugglers and drug dealers — in exchange for an Israeli-American who was detained in Egypt four months ago on suspicion of spying for Israel. Israel has denied the accusation.

Egypt To Release Israeli-American In Prisoner Trade

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Libyans: NATO Bombing Raids Also Killed Civilians

On an Aug. 10 tour organized by Moammar Gadhafi's governement, an unidentified man lies in a hospital bed in Tripoli. He was allegedly injured during NATO airstrikes a day earlier.

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Dario Lopez-Mills/AP

Africa

Libyans: NATO Bombing Raids Also Killed Civilians

Many Libyans have praised NATO for helping opposition forces topple Moammar Gadhafi. But in one Tripoli neighborhood, residents say a NATO bomb killed five civilians.

Libyans: NATO Bombing Raids Also Killed Civilians

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Syria's President Assad Pressed To Open Dialogue

Activists report at least nine civilians were killed in Syria Wednesday. State TV reported President Bashar al-Assad's supporters packed a square in Damascus. He is being pressed to start a dialogue with the opposition. Washington Post foreign correspondent Liz Sly talks about recent developments.

Syria's President Assad Pressed To Open Dialogue

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Fresh Violence Strains Reforms For Turkish Kurds

A convoy of Turkish army vehicles drives along a road in the province of Sirnak, near the Turkish-Iraqi border. The conflict between Turkey and Kurdish militants in northern Iraq has intensified in recent weeks.

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Mustafa Ozer/AFP/Getty Images

World

Fresh Violence Strains Reforms For Turkish Kurds

The Turkish military launched its biggest military operation in a decade after a deadly raid last week by Kurdish militants. The operation comes as politicians begin to debate a new constitution that many hope will grant Turkey's Kurdish population long-sought civil rights.

Fresh Violence Strains Reforms For Turkish Kurds

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National

Outspoken Ambassador To Syria Returns To U.S.

U.S. Ambassador Robert Ford has been brought home from Syria because of fears for his safety. His very public criticism of government repression and his expressions of support for protesters — attending the funeral of a slain activist, for example — have brought threats. The United States accuses Syria's state-run media of inciting violence against him.

Outspoken Ambassador To Syria Returns To U.S.

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State Department Pulls U.S. Ambassador Out Of Syria

The State Department has withdrawn Ambassador Robert Ford from Damascus, citing threats to his security. Ford has angered the Syrian government for repeated forays around the country to show solidarity with peaceful protesters.

State Department Pulls U.S. Ambassador Out Of Syria

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Future Uncertain On Libya's Day Of 'Liberation'

Libya's Transitional National Council could resign Sunday to make way for a new interim government that will guide the country through elections. Libyans who went to see Moammar Gadhafi's corpse Saturday in Misurata had their own thoughts on what lies ahead and what the former dictator's death means to them. NPR's Lourdes Garcia-Navarro reports from Misurata.

Future Uncertain On Libya's Day Of 'Liberation'

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