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Monday

Syrian Refugees In Lebanon Fear Deportation For Seeking Coronavirus Test Or Care

A Syrian refugee camp in the town of Bar Elias, in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, in January 2019. Now, people fleeing war and calamity have an added worry with the coronavirus pandemic. Bilal Hussein/AP hide caption

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Bilal Hussein/AP

The Coronavirus Crisis

Syrian Refugees In Lebanon Fear Deportation For Seeking Coronavirus Test Or Care

Although people fleeing war or humanitarian crises know about the dangers of COVID-19, many are also worried about being persecuted if the disease spreads in their communities.

Syrian Refugees In Lebanon Fear Deportation For Seeking Coronavirus Test Or Care

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Tuesday

In Lebanon, Some Turn To Beloved Local Saint For Solace And Protection From COVID-19

The grave of St. Charbel has long been visited by people seeking comfort and healing. Alice Fordham for NPR hide caption

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Alice Fordham for NPR

The Coronavirus Crisis

In Lebanon, Some Turn To Beloved Local Saint For Solace And Protection From COVID-19

St. Charbel is revered for his healing miracles. "He gives us faith and strength, especially in this time of sickness," says a pilgrim visiting his tomb. "He is the only cure, in my opinion."

In Lebanon, Some Turn To Beloved Local Saint For Solace And Protection From COVID-19

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Monday

Lebanon's Government Is Accused Of Swarming WhatsApp To Catch Protesters

Lebanese anti-government protesters use the light on their mobile phones during a demonstration in downtown Beirut in November. Activists turned to social media platforms to get out their message, streaming protests live on Twitter and highlighting police abuse on Instagram. New podcasts documenting corruption launched with the protest movement. Patrick Baz/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Patrick Baz/AFP via Getty Images

World

Lebanon's Government Is Accused Of Swarming WhatsApp To Catch Protesters

Protest organizers, lawyers and rights advocates tell NPR the authorities have adopted surveillance tactics, including allegedly invading chat groups to intimidate and investigate critics.

Lebanon's Government Is Accused Of Swarming WhatsApp To Catch Protesters

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Sunday

Amid Lebanon's Economic Crisis, The Country's Health Care System Is Ailing

Lebanese doctors take part in anti-government demonstrations in Beirut in November. Patrick Baz/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Patrick Baz/AFP via Getty Images

World

Amid Lebanon's Economic Crisis, The Country's Health Care System Is Ailing

"We are collecting from every person of goodwill," says a Roman Catholic priest who started a low-cost clinic. "We are not expecting a miracle. We hope to create a place where people feel respected."

Amid Lebanon's Economic Crisis, The Country's Health Care System Is Ailing

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Wednesday

Ghosn Defends His Escape From Japan: 'No Way I Was Going To Be Treated Fairly'

Former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn addresses a news conference Wednesday in Beirut, during which he explained his reasons for dodging trial in Japan. The 65-year-old former auto executive, who is accused of financial misconduct, vowed to clear his name in his first public appearance since skipping bail in Japan. Joseph Eid/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Joseph Eid/AFP via Getty Images

Business

Ghosn Defends His Escape From Japan: 'No Way I Was Going To Be Treated Fairly'

The ex-Nissan boss said he had a choice: "You're going to die in Japan, or you're going to have to get out." It was Ghosn's first public comment since fleeing financial misconduct charges for Beirut.

Friday

Fugitive Carlos Ghosn Escaped House Arrest By Walking Out, Not In Box, Officials Say

Former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn, pictured leaving the Tokyo Detention Center in April, is believed to have escaped with the help of several individuals. So far, Turkish authorities have arrested 12 people in connection with the auto executive's getaway. Eugene Hoshiko/AP hide caption

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Eugene Hoshiko/AP

World

Fugitive Carlos Ghosn Escaped House Arrest By Walking Out, Not In Box, Officials Say

Surveillance video taken outside of former Nissan executive's Tokyo home shows him leaving the house around noon. The new evidence appears to debunk theories that he escaped in a large box.

Thursday

Interpol Sends Lebanon Notice About Fugitive Auto Exec Carlos Ghosn

This house in Beirut is referred to in court documents as belonging to former Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn, who fled Japan where he faced criminal charges and ended up in Lebanon. Joseph Eid/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Joseph Eid/AFP via Getty Images

World

Interpol Sends Lebanon Notice About Fugitive Auto Exec Carlos Ghosn

The notification is a request to law enforcement to locate and hold the former head of Nissan, who jumped bail in Japan, where he faces financial misconduct charges.

Monday

There's A New Kind Of Inequality. And It's Not About Income

A 4% hike in metro fares sparked major protests in Santiago, Chile, that raised many issues of inequality, including long waits at public hospitals and overcrowded schools. Cristobal Venegas/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images hide caption

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Cristobal Venegas/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Goats and Soda

There's A New Kind Of Inequality. And It's Not About Income

A report issued by the U.N. Development Programme says that the 20th-century thinking about global inequality no longer works in the 21st century.

There's A New Kind Of Inequality. And It's Not About Income

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Tuesday

Lebanon's Prime Minister Hariri Resigns After Weeks Of Protests

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri speaks during an address to the nation in Beirut, Lebanon on Tuesday. The embattled prime minister said he was presenting his resignation after he hit a "dead end" amid nationwide anti-government protests. Hassan Ammar/AP hide caption

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Hassan Ammar/AP

Middle East

Lebanon's Prime Minister Hariri Resigns After Weeks Of Protests

Saad Hariri said he has reached a "dead end" amid widespread demonstrations that paralyzed his country. The move could destabilize a nation that has been relatively peaceful in recent years.

Wednesday

'Baby Shark,' Drinks And Dancing: Lebanon's Protests Are Unlike Any Other

Anti-government protesters wave national flags as Lebanese army soldiers form a human barrier in the area of Jal el-Dib in the northern outskirts of the Lebanese capital of Beirut. Patrick Baz/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Patrick Baz/AFP/Getty Images

Middle East

'Baby Shark,' Drinks And Dancing: Lebanon's Protests Are Unlike Any Other

Protesters are demanding better public services, economic reform and a new government. Many demonstrators do so while holding a Lebanese flag in one hand and a beer in the other.

Tuesday

Protesters Continue To Fill Streets Of Lebanon, United By Their Calls For Change

A Lebanese woman holds up a sign demanding that the country's ruling elites pay up on the sixth day of protests in Zouk Mosbeh, north of Beirut, on Tuesday. Joseph Eid/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Joseph Eid/AFP via Getty Images

Middle East

Protesters Continue To Fill Streets Of Lebanon, United By Their Calls For Change

The government has taken notice and announced some changes: No new taxes. Halving officials' salaries. Approving new power plants. But the demonstrators say they're not going away.

Friday

In Lebanon, Palestinians Protest New Employment Restrictions

Protesters block the main road outside the Palestinian refugee camp of Burj al-Barajneh, south of the Lebanese capital Beirut, on July 16. The protests are against Lebanese government decision to restrict Palestinians' work opportunities. Anwar Amro/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Anwar Amro/AFP/Getty Images

World

In Lebanon, Palestinians Protest New Employment Restrictions

The protests were spurred by the closure of two Palestinian-owned businesses amid a larger government crackdown on Syrian refugees. Palestinians make up about 10% of Lebanon's population.

Saturday

Forced To Demolish Their Own Homes, Syrian Refugees In Lebanon Seek New Shelter

A Syrian boy walks among demolished shelters at a refugee camp in the town of Arsal, in the Bekaa Valley, in northeastern Lebanon on June 10. Joseph Eid/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Joseph Eid/AFP/Getty Images

World

Forced To Demolish Their Own Homes, Syrian Refugees In Lebanon Seek New Shelter

Lebanon requires refugees to live in shelters made of canvas or wood. A new military decree directs them to demolish concrete walls over 3 feet high by July 1. Many don't know where they'll live next.

Forced To Demolish Their Own Homes, Syrian Refugees In Lebanon Seek New Shelter

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Tuesday

U.S. Resident Imprisoned In Iran On Spying Charges Returns To America

Nizar Zakka (center), a Lebanese national and U.S. resident arrested in Iran in 2015 and sentenced to 10 years in jail on espionage charges, gives a press conference in Beirut after he was freed in early June. Anwar Amro/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Anwar Amro/AFP/Getty Images

World

U.S. Resident Imprisoned In Iran On Spying Charges Returns To America

Nizar Zakka, a Lebanese citizen, was recently released from Iran's notorious Evin Prison, where he served nearly four years.

Sunday

For Migratory Birds, Lebanon Is A 'Black Hole' Where They Are Hunted, Trapped, Killed

Axel Hirschfeld looks at the remains of dead birds while holding a Levant sparrowhawk. The bird was found locked in a small enclosure without food or water in a field used by poachers in the town of Ras Baalbek, Lebanon, in September. Sam Tarling for NPR hide caption

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Sam Tarling for NPR

World

For Migratory Birds, Lebanon Is A 'Black Hole' Where They Are Hunted, Trapped, Killed

Every year, some 2.6 million birds are shot or die after being trapped in illegal nets in Lebanon. "This country is a black hole in terms of protection," says a conservationist.