Souad Ait Hmad el Haych (left), 25, grieves as the body of her cousin is buried in Imi N'Tala, Morocco, on Sept. 13. Carol Guzy for NPR hide caption
Middle East
Family members embrace freed Americans Siamak Namazi, Morad Tahbaz and Emad Shargi, as well as two returnees whose names have not been released by the U.S. government, who were released in a prisoner swap deal between U.S and Iran, as they arrive at Davison Army Airfield on Tuesday at Fort Belvoir, Va. Jonathan Ernst/AP hide caption
US citizens Siamak Namazi (C-back), Emad Sharqi (bottom-L) and Morad Tahbaz (bottom-R) disembark from a Qatari jet upon their arrival at the Doha International Airport in Doha on September 18, 2023. Karim Jaafar/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
U.S.-Iran Exchange Prisoners – A Year Since the Death of Masha Amini Sparked Protests
Siamak Namazi (second left) and Morad Tahbaz (right) are welcomed after disembarking from a Qatari jet on their arrival at the Doha International Airport on Monday. Karim Jaafar / AFP/via Getty Images hide caption
Search and rescue operations are underway in the region affected by floods due to Storm Daniel in Derna, Libya, Sept. 14. Hamza Al Ahmar/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images hide caption
Newspapers with a cover picture of Mahsa Amini, a woman who died after being arrested by Iran's morality police, are seen in Tehran, Sept. 18, 2022. Majid Asgaripour/WANA via Reuters hide caption
In Iran, women's resistance defies state clampdown a year after Mahsa Amini's death
Laila Aseel, 24, holds her 1-year-old daughter, Aram. Aseel came to the hospital from an internally displaced persons camp, where she was living with her husband and four children after fleeing fighting in the north. She says she is unable to feed her kids more than one meal a day; when she arrived at the hospital, her daughter was near death from malnutrition. Claire Harbage/NPR hide caption
A combination image of satellite photos shows an area before and after a powerful storm and floods hit the country, in Derna, Libya, on Sept. 2 (top) and Sept. 12. EyePress News/EYEPRESS via Reuters Connect hide caption
People check an area damaged by flash floods in Derna, eastern Libya, on Monday. AFP via Getty Images hide caption
Mission Specialist Sultan Alneyadi of the United Arab Emirates, member of the SpaceX Dragon Crew-6 mission, gestures during the crew walkout from the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building for Launch Complex 39A ahead of their liftoff at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., on March 1. Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
An Arab astronaut made history in space. Now his country has its sights on Mars
Jack Lew (left) with former Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta at a White House event on Sept. 7, 2022. Andrew Harnik/AP hide caption
In this photo illustration, the new logo for the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, now X, is seen displayed on a smartphone. SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images hide caption
Saudi man sentenced to death for tweets in harshest verdict yet for online critics
Rep. French Hill, R-Ark., pictured on Jan. 5 on Capitol Hill, was among three members of Congress who made a brief visit to opposition-held northwest Syria on Sunday, the first known trip to the war-torn country by American lawmakers in six years. Alex Brandon/AP hide caption
Mina Bakhshi (left) has been living in Raleigh, N.C., since 2021. She was evacuated from Afghanistan following the Taliban's takeover of her country. Bakhshi, an avid climber, is shown here with her mentor and fellow climber, Anne McLaughlin. Kate Medley for NPR hide caption
Climbing got her out of Afghanistan. She needs lawmakers to let her stay in the U.S.
Shafiullah Amani with one of his his two daughters in Alexandria, VA on August 3, 2023. Catie Dull/NPR hide caption
100,000 Afghans Were Airlifted Out Of Kabul. What Happened To Those Who Weren't?
Siamak Namazi, shown in this photo before his 2015 imprisonment. Namazi Family hide caption
Yogurt-based drinks such as the lassi from India are go-to beverages for cooling down in the hot summer. The glasses at left add mango to the recipe. Chona Kasinger for NPR hide caption
Why India's yogurt drink lassi is the perfect drink for the hottest summer on record
Shaimaa Ali Ahmed, 12, lost her leg at age 6 after happening upon an unexploded rocket. Yemeni children like her bear an outsized burden from the civil war, where land mines and ordnance litter the landscape. Claire Harbage/NPR hide caption
She's 12. A rocket took her leg. She defines the pain and resilience of Yemen
The special Afghan unit would deploy with U.S. troops and speak with women and children. Behrouz Mehri/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
They fought alongside the U.S. — now this female Afghan military platoon is in limbo
A Pakistani police officer stands guard at the site of Sunday's suicide bomber attack in the Bajur district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, Monday, July 31. Mohammad Sajjad/AP hide caption
Up First briefing: Pakistan bombing; Yellow trucking meltdown; grieving pet loss
A photo taken on October 27, 2019 shows the burnt van that Barakat Ahmad Barakat says he was in when it was targeted by U.S. forces the night of the raid on ISIS leader Baghdadi's compound. Omar Haj Kadour/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
NPR Investigation Reveals Flaws In U.S. Claims About Baghdadi Raid Casualties
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at the weekly cabinet meeting, in the Western Wall tunnels in the Old City of Jerusalem, Sunday, May 21, 2023. Maya Alleruzzo/AP hide caption
After new law, Netanyahu vows to keep attorney general and return felon to office
"It's not emotionally easy to come by here anymore," Neda Sharghi said of this alley in Washington, D.C. Her brother Emad Shargi, depicted above, remains in Iran's Evin prison. Steve Inskeep/NPR hide caption
'This has become a sacred alley.' The face of Emad Shargi imprisoned in Iran
Iraqis raise copies of the Quran, Muslims' holy book, during a protest in Baghdad, Saturday. Hundreds of protesters attempted to storm Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone, which houses foreign embassies and the seat of Iraq's government, following reports of the burning of a Quran by a ultranationalist group in front of the Iraqi Embassy in Copenhagen. Hadi Mizban/AP hide caption