http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rss/redir/newshour/region/middle_east/The latest news, analysis and reporting about Middle East from the Online NewsHour and its Web site, the feed is updated periodically with interviews, background reports and updates to put the news in a larger context.en-usThu, 26 Nov 2009 16:45:02Thu, 26 Nov 2009 16:45:02Copyright ©2009 MacNeil/Lehrer Productions. All Rights Reserved.144144http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rss/redir/newshour/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/images/rss/promo_rss.jpghttp://www.pbs.org/newshour/rss/redir/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/europe/july-dec09/british_11-26.htmlThu, 26 Nov 2009 00:00:00 ESTA British inquiry opened this week looking into the country's participation in the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Paul Davies of Independent Television News describes testimony that the Bush Administration mentioned Iraq on the day of the 9/11 attacks.http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rss/redir/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/middle_east/july-dec09/mideast_11-13.htmlFri, 13 Nov 2009 17:30:00 ESTBarack Obama's first call made as president to a foreign leader went to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. He told the beleaguered leader that he was firmly committed to working for Middle East peace, and that he saw Abbas as his partner.http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rss/redir/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/social_issues/july-dec09/iraqis_11-10.htmlTue, 10 Nov 2009 18:21:00 ESTNearly 32,000 Iraqi refugees have come to the United States over the past three years to escape violence and political uncertainty. But as Jeffrey Kaye reports, more refugees are learning that personal safety often comes at the cost of economic security.http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rss/redir/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/middle_east/july-dec09/iran_11-10.htmlTue, 10 Nov 2009 12:50:00 ESTThree U.S. hikers, captured in Iran, are at the center of a war of words this week, with initial reports suggesting they would be charged with espionage, but subsequent statements saying they would be prosecuted for entering the country illegally.http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rss/redir/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/middle_east/july-dec09/iran_11-04.htmlWed, 04 Nov 2009 15:05:00 ESTThousands of Iranians rallied outside the former U.S. Embassy in Tehran Wednesday to mark 30 years since Iranian students took over the compound and held dozens of Americans hostage. Opposition supporters also briefly staged their own protests.http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rss/redir/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/middle_east/july-dec09/iran_10-27.htmlTue, 27 Oct 2009 16:48:00 ESTIran vowed Tuesday to seek "important changes" in a United Nations plan that would require it to ship its enriched uranium out of the country for processing abroad, raising alarm among Western governments involved in nuclear talks with the country.http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rss/redir/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/middle_east/july-dec09/othernews_10-26.htmlMon, 26 Oct 2009 18:08:00 ESTIn other news, Iraqi forces beefed up security one day after a blast killed 155 people and injured 500 others, and 11 Iranians were arrested in Pakistan for attempting to illegal enter the country. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rss/redir/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/art/blog/2009/10/conversation-a-new-way-forward-through-cultural-exchange.htmlFri, 23 Oct 2009 12:32:12 ESTFrom "American Idol" to "Afghan Star," art and entertainment can be powerful tools for cultural exchange. That's the argument in the recent report, "A New Way Forward," which calls for the utilization of the arts to build a better relationship with the Muslim world.http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rss/redir/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/middle_east/july-dec09/iran_10-23.htmlFri, 23 Oct 2009 12:30:00 ESTIran sidestepped a Friday deadline on a U.N.-drafted agreement that would ship much of the country's uranium to Russia for enrichment, saying it would prefer instead to buy nuclear fuel from foreign suppliers for a reactor to make medical isotopes.http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rss/redir/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/middle_east/july-dec09/iran_10-21.htmlWed, 21 Oct 2009 10:15:00 ESTA draft deal -- up for Iranian approval by Friday -- would require Iran to send most of its existing enriched uranium to Russia for processing, in an attempt to delay Tehran's ability to make a nuclear weapon.http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rss/redir/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/politics/july-dec09/othernews_10-19.htmlMon, 19 Oct 2009 18:08:00 ESTIn other news, Iraq's Revolutionary Guard promised a "crushing response" after a suicide bomb killed five commanders, and nuclear talks with Iran convened in Vienna. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rss/redir/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/europe/july-dec09/turkey_10-12.htmlMon, 12 Oct 2009 18:30:00 ESTOver the weekend, Turkey and Armenia's foreign ministers signed an accord to establish ties between the two countries and open their shared border, but an occupied territory in Azerbaijan remains a major sticking point for final approval.http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rss/redir/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/middle_east/july-dec09/israel_10-02.htmlFri, 02 Oct 2009 12:20:00 ESTA thin but healthy-looking Israeli soldier, captured more than three years ago, said in a video released Friday that he is being treated well by his Palestinian captors and asked to come home.http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rss/redir/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/middle_east/july-dec09/iran_10-01.htmlThu, 01 Oct 2009 18:28:00 ESTIran has agreed to a second round of discussions over its disputed nuclear program following a meeting in Geneva on Thursday with diplomats from the U.S. and other world powers. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rss/redir/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/middle_east/july-dec09/iran_10-01.htmlThu, 01 Oct 2009 16:41:00 ESTIran agreed to open its newly disclosed nuclear enrichment facility to international inspectors Thursday, but President Barack Obama warned that the nation must follow its words with action.http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rss/redir/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/middle_east/july-dec09/iran_09-29.htmlTue, 29 Sep 2009 11:48:00 ESTIran said on Tuesday that it will not debate its "rights" to operate nuclear facilities but did signal that a timetable would soon be forthcoming for inspectors to visit a newly-revealed uranium-enrichment plant.http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rss/redir/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/military/july-dec09/iran2_09-28.htmlMon, 28 Sep 2009 18:05:00 ESTIran has test-fired its most advanced missiles, demonstrating its ability to strike targets as far away as Europe, and increasing tensions over its nuclear program. Analysts break down the details of the development.http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rss/redir/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/military/july-dec09/iran1_09-28.htmlMon, 28 Sep 2009 18:02:00 ESTIran continued with missile tests for a second straight day Monday, firing mid-range missiles capable of hitting Israel, parts of Europe, and U.S. military bases in the Middle East. Lindsey Hilsum of ITN reports.http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rss/redir/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/middle_east/july-dec09/iran_09-28.htmlMon, 28 Sep 2009 11:10:00 ESTIran claimed a test firing of its most advanced missiles Monday, further stoking diplomatic tensions ahead of crucial talks this week between the Islamic nation and world powers over its nuclear program.http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rss/redir/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/middle_east/july-dec09/iranlead_09-25.htmlFri, 25 Sep 2009 18:02:00 ESTPresident Obama and the leaders of France and Britain accused Iran Friday of building a covert uranium-enrichment site. Former U.N. weapons inspector David Albright examines what's known about the Iranian facility.http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rss/redir/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/international/july-dec09/iran_09-25.htmlFri, 25 Sep 2009 00:00:00 ESTIran has revealed the existence of a secret uranium-enrichment plant, the International Atomic Energy Agency said Friday, a development that could heighten fears about Tehran's ability to produce a nuclear weapon.http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rss/redir/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/middle_east/july-dec09/iran_09-24.htmlThu, 24 Sep 2009 18:16:00 ESTRahm Emanuel tells PBS' Charlie Rose that Iran knows the choices it faces in the global community due to its nuclear ambitions. Also, analysts tell Jim Lehrer that Iran's 'tactical' decisions continue to frustrate the world.http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rss/redir/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/international/july-dec09/un_nuclear_09-24.htmlThu, 24 Sep 2009 11:32:00 ESTThe U.N. Security Council unanimously approved a U.S.-sponsored resolution Thursday aimed at ridding the world of nuclear weapons.http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rss/redir/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/international/july-dec09/obama_un_09-23.htmlWed, 23 Sep 2009 11:11:00 ESTIn his first address to the U.N. General Assembly, President Barack Obama bluntly said world leaders who once accused the United States of acting alone must now join with him to solve global crises rather than "wait for America" to lead.http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rss/redir/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/middle_east/july-dec09/mideasttalks_09-22.htmlTue, 22 Sep 2009 14:04:00 ESTUndertaking a foreign policy challenge that that has vexed world leaders for years, President Barack Obama pressed Israeli and Palestinians leaders Tuesday to do more to reach an elusive Mideast peace deal.http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rss/redir/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/politics/july-dec09/iranprotests_09-18.htmlFri, 18 Sep 2009 18:03:00 ESTDemonstrators clashed in the streets of Tehran Friday in renewed protest of the results of June's election. The protests came amid a day of anti-Israel rallies, which President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad used to once again deny the Holocaust. ITN reports.http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rss/redir/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/middle_east/july-dec09/iran_918.htmlFri, 18 Sep 2009 00:00:00 ESTSupporters of Iranian opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi clashed with security forces and government supporters Friday during annual pro-Palestinian rallies in Tehran, renewing tensions around the results of June's presidential election.http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rss/redir/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/business/july-dec09/imf_09-16.htmlWed, 16 Sep 2009 18:45:00 ESTThe global economy is slowly starting to rebound, but in order to prevent another crisis nation's must embrace stricter financial oversight, said Dominique Strauss-Kahn, managing director of the IMF, in an interview with the NewsHour's Paul Solman. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rss/redir/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/middle_east/july-dec09/gaza_09-15.htmlTue, 15 Sep 2009 18:29:00 ESTA U.N. report has concluded that both the Israeli military and armed Palestinian groups committed actions amounting to war crimes during December's three-week war in Gaza. Gwen Ifill speaks with an author of the report and the Israeli ambassador to the U.S.http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rss/redir/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/middle_east/july-dec09/iaeairan_08-28.htmlFri, 28 Aug 2009 18:13:00 ESTIran has showed some signs of cooperation in slowing its uranium enrichment activity but indicators continue to point toward a covert nuclear weapon program, according to a report released Friday by the U.N. nuclear watchdog.http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rss/redir/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/middle_east/july-dec09/iraq_08-26.htmlWed, 26 Aug 2009 16:30:00 ESTOne of Iraq's most powerful Shiite Muslim party leaders died Wednesday at the age of 59 in Iran, where he was being treated for lung cancer, reported the Associated Press.