Sep 02 Iranians return to annual hajj in Saudi Arabia By Kamala Kelkar Millions of Muslims from around the world retrace the steps of the Prophet Muhammad’s first pilgrimage to the city of Mecca, which he is believed to have traveled in the year 628 AD. Continue reading
Aug 09 Watch 5:24 Why this Saudi activist says driving is the ultimate female emancipation By PBS News Hour In 2011, Manal al-Sharif decided to drive. But for women in Saudi Arabia, what seems like a normal act of daily life is anything but. Jailed for nine days, her case sparked international outcry. Jeffrey Brown sits down with Sharif,… Continue watching
Jul 21 Tillerson urges Qatar’s neighbors to lift land blockade By Associated Press Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is urging Qatar's neighbors to lift a land blockade as a "sign of good faith" in negotiations to resolve the Persian Gulf diplomatic crisis. Continue reading
Jun 21 Watch 7:12 News Wrap: Republicans celebrate Georgia special election win By PBS News Hour In the our news wrap Wednesday, congressional Republicans and the Trump White House celebrated Karen Handel's win in a special election race for a House seat in Georgia. Also, the FBI confirmed that the gunman who opened fire on House… Continue watching
Jun 09 Watch 4:29 News Wrap: Trump calls out Qatar over extremism funding By PBS News Hour In our news wrap Friday, President Trump during a news conference dove back into the diplomatic row over Qatar, saying the nation must do more to fight extremism. Also, the president said he “absolutely” supports NATO’s Article 5, a provision… Continue watching
Jun 07 Trump eases Qatar critique, offers to mediate Persian Gulf tension By Josh Lederman, Associated Press President Donald Trump offered to personally broker a resolution to the Persian Gulf's escalating diplomatic crisis, as both he and Qatar looked past his pointed suggestion only a day earlier that the tiny gas-rich nation enables terrorism. Continue reading
Jun 06 Siding against ally Qatar, President Trump injects U.S. into Arab crisis By Josh Lederman, Associated Press President Donald Trump injected the U.S. into a volatile crisis among America's Mideast allies, siding with Saudi Arabia and other countries against Qatar in a dispute that threatens to disrupt efforts to defeat the Islamic State group and counter Iran. Continue reading
Jun 05 Watch 6:39 What’s behind the dramatic diplomatic rift with Qatar? By PBS News Hour Political shock waves roiled the Persian Gulf, as Saudi Arabia and other Arab states cut all ties with Qatar, accusing the tiny oil state of supporting terror groups and embracing Iran. How did simmering tensions burst into full-on crisis for… Continue watching
Jun 05 Analysis: Qatar-Gulf split means splitting headache for the U.S. By Margaret Warner Saudi Arabia is the closest U.S. ally in the region, but Qatar hosts (and pays for) a major U.S. military base vital to the air campaign against ISIS. Continue reading
May 26 Watch 5:32 How world leaders tried to bend Trump’s ear during his first trip abroad By PBS News Hour President Trump spent the final day of his first trip abroad in Sicily at a G-7 Summit, where he met with several world leaders to discuss issues such as climate change and trade. It wrapped up a busy week with… Continue watching