Middle East

The most comprehensive survey on female genital mutilation and cutting finds the practice has decreased in more than half of the countries where it persists. But in parts of eastern Africa, about 90 percent of girls still undergo the abusive procedure.

Renee Montagne talks with Aaron David Miller of the Middle East Program at the Woodrow Wilson Center about the prospect of renewed negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians.

The announcement comes hours after Secretary of State John Kerry said the two sides had agreed in principle to restart peace talks that collapsed five years ago.

The details have not been finalized, but the sides appear close to resuming full-fledged negotiations after years of stalemate.

The trip comes after Palestinians balked at some of the conditions for returning to negotiations. The Mideast peace process has been a priority for John Kerry as secretary of state. This visit is his sixth to the region in as many months.

If you want people to slim down, why not reward them with gold? That's the tack being taken in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. For every kilogram lost, the government will pay out a gram of gold.

Alarmed at ballooning waistlines in a region where fast food is common and comfortable outdoor exercise is not, the local government is offering citizens a gram of gold for each kilogram they lose by Aug. 16.

After a string of defeats, Syrian rebels have scored rare victories around Dera'a, a key battlefront near Damascus. Rebel commanders say those gains could be lost without a dependable arms supply and promised U.S. aid. So far, those weapons haven't materialized.

Tired of your commute to work? Imagine if on the way to your job, you had to dodge sniper fire. That's the case for many people in Syria. David Greene talks to Anthony Loyd, a correspondent for the Times of London, who just spent time in Alepo, Syria.

In Egypt, many are hopeful that with the Islamist president out of power, stability will return — and so will foreign investment. Already, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are pumping billions into Egypt now that the Muslim Brotherhood is no longer in power. And miraculously, the fuel shortages and power cuts that were plaguing the nation seem to be gone.