Lauren Frayer
Lauren Frayer covers the United Kingdom, Ireland and parts of Europe for NPR News. She is a regular contributor to NPR podcasts, and serves as a guest host of Weekend Edition and Weekend All Things Considered.
She moved to London in 2023 after five years in Mumbai, covering South Asia. For her coverage of King Charles III’s coronation, Frayer traced the controversial path of a 105-carat diamond discovered in India, snatched from a 10-year-old Sikh prince and “gifted” to British royals in the 19th century. In northern England, she uncovered a little-known World War II battle between Black and white U.S. soldiers. She has chronicled Sinn Fein’s political makeover, toured pro-Palestinian graffiti in Dublin, and rediscovered one of soccer’s greatest underdog stories.
Her other datelines include Gaza, Ukraine, Sri Lanka, Seoul, Dhaka – as well as the Dalai Lama’s monastery, Morocco’s Atlas Mountains, James Bond’s birthplace and Taylor Swift’s favorite London pub.
In India, Frayer reported a five-part true crime podcast called Love Commandos, investigating a Delhi-based vigilante group that offers shelter and aid to couples who cross the boundaries of caste and religion to marry the people they love. She has also reported podcasts about caste discrimination in America, the death of a Jesuit priest in Indian custody, and the changing height of Mount Everest.
Frayer has been honored with two Gracie Awards, the Lowell Thomas Award from the Overseas Press Club of America, a Sigma Delta Chi Award from the Society of Professional Journalists, a New York Festival Radio Award and three National Headliner Awards.
She has also contributed to The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times and the BBC. Her career began at the Associated Press, where she worked in the agency's bureaus in Washington, Jerusalem, Cairo and Baghdad.
Born and raised in Connecticut, Frayer holds a bachelor's degree in philosophy from The College of William & Mary in Virginia.
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They grew up amid olive groves in southern Lebanon. The son of one married the other's daughter. Now they're living temporarily in a vacant building in central Beirut, displaced many times. -
In 2024, Israel killed Hezbollah's top leaders and is thought to have decimated its arsenal. So how is the Iran-backed group still firing thousands of rockets into Israel?
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The U.S. said on Sunday that it will soon block ships from Iranian ports. It comes after the U.S. and Iran failed to reach an agreement during face-to-face peace talks, sending oil prices surging.
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In a rare interview, a wounded Hezbollah commander tells NPR about his secretive Shia Muslim militia's new command structure and how it has managed to keep firing rockets into northern Israel. -
Iran is insisting a ceasefire in Lebanon is part of the deal to pause the fighting in the Middle East. Israel and President Trump say it's not.
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The Middle East is experiencing relief, anger and uncertainty as the U.S., Iran and Israel dispute ceasefire terms.
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Lebanon says at least 54 health workers are among more than 1,400 people killed by Israel during the current invasion. Human rights groups say first responders are being targeted — something Israel denies. -
At the start of the sixth week of war, U.S. forces search for a missing airman and President Trump reiterates his ultimatum for Iran to open the Straight of Hormuz.
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Christian villages in southern Lebanon are spending Easter under siege, as the Lebanese Army pulls out of an area where Israel is battling Shiite Muslim Hezbollah militants. -
Israel has invaded Lebanon in pursuit of Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters in southern Lebanon. Israel has said it will push up to the Litani River.
