May 06 Israeli Strike on Syria Shows Growing Lawlessness Along Border, Analysts Say By Larisa Epatko An Israeli airstrike on a military research facility near Damascus, Syria, last weekend killed 42 Syrian soldiers, reported the Associated Press, and raised the specter of the Syrian conflict pulling in more regional players. Continue reading
Apr 05 Bringing the Classroom to Jordan’s Exploding Refugee Population By Larisa Epatko The number of Syrian refugees escaping to neighboring Jordan has surpassed 400,000 with thousands more arriving each day. Many of the refugees are children, who normally would be in school but instead are hunkering down in refugee camps. Continue reading
Apr 02 A World Tour to Meet a Florist, a Barber and Other Microloan Entrepreneurs By Larisa Epatko They live continents apart -- Symon in Kenya and Bo in Cambodia -- but they have a common thread. Both started small businesses with microloans they received through the networking website Kiva. Continue reading
Mar 21 Watch Obama Visit Raises Expectations of Support on Mideast Peace Dealings Obama Visit Raises Expectations of Support on Mideast Peace Dealings… Continue watching
Mar 21 Obama: Mideast Peace Process Must Continue, ‘Too Much Is at Stake’ By Larisa Epatko President Obama made the case for restarting the peace process before Palestinian and Israeli audiences Thursday. "We cannot give up on the search for peace no matter how hard it is. ... Too much is at stake."… Continue reading
Mar 21 Watch Obama Discourages Preconditions, Champions Change for Mideast Peace Prospects President Barack Obama made stops in Ramallah and Jerusalem, where he held a joint news conference with President Mahmoud Abbas, met with young Palestinians and addressed a young Israeli crowd, encouraging them to not give up on peace. Margaret Warner,… Continue watching
Feb 15 For Syrian Refugees in Jordan, Welcome Might Be Wearing ‘Thin’ By Larisa Epatko The conflict between anti-government and regime forces in Syria -- pushing two years now -- has forced hundreds of thousands of Syrians from their homes and created a humanitarian nightmare for aid groups and others trying to help them. Continue reading
Feb 06 Video: Syrian Refugee: ‘Maybe God Will Help Us’ By Larisa Epatko Maryam Al Okla is one of hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees battling through winter in an unfamiliar place -- living in cramped quarters with very little money and an uncertain future. Continue reading
Nov 15 Hamas Responds to Israeli Attacks Smoke rises after Israeli air strikes in the northern Gaza Strip Nov. 14, 2012. Photo by Darren Whiteside/REUTERS. Thursday afternoon, Hamas representative Usamah Hamdan agreed to come on the NewsHour's broadcast to be interviewed by correspondent Ray Suarez by… Continue reading
Nov 15 Syria and Turkey: A Complex Relationship By Larisa Epatko Despite being geographic neighbors, Syria and Turkey's political relationship historically hasn't been very close, but things were on the mend -- that is, until the Arab Spring hit. Continue reading