Mar 17 Watch 6:39 News Wrap: Paul Ryan won’t be GOP nominee; Putin makes threat on Syria By PBS News Hour In our news wrap Thursday, House Speaker Paul Ryan again denied any possibility that he would stand for the Republican presidential nomination at a contested RNC convention, saying those who argue otherwise should “knock it off.” Also, Russian president Vladimir… Continue watching
Mar 17 A major contributor to the Syrian conflict? Climate change By Vikram Mansharamani Starting in 2006, Syria suffered its worst drought in 900 years; it ruined farms, forced as many as 1.5 million rural denizens to crowd into cities alongside Iraqi refugees and decimated the country’s livestock. Water became scarce and food expensive. The suffering and… Continue reading
Mar 15 Watch 5:39 At five-year mark for Syrian conflict, Putin makes a notable move By PBS News Hour Tuesday marks exactly five years since the civil war in Syria began, and the grim anniversary saw significant diplomatic and military moves -- especially the news that Russian President Vladimir Putin would be pulling his nation’s ground forces out of… Continue watching
Mar 14 Watch 9:19 Syrian peace talks begin, but the migrant crisis remains dire By PBS News Hour The first round of UN-backed Syrian peace talks began in Geneva Monday morning -- but for those trapped in overcrowded refugee camps, seeking to enter Europe through the Balkans’ closed borders, help seems far away. Chief foreign affairs correspondent Margaret… Continue watching
Mar 09 A WWII survivor’s letter to a 16-year-old Syrian refugee will warm your heart By Larisa Epatko The nonprofit CARE coupled World War II transplants in the U.S. with Syrian refugees to write letters of encouragement and advice. Continue reading
Mar 07 Obama to shore up credibility for U.S. drone program with casualty report By Josh Lederman, Associated Press WASHINGTON — The Obama administration will disclose how many people have been killed by U.S. drones and counterterrorism strikes since 2009, the White House said Monday, lifting one element of secrecy shrouding the controversial counterterrorism program. Continue reading
Mar 03 Watch 5:14 News Wrap: Big tech supports Apple’s defiance of court order By PBS News Hour In our news wrap Thursday, a dozen major tech companies, including Facebook, Google and Microsoft, filed briefs supporting Apple’s refusal to unlock the San Bernardino shooter’s iPhone despite federal court order. Also, Florida lawmakers approved a bill that could reinstate… Continue watching
Mar 02 Syrian children in Turkey heal through storytelling By Wendy Pearlman Professor Wendy Pearlman of Northwestern University describes her experiences teaching refugee children. Despite the trauma caused by a conflict that has claimed more than 200,000 lives and created 4.39 million Syrians refugees abroad, the students demonstrated resilience and a hunger… Continue reading
Feb 29 Watch 6:21 News Wrap: Uncertainty persists over nascent Syrian ceasefire By PBS News Hour In our news wrap Monday, the three-day-old Syrian ceasefire has drawn mixed reactions. The UN asserts the truce is holding “by-and-large,” but opposition groups in Syria are requesting U.S. intervention against ongoing government airstrikes around Aleppo and Damascus. Also, a… Continue watching
Feb 28 Watch 2:37 Fragile ceasefire in Syria breached, Russia says By PBS News Hour On the second day of the ceasefire ind Syria brokered by the U.S. and Russia, opposition groups claimed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad violated the truce. Washington Post reporter Liz Sly joins Hari Sreenivasan via Skype from Turkey to discuss. Continue watching