Podcasts about eastern ghouta

Doctor Amani Ballour is a renowned Syrian pediatrician and human rights activist prominently recognized for her pivotal role during the Syrian Civil War. As a figure of courage and resilience, she managed an underground hospital known as "The Cave" in Eastern Ghouta, which served as a haven for civilians amidst the conflict. Her selfless leadership and dedication to humanitarian work were captured in the Oscar-nominated documentary "The Cave," released in 2019. For her extraordinary contributions, Dr. Ballour was honored with the Council of Europe's Human Rights Prize in 2020. Episode Summary:Dr. Ballour shares her firsthand experiences from the Syrian conflict, bringing to light the grim realities faced by those caught in the crossfire. The episode traverses through the challenges of providing medical aid in dire conditions, emphasizing the emotional toll and resilience of those striving to save lives against the backdrop of war.Dr. Ballour provides a poignant narrative of her journey, detailing the inception and operation of "The Cave," where she not only treated the wounded but also confronted societal expectations as a woman in a leadership role. The conversation further explores the broader impact of warfare on civilians globally, touching upon current events in Ukraine, Israel, and Gaza. Through her story, Dr. Ballour advocates for global awareness and involvement, urging listeners to recognize the power each individual holds in contributing to change and support for those suffering from the consequences of conflict.Ready to improve your health or business? Look no further than our amazing sponsors! Support them and support Transform Your Mind podcast!Shopify - This Year take your business to the next level with a Shopify online store. Whether you are Selling a little or a lot Shopify helps you do your thing, however you cha-ching.Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at SHOPIFY.COM/transformClaritin - Shoutout to Claritin for supporting this episode and providing us with samples.If you are Ready to live life as if you don't have allergies? It's time to Live Claritin Clear.Go to CLARITIN.COM right now for a discount so you can Live Claritin Clear.Prolon, is a revolutionary, plant-based nutrition program that nourishes the body while making cells believe they're fasting.  And this all starts with Prolon's 5-day program: Snacks, soups and beverages all designed to keep your body in a fasting state.Right now, Prolon is offering Transform your Mind listeners TEN PERCENT off their 5-day nutrition program.Go to ProlonLife.com/TRANSFORM.See this video on The Transform Your Mind YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@MyhelpsUs/videosTo see a transcripts of this audio as well as links to all the advertisers on the show page https://blog.myhelps.us/Follow Transform Your Mind on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/myrnamyoung/Follow Transform Your mind on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063738390977Please leave a rating and review on iTunes https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/transform-your-mind/id1144973094

Today on Sense of Soul podcast we have, Dr Amani Ballour she is a distinguished, renowned Syrian pediatrician, human rights activist and author. Dr Amani is recognized internationally for her advocacy for women's and children's rights. She is best known for her work during the Syrian Civil War, where she managed an underground hospital known as "The Cave" in Eastern Ghouta. Her leadership and dedication during this time were the subject of an Oscar-nominated documentary titled "The Cave", released in 2019. Dr. Ballour was awarded the Council of Europe's Human Rights Prize in 2020 for her humanitarian work. She is also the author of the newly released book, her memoir, called the same as the Documentary, The Cave: A Secret Underground Hospital and One Woman's Story of Survival in Syria [National Geographic Books |March 5, 2024] written with Rania Abouzeid. In her book she shares the inspiration behind her new memoir, and her experience saving thousands of lives during Syria's deadly civil war. Watch The Cave Documentary  https://youtu.be/4-2m_xlhqa4?si=q31XWgCVeGqUSoN_ Purchase her book The Cave: A Secret Underground Hospital and One Woman's Story of Survival in Syria https://www.sams-usa.net/reports/saving-lives-underground-case-underground-hospitals-syria/ www.senseofsoulpodcast.com www.patreon.com/senseofsoul

Here's what to expect on the podcast:How did Dr. Amani overcome the challenges of maintaining the hospital underground in a war zone?Understanding the actual events in a war-torn country is crucial for informed awareness.An update on what is currently happening in SyriaWhat practical steps can be taken to provide support to nations experiencing difficulties?And much more! About Dr. Amani:DR. AMANI BALLOUR is a renowned Syrian pediatrician and human rights activist. She is best known for her work during the Syrian Civil War, where she managed an underground hospital known as "The Cave" in Eastern Ghouta. Her leadership and dedication during this time were the subject of an Oscar-nominated documentary titled "The Cave", released in 2019. Dr. Ballour was awarded the Council of Europe's Human Rights Prize in 2020 for her humanitarian work. Dr. Ballour's upcoming memoir, THE CAVE: A Secret Underground Hospital and One Woman's Story of Survival in Syria, written with Rania Abouzeid, will  be released on March 5, 2024. (Penguin Random House)Check out Dr. Amani Ballour's book, The Cave: A Secret Underground Hospital and One Woman's Story of Survival in Syria, on Amazon! https://amzn.to/3URCQ1NThe Cave (Documentary)- Available to watch on Amazon Prime Video & Hulu. Connect with Dr. Amani Ballour!Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amani_ballour/Syrian-American Medical Society: https://www.sams-usa.net/ Connect with Candice Snyder!Website: https://hairhealthvitality.com/passion-purpose-and-possibilities/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/candice.snyderInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/candicesny17/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/candicesnyder/ICAN Institute: https://vl729.isrefer.com/go/mindandbody/PassionPurpose22/Shop For A Cause With Gifts That Give Back to Nonprofits: https://thekindnesscause.com/

In today's episode, we discuss the rising humanitarian crisis in Syria. Hello everyone, my name is Anusha, and welcome back to Seeking Refuge News. Today, we will be talking about the rising humanitarian crisis in Syria. As international attention centers on the Israel-Gaza crisis, reports indicate an escalation in the bombardment of northwest Syria by Syrian government forces and their Russian allies. Al Jazeera notes on November 14, 2023 that the attacks in October which are concentrated on cities and villages in the countryside of Idlib and Aleppo, have resulted in the deaths of 66 civilians, including 23 children, and the injuries of 270, 79 of whom are children, as reported by a Syrian volunteer emergency rescue group. Opposition leaders and emergency volunteers point out that Russia and the Syrian regime are exploiting the world's distraction to intensify their campaign in northwest Syria. The motive is to exert pressure on Turkey and Syrian opposition factions, regarding issues such as the opening the international road between Syria and Turkey. AP News notes the Syrian government, backed by Russia, intensified its northwest campaign following a drone attack in the government-held Syrian town of Homs, one of Syria's deadliest attacks in years. David Carden, the U.N. deputy regional humanitarian coordinator for Syria says, “We're at the most significant escalation of hostilities since 2019. What Syrians want above all is to return home to their homes, but right now they do not feel safe to do so.” Humanitarian agencies and rights organizations have documented strikes hitting hospitals, schools, and other civilian infrastructure, further exacerbating the dire situation in Syria's 13-year conflict, which has so far claimed the lives of over half a million people. The increased violence in northwest Syria has led to a humanitarian crisis, with thousands of individuals being displaced. According to a report from the REACH initiative published on November 14, 2023, 84,093 individuals departed from 58 communities, with 71% returning to their communities during the assessed period of October 3 from October 17. Simultaneously, 55,157 individuals arrived in 135 communities, but only 11,981 returned to their previous communities. The situation has sparked the largest outburst of violence in the Greater Idleb region since 2019, with airstrikes and shelling causing massive numbers of civilian casualties and displacements. Furthermore, according to Al Jazeera on November 15, 2023, in a significant development, France has now issued arrest warrants for Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, his brother, and two other high-ranking officials, following a criminal investigation into the use of banned chemical weapons against civilians in Syria. The warrants are related to chemical attacks in the town of Douma and the district of Eastern Ghouta in August 2013, resulting in the deaths of over 1,000 people. Thank you so much for listening, and we will see you at the next episode. Liked this episode? Let us know! Subscribe and leave us a review below! Connect With Us If you or someone you know would like to share their personal refugee or refugee activist story, send us an email at seekingrefugepodcast@gmail.com or SOSRPA@mailbox.sc.edu, or connect with us on any of these social media platforms: https://www.instagram.com/refugepodcast/ https://www.facebook.com/seekingrefugepodcast https://twitter.com/refugepodcast Our Team: Anusha Ghosh (creator), Claire Mattes (researcher), Shireen Kaur, Rohit Swain, Emily Jensen, Diana Clark, Thrisha Mote, Victoria Halsey, Saanvi Somani, Yatin Nerella, Jazmine Rathi

Speak, even when your voice shakes, and you feel like rage crying. This special episode provides greater historical context to Israel and Palestine, elevates voices on the frontlines of the humanitarian crisis, demands an immediate ceasefire and a united global democratic alliance to end the genocide of Palestinians, and amplifies the calls for a political solution.  The crisis cannot be solved militarily. The bombs raining down on the open air prison of Gaza is a genocide–another Nakba, the Arabic word for “catastrophe”–which in 1948 saw the brutal mass forced displacement of around a million Palestinians with the founding of Israel. We're witnessing the long awaited war by indicted corrupt criminal and Putin ally Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's longest serving prime minister, desperate to cling to power, even if that means turning Israel into another theocratic dictatorship in the region. The racist, genocidal movement that assassinated former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin for signing the Oslo Accords, a path towards peace and potentially a two-state solution, brought Netanyahu to power. And now his government of Stephen Millers is determined to finish off Palestinians, mass-murdering several thousands, including a significant number of children.  Secretary of State Antony Blinken published a call for a ceasefire on Twitter, only to delete it after Republicans protested. That and more of the US response, what it means for the civilians on both sides of the conflict, the US election and more are discussed in this extra furious episode. This week's bonus episode will include answers to questions submitted by listeners subscribed at the Democracy Defender level and higher, and a special on-the-ground look at the upcoming Virginia state elections and the recent voter-purge by Governor Glenn Youngkin. To get access to that, support the show at the Truth-teller level or higher on Patreon by subscribing at Patreon.com/Gaslit! Thank you to everyone who supports the show – we could not make Gaslit Nation without you! Show Notes: Audio Clips:  Ali Velshi on Israel's apartheid of Palestinians: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKkjPtleWEU Israeli settler steals the home of a Palestinian woman in East Jerusalem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzO9KhXhiik Doctors without Borders: A doctor in Gaza https://twitter.com/MSF_USA/status/1713396854711296310 Watch Sands of Sorrow featuring Dorothy Thompson (1950) https://www.un.org/en/exhibits/page/watch-video-%E2%80%93-long-journey Former MI6 chief Sir Alex Younger says that there is no military solution to Israel/Palestine: https://twitter.com/BBCr4today/status/1712482696700842096?t=eJ1GfsWrLzCoNDfj9o-tAg&s=19 A 19 year old survivor of the Hamas massacre blamed Netanyahu, demands a political solution: https://twitter.com/BenzionSanders/status/1713255988608848069 Israel's Ambassador to the UK denies there's a humanitarian crisis in Gaza: https://twitter.com/SaulStaniforth/status/1713811260662255910?t=R8v3bQH4QwP7K5Udf7ivgQ&s=19 Israeli journalist harassed in Tel Aviv for calling for peace: https://twitter.com/orlybarlev/status/1713323223218082255 Peaceful Israeli protest broken up by police: https://twitter.com/NTarnopolsky/status/1713311362242216151?t=qB2TwZzYQJ6IU4VdKQpQWg&s=19 Yuval Noah Harari on Christiane Amanpour https://twitter.com/amanpour/status/1712538821923885287?t=GgwX7j8W-Q09JJ7P3ZuZzA&s=19 Closing clip: An Israeli who lost his parents calls for an end to the war: https://twitter.com/helenachumphrey/status/1713747777195307130?t=tmxkpSAsINT2F5nEkRalzQ&s=19 The Middle East Crisis Factory: The Iyad El-Baghdadi Interview https://www.gaslitnationpod.com/episodes-transcripts-20/2021/4/8/the-middle-east-crisis-factory-the-iyad-el-baghdadi-interview Indicted Criminal Netanyahu Starts a War to Cling to Power https://www.gaslitnationpod.com/episodes-transcripts-20/2021/5/19/indicted-criminal-netanyahu-starts-a-war-to-cling-to-power Peter Beinart, NYT: “Most of Gaza's residents aren't from Gaza. They're the descendants of refugees who were expelled, or fled in fear, during Israel's war of independence in 1948. They live in what Human Rights Watch has called an “open-air prison,” penned in by an Israeli state that — with help from Egypt — rations everything that goes in and out, from tomatoes to the travel documents children need to get lifesaving medical care. From this overcrowded cage, which the United Nations in 2017 declared “unlivable” for many residents in part because it lacks electricity and clean water, many Palestinians in Gaza can see the land that their parents and grandparents called home, though most may never step foot in it.” https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/14/opinion/palestinian-ethical-resistance-answers-grief-and-rage.html Netanyahu Is Losing the War at Home Incompetence against Hamas and indifference to Israeli suffering has the public boiling over. https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2023/10/in-the-israel-hamas-war-netanyahu-is-losing-at-home.html The Real Dividing Line in Israel-Palestine https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/israel-palestine-hamas-and-hardliners-against-peace-by-slavoj-zizek-2023-10?barrier=accesspaylog Israel is ordering Gazans to flee south. But they're bombing us here too. Refugees from the north are already arriving in Khan Younis, where the missiles never stop and we're running out of food, water, and power. https://www.972mag.com/gaza-flee-south-khan-younis/ Ukraine and Israel both must face a Russian foe https://www.nydailynews.com/2023/10/16/ukraine-and-israel-both-must-face-a-russian-foe/ The Massacre in Israel and the Need for a Decent Left https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/12/opinion/columnists/israel-gaza-massacre-left.html The Secrets Hamas Knew About Israel's Military: Hamas gunmen surged into Israel in a highly organized and meticulously planned operation that suggested a deep understanding of Israel's weaknesses. Here is how the attacks unfolded. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/13/world/middleeast/hamas-israel-attack-gaza.html Journalist casualties in the Israel-Gaza conflict https://cpj.org/2023/10/journalist-casualties-in-the-israel-gaza-conflict/ Israeli journalist Israel Frey attacked by far-right Israeli extremists in Tel Aviv for calling for an end to the war https://twitter.com/Ha_Matar/status/1713476098976047267?t=qmoRLraXDE8Ynm7OeSDVuw&s=19 6 Year Old Palestinian-American Boy Stabbed 26 Times by White Landlord https://abc7chicago.com/joseph-czuba-will-county-news-plainfield-murder-boy-stabbed/13921802/ 2022 Saw Highest Number of Palestinians Killed in West Bank by Israeli Forces Since Second Intifada https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-01-04/ty-article-magazine/.premium/2022-saw-highest-number-of-palestinians-killed-by-israeli-forces-since-second-intifada/00000185-7cf9-d464-a197-fefb0f290000 Hamas starting to 'understand the severity of their situation,' says negotiator https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gg6LzfDHg3U How False Testimony and a Massive U.S. Propaganda Machine Bolstered George H.W. Bush's War on Iraq https://www.democracynow.org/2018/12/5/how_false_testimony_and_a_massive Channel 4 News: "Where is people's humanity?" Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf has shared his mother-in-law's “last video” from Gaza, as Israel warns Palestinians to evacuate northern Gaza ahead of an anticipated ground offensive. https://twitter.com/Channel4News/status/1712791120357236821?t=4_iUv0ESF6AFKB7TMQQrTg&s=19 Daniel Adamson @danielsilas Some of the most measured voices I'm hearing on here, the ones who seem most serious about ending this agony, seem to come from Israelis whose loved ones have just been murdered or abducted by Hamas. Some examples… https://twitter.com/danielsilas/status/1712601486935421077?t=1hPscVI9w--Vc4VdX7YytQ&s=19 FIGHT DISINFORMATION: Comprehensive ongoing list of the most prevalent viral imagery of Syria falsely attributed to the Israel-Gaza war. This image is of child victims of the Assad regime's gas attack against Eastern Ghouta a decade ago, not Israeli or Gazan victims of war. https://twitter.com/KareemRifai/status/1712934425489534989 Israeli settler's attempt to justify forcible takeover of a Palestinian home sparks online anger https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9q9PDBsDe8 From 2003: U.S. stays steadfast in support of Abbas https://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/09/IHT-us-stays-steadfast-in-support-of-abbas.html CIP Calls for Truce in Israel-Hamas Fighting to Allow for Humanitarian Relief. See our full statement below: https://twitter.com/CIPolicy/status/1713594164183486549/photo/1 Iyad El Baghdadi on Twitter: This message was written by a Palestinian to a Jewish friend. Then that Jewish friend passed it on to Palestinians friends. I don't know the person who originally wrote it. And now I'm passing it on to you. As the rhetoric becomes genocidal, root yourself in humanity. Pass it on. https://twitter.com/iyad_elbaghdadi/status/1713236580914041300 In 1996, Netanyahu became Israel's youngest prime minister, running on a platform against flailing peace attempts, especially the Oslo accords that gave some limited autonomy to the Palestinians. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/20/benjamin-netanyahu-becomes-longest-serving-israeli-pm Explainers:  The origins of the Hamas-Israel war explained | ABC News Australia https://youtu.be/zsNj8DiJv-A?si=JowVDyLzjmzU9xIy Let's Talk About the Israel-Palestine Conflict | The Daily Show https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeZ4yXyzUG0 Revealing the history behind Hamas https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUtYF0V0reg From 2017: Mapping Middle East Peace Possibilities https://www.wsj.com/graphics/twostate/

Photographer Bassem Khabieh spent time with children in Syria’s rebel-held area of eastern Ghouta, getting to know them and snapping their photos. In many ways, he tried to stay invisible. Often, he captured them just being themselves: playing in a bouncy castle against the backdrop of a city in ruins. Or, blowing bubbles, looking up at the sky.  Children play inside an inflatable castle during Eid al-Fitr celebration in the Douma neighborhood of Damascus, Syria, June 26, 2017. Credit: Bassam Khabie/Reuters “Children always ask questions,” he said. “They always try to know what I’m holding, about the camera and how it works. They ask me if we will appear on television.” Related: He survived torture in a Syrian prison. Now, he’s set to study in the US.Those everyday moments — amid small birthday parties and Eid al-Fitr celebrations organized by neighbors or just being at home — were precious to him, and too often, short-lived. The regime forces and its supporters targeted neighborhoods where families lived, and his photography reflects the violence and atrocities that people have been subjected to in Syria.  Abu Malek, one of the survivors of a chemical attack that took place in this location in 2013, uses his crutches to walk along a deserted street. Credit: Bassam Khabieh/Reuters A collection of his photos are now published in a book set to be published this spring, “Witnesses to War: The Children of Syria,” which, through his lens and accompanying text, provides an insider’s account of the impact of the Syrian war on children. The volume marks 10 years — this week — since the start of the uprising in Syria. More than 380,000 people have died in the war that has left cities devastated and displaced more than half of the population. Hundreds of thousands are missing. Khabieh’s photos are a window into the war and the unspeakable atrocities that children there have endured.  “We basically owe a debt of gratitude to the work that people like Bassam and several of his colleagues did at the time.”Alia Malek, journalist, former civil rights lawyer and author of “The Home That Was Our Country: A Memoir of Syria”“We basically owe a debt of gratitude to the work that people like Bassam and several of his colleagues did at the time,” said Alia Malek, journalist, former civil rights lawyer and author of the 2017 book, “The Home That Was Our Country: A Memoir of Syria.”Related: Online learning is a big struggle in formerly ISIS-controlled MosulMalek interviewed Khabieh for the book and wrote the introduction.“The regime very much did not want the world to see, did not want the eyes of the world on the ground,” Malek said. “And when the world could no longer come to Syria, these Syrians brought Syria to the world.”Children in Syria Today, Syria is one of the worst places in the world to be a child, according to a report by World Vision International and Frontier Economics. Children have been gassed, killed, orphaned, uprooted and largely left without an education. Of 600,000 killed, 55,000 were children, and a child’s life expectancy has been reduced by 13 years, the report says. The charity Save the Children reports that 1 in 3 displaced children in Syria would rather be living in another country.  Ghazal, 4, (left) and Judy, 7, carrying 8-month-old Suhair, run away after the shelling of a Red Crescent convoy in Damascus, Syria, May 6, 2015. Credit: Bassam Khabieh/Reuters Related: People in northeast Syria are in desperate need of help. Aid groups can’t get to them.Khabieh witnessed their pain and suffering firsthand.“Month by month, I realized that the most vulnerable in this war are the children,” he recalled.Some of his photos are hard to look at — such as the ones showing children running out of buildings that had been hit by bombs minutes before; fathers holding their dead children shrouded in white cloth; and the tearful mother who doesn’t have enough milk to feed her newborn, so instead, sticks her pinky in the baby’s mouth to calm her hunger.  A baby discovered in the rubble after an airstrike is lifted in the air by White Helmets and community members. Credit: Bassam Khabieh/Reuters But Khabieh didn’t always intend to be a photographer. In 2011, during the early days of the revolution in Syria, he was a computer engineering student in Damascus. People went into the streets, calling for the downfall of President Bashar al-Assad.Khabieh, using his cellphone at first, took pictures at protests and funerals, making sure not to get anyone’s faces because they could get in trouble with security forces.“It was very dangerous for anyone to hold a camera, to try to go to the field and report what’s happening in the streets.”Bassem Khabieh, photographer“It was very dangerous for anyone to hold a camera, to try to go to the field and report what’s happening in the streets,” he recalled.He then uploaded the photos to social media with the hope that the world would learn about what was happening in Syria, he said. A boy sits on a tire in front of a mosque’s bullet-riddled facade on the first day of the Eid al-Adha holy day. Credit: Bassam Khabieh/Reuters “I knew how important it is to use photography to document [these] important events for Syrian people,” he said. ‘It’s a playbook’ Khabieh and Malek both said it’s painful that the world saw plenty of graphic photos and videos coming out of Syria over the years, and yet, decided to look away.Related: US targets Assad govt and backers with toughest sanctions yet against SyriaBy ignoring the atrocities in Syria, Malek said, the world sent a chilling message to protesters everywhere that if they rise up against a powerful dictatorship, they are on their own.“I think the thing that people don’t realize is that, yes, this specifically happened to Syria but it’s going to become a kind of playbook. In many ways, it’s a playbook for regimes that want to stay.” Alia Malek, journalist, former civil rights lawyer and author of “The Home That Was Our Country: A Memoir of Syria”“I think the thing that people don’t realize is that, yes, this specifically happened to Syria but it’s going to become a kind of playbook. In many ways, it’s a playbook for regimes that want to stay,” she said. A man hugs his child before the boy is evacuated during a break in the bombing campaign. The negotiations between the government and the rebels holding Eastern Ghouta forced many men to separate from their children and families. Credit: Bassam Khabieh/Reuters Khabieh left Syria in 2018, after the Syrian regime captured Douma, his hometown. He now lives in Turkey. He couldn’t stay in touch with most of the children he photographed, he said. The war separated them.But he thinks about them all the time. “When I look at my pictures, I remember the circumstances and the time and I wonder where are they living now?” Khabieh said.

Zack, Jenn, and Alex talk about perhaps the single worst humanitarian crisis in Syria’s civil war — the ongoing situation in Idlib, where 3 million people are trapped in a province under assault by Bashar al-Assad and his allies. They explain how we got to this point, why the situation is so dangerous, and what could happen next. References: Our colleague Jen Kirby wrote a great explainer on the conflict in Idlib. Jen mentioned the book Assad, or We Burn the Country, which you can find here. Alex reported on Assad’s “siege, starve, and surrender” strategy as his forces overtook Eastern Ghouta. Turkey does want to send Syrian refugees to a “safe zone” in northern Syria. Turkey invaded northern Syria to fight US-allied Kurds near its border. Charity Navigator has a guide on the best places to donate support to people in Syria. Hosts: Zack Beauchamp (@zackbeauchamp), senior correspondent, Vox Jennifer Williams (@jenn_ruth), senior foreign editor, Vox Alex Ward (@AlexWardVox), national security reporter, Vox More to explore: Subscribe for free to Today, Explained, Vox’s daily news podcast to help you understand the news, hosted by Sean Rameswaram. About Vox: Vox is a news network that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Follow Us: Vox.com  Newsletter: Vox Sentences  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hunger is being used as a weapon in the sieges of places like Aleppo, Homs and Eastern Ghouta in Syria.  There have been food blockades in Yemeni ports.   In the 1930’s Joseph Stalin used hunger to starve the Ukrainian nation.  That starvation of millions to death has a name: Holodomor.

From Homs to Eastern Ghouta, Syria's rebel strongholds have fallen to the regime. And it appears that Bashar al Asad's forces are closing in on the last bastion of the opposition -- Idlib. And the possibility of peace talks in Yemen fell apart when the Houthi rebels didn't show up to the table.

Over the last seven years as many as a million people in Syria lived under siege, 400,000 of them in Eastern Ghouta alone. Some were trapped for more than four years of bombardment, sniping and near starvation. The walls that stopped them fleeing also prevented many of their stories leaking to the outside world. They could not leave and journalists, along with aid workers and human rights groups, could not get in. Over recent years, Mike Thomson has been using internet links and social media to get inside these isolated and often forgotten places. He has garnered compelling and moving interviews with residents in some of the hardest to reach places. We hear from long besieged Daraya, Eastern Ghouta, and IS surrounded Yarmouk to Eastern Aleppo, Madaya, Homs and Raqqa. With great fortitude and bravery many people told Mike their stories as bombs shook the walls around them. The result is extraordinary picture of everyday life in some of the most frightening and devastated places on earth. Yet amid the grim accounts of death, loss and destruction are inspiring examples of resilience, courage and hope. Most of these besieged areas have now been overrun and evacuated, but this programme ensures that what they went through will not be forgotten.

The Syrian war may be entering its final phase. Rebel fighters, from various factions, are now concentrated in Idlib, in northern Syria.  Idlib is the place to which civilians and members of armed groups were permitted to escape as part of evacuation deals from places like Aleppo and Eastern Ghouta as they fell to government forces. Millions of displaced Syrians and some armed groups are now concentrated there.    But now there is every indication that Syrian forces, backed by Russia, are preparing for battle.    My guest today is trying to warn the world how disasterous such a battle would be for civilians caught in the crossfire. Jan Egeland is a senior advisor to the UN Special Envoy for Syria and heads the UN's humanitarian task force for Syria. As such, it is his job to negotiate access to besieged populations for relief workers and facilitate humanitarian relief in war zones. A battle over Idlib would be a bloodbath, he says, that could jeopardize the lives of 3 million people.     In our conversation, Jan Egeland describes the significance of Idlib to the trajectory of the war , and the geopolitics underpinning a potential decision by the Syrians to lay siege to it. We also discuss what NGOs in Idlib are doing to prepare for a potential attack.     Jan Egeland is a longtime humanitarian professional. He is current the head of the Norwegian Refugee Council and served as the top UN humanitarian relief official from 2003 to 2006. This meant he reported directly to Kofi Annan so we kick off with a brief conversation about the late Secretary General's legacy before discussing Syria at length.  

THE SYRIAN CRISIS. Host Bruce Franchi sits down to discuss the origins of the conflict in Syria and the experience of the millions of refugees that have fled their homes. If you would like to contribute to the refugees in some way, here are some great options: Karam Foundation: https://www.karamfoundation.org/  providing aid to the people recently displaced from Eastern Ghouta after the chemical attack Jusoor Syria: https://jusoorsyria.com/ - sponsors Syrians to complete university education International Rescue Committee: https://www.rescue.org/ - refugee advocacy, direct work in and around Syria Mercy Corps: https://www.mercycorps.org/ - lots of youth programs targeting education, vocational training around the region Syrian American Medical Society: https://www.sams-usa.net/ supporting doctors and hospitals all over Syria And for further reading on the Syrian Crisis, try "No Turning Back: Life, Loss, and Hope in Wartime Syria by Rania Abouzeid.

Though almost everyone claims to love animals many of us still eat them, while most try not to think too much about the terrible treatment humans mete out to our fellow Earthlings. But beyond vegetarianism, veganism, and rescue pet adoption what's a compassionate person to do? Primates of the Animal Protection Party of Canada and their allies have brought this year's Animal Advocacy Camp to Victoria to explore just that. The ACC takes place this April 14th at Camosun College's Gibson Auditorium and features a number of keynote speakers covering a variety of topics. Tayler Zavitz is one of those and she'll present, 'Empathy as Terrorism? The Criminalization of Animal Activism in Canada'. Tayler's a PhD candidate at UVic's Department of Sociology whose research focus is the repression of animal activism and the criminalization of dissent in Canada. She holds degrees in Political Science and Critical Sociology, (with a focus on Critical Animal Studies) and is a current student scholar with the brand new, Animals & Society Research Initiative at the University of Victoria. She's also a reviewer for the Journal for Critical Animal Studies. Tayler Zavitz in the first half. And; Monday morning, missiles again flew into Syria, killing at least seven and wounding scores more. Though they didn't admit responsibility, Israel is implicated. Merely the latest in a series of unanswered military assaults on its neighbour, this latest comes at a critical point in Syria's long and bitter war. Over the weekend, US president Donald Trump promised "action" in response to an alleged chemical weapons attack against civilians in Douma, the last stronghold of pro-jihadist groups in besieged Eastern Ghouta. And, while Trump and his allies in NATO condemn without benefit of investigation Bashar al-Assad's government, Russia has issued its own Red Line, saying should any Russians in Syria come under fire Moscow will consider that an act of war. Eva Bartlett is an independent Canadian journalist and activist who has lived in and reported from Gaza and Syria over the last decade. She has been one of the few Western witnesses of the destruction of war from where the missiles and bombs land, and one of even fewer to fix properly the responsibility on those firing and dropping them. Eva is currently preparing for another foray into Syria, even as Washington's war drum beats louder. Eva Bartlett and back to Syria in the second half. And; Victoria activist and CFUV Radio broadcaster at large, Janine Bandcroft will be here at the bottom of the hour to bring us up to speed with some of what's good to do in and around our town in the coming week. But first, Tayler Zavitz and meeting up with animals' best friends at Victoria's Animal Advocacy Camp. Chris Cook hosts Gorilla Radio, airing live every Thursday between 11-Noon Pacific Time. In Victoria at 101.9FM, and on the internet at: http://cfuv.uvic.ca.  He also serves as a contributing editor to the web news site, http://www.pacificfreepress.com. Check out the GR blog at: http://gorillaradioblog.blogspot.ca/

In 2016, from an estimated pre-war population of 22 million, the United Nations (UN) identified 13.5 million Syrians requiring humanitarian assistance, of which more than 6 million are internally displaced within Syria, and around 5 million are refugees outside of Syria. In this podcast, Aula Abarra, consultant in infectious disease from London, joins us to discuss what's happening now in Eastern Ghouta, and area of Damascus, where civilians are being held under siege, where humanitarian aid is unable to reach. Read the full editorial: https://www.bmj.com/content/360/bmj.k1368

Listen to the Sun. April 1, 2018 special edition of the Pan-African Journal: Worldwide Radio Broadcast hosted by Abayomi Azikiwe, editor of the Pan-African News Wire.  The program features our regular PANW report with dispatches on the visit by Republic of Namibia President Hage Geingob to the People's Republic of China; the son of the former President of the Republic of Angola is under investigation for fraud in an ongoing probe of corruption; Syria is evacuating armed opposition elements from Eastern Ghouta as the fighting subsides; and Yemen resistance forces have struck an airport near Riyadh Saudi Arabia. In the second and third hours we continue our focus on the contributions of Shirley Graham Du Bois with a rebroadcast of her lecture at the University of California in Berkeley in 1970.

In this episode, BCARS Director, Denis Sullivan, discusses the recent carnage in Eastern Ghouta and Syria’s geopolitical past, present, and future with Adham Sahloul. Adham is a Master’s candidate at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, a former Research Associate at the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center, and previously served as an Advocacy Officer for the Syrian American Medical Society. This sweeping conversation explores the recent crisis in Eastern Ghouta, and looks beyond Syria to examine Europe’s reaction to the Syrian war, the role of various non-state actors in the conflict, and possible humanitarian and political action that could be taken to move forward.

Deep Dish often takes a strategic or policy-oriented view toward conflicts around the world. In this episode, we pause to consider the real human lives impacted by the headlines we read. Becky Carroll, who is in direct contact with people on the ground in Eastern Ghouta, co-founded the #StandWithAleppo social media campaign in 2016 and serves on the Ambassador Board for MedGlobal. Dr. Wendy Pearlman, whose new book, "We Crossed a Bridge and it Trembled: Voices from Syria," reports first-hand testimonials of those affected by political violence in Syria. Dr. Pearlman is a political science professor at Northwestern University. 

Syrian analyst Ehsani returns to the show to talk about the latest developments in the Syrian war, with a focus on escalations in Eastern Ghouta, Afrin and Eastern Syria. Ehsani also shares his observations from a recent trip to Aleppo. This is a two-part interview originally recorded on March 8th. Due to delays in publishing and rapid developments in those regions, a second part was added on March 27th with updates on the situation. Ehsani is a Syrian American originally from Aleppo. You can find his social media analysis and discussion about Syria on Twitter at @ehsani22. He has also written for the Syria Comment blog under the pseudonym, “Ehsani”.   We are independent media and we rely on your contributions. Patreon: patreon.com/aroundtheempire Donations: aroundtheempire.com Find all of our work at our website aroundtheempire.com Follow @aroundtheempire Follow Dan & Joanne: @USEmpireShow,  @joanneleon Please subscribe/follow us on iTunes, YouTube, Facebook.   Recorded on March 8 and March 27, 2018. Music by Fluorescent Grey.   Reference Links: “US Mulls Action as Pro-Syria Forces Mass Nearby,” Jason Ditz, Antiwar.com “Erdoğan accuses US of planning to form 'terror army' in Syria,” The Guardian “Trapped in Eastern Ghouta,” Patrick Cockburn, Counterpunch “Which rebel groups are fighting in Syria’s eastern Ghouta?” Wesley Dockery, Deutsche Welle “Nearly 6,800 militants, families leave E. Ghouta, head to Idlib” – Russian military, RT “Turkish, FSA forces close in on Tel Rifaat town in northern Syria,” Hurriyet “In face of Ghouta defeat, Syrian rebels blame each other,” Reuters “Turkey Seizes Full Control Over Syria’s Afrin District,” Antiwar.com

Moderate Rebels episode 15 – Max Blumenthal and Ben Norton are joined by veteran Middle East reporter Patrick Cockburn to discuss the war in Syria. We analyze several key cities and battles in the conflict, including Afrin, Eastern Ghouta, Idlib, Aleppo, and Raqqa, along with Mosul and other areas in neighboring Iraq. Cockburn says the Western media reporting on Syria is the worst he has ever seen. We address the extreme pro-opposition bias in the press corps and dispel prevalent myths and talking points. TOPICS 2:43 Patrick Cockburn on his trip to northern Syria 6:45 Sieges and media double standards 7:10 Mosul 10:20 Sieges 10:38 Raqqa 13:02 Rumors of population transfer 15:01 Afrin 18:25 Idlib 19:19 Afrin 20:44 US role in Syria, YPG/SDF 23:40 Misleading maps showing areas controlled 24:56 US role in Syria 26:23 Manbij, YPG/SDF 29:35 Syrians' opposition to the opposition 32:43 Casualties on different sides of the war, and media double standards 34:56 Media myths and propaganda on Syria 36:50 Eastern Ghouta 37:34 Biased, hypocritical pro-opposition media reporting on Syria 43:03 Journalists not on the ground in rebel areas 44:23 Syria reporting is the worst Cockburn has seen 44:37 Libya 47:58 Attacks by pro-war trolls 49:32 Extremely biased journalists 53:32 Worst, most biased journalism Cockburn knows of 54:32 One-sided Syria propaganda 55:07 Libya and Iraq 56:59 Overlap of Western intelligence services and media 59:28 Propaganda — and the danger of believing your own 1:03:16 Future of Syria, and the shifting war 1:06:56 Importance of reporting on the ground

Welcome to this month's podcast series, a collaboration between ChromeRadio and the INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF WAR AND STRATEGY, UNIVERSITY OF ST ANDREWS. The Syrian conflict has now entered its eighth year.  What began as a series of peaceful protests in March 2011, has now become an international proxy war. Thousands of Syrians are fleeing Eastern Ghouta, currently under attack from regime forces supported by Russia, and Afrin, where NATO member Turkey is fighting the YPG, a Kurdish militia backed by fellow NATO member, the US. DR JASMINE GANI, Lecturer in International Relations, UNIVERSITY OF ST ANDREWS, and Associate Director of the CENTRE FOR SYRIAN STUDIES explores Syria past and present, the role of the al-Assad family in shaping modern Syria, and how the actions of other states have often directed the country's domestic agenda. PRODUCTION | ChromeRadio in partnership with the INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF WAR AND STRATEGY, UNIVERSITY OF ST ANDREWS | Producer - Catriona Oliphant | Post-production - Chris Sharp.

Escalating violence in Eastern Ghouta has dominated recent news coverage of the conflict in Syria as humanitarians struggle to reach families trapped without food. Jakob Kern has witnessed the turmoil firsthand as head of the U.N. World Food Programme’s operation in Damascus for the last two years. As the conflict enters its 8th year, hear what Jakob has seen—and what the headlines often miss.

Eastern Ghouta, located just east of Damascus, has become the recent focus of a fierce offensive by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces. Health officials have also accused the Syrian government of using chlorine gas in their aerial bombardment campaign on Eastern Ghouta. The UN has called the situation in the enclave "hell on earth". Mariam Salameh, one of the women that has been organising rallies and marches in defence of the Syrian people is featured on today's program.

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Hyun Lee, a writer for ZoomInKorea.org; author and professor Dr. Tim Beal; Gregory Elich, a member of the Solidarity Committee for Democracy and Peace in Korea; and Dr. Christine Hong, Associate Professor at UC Santa Cruz and a member of the Korea Policy Institute.Trump yesterday agreed to talks with Democratic People’s Republic of Korea leader Kim Jong-Un. This comes quickly after DPRK announced early this week that they’re willing to freeze their nuclear program for talks with the US. Fighting in the Damascus suburb of Eastern Ghouta continues, as government forces make major advances. Ambassador Peter Ford, the former UK Ambassador to Syria, joins the show. The most restrictive anti-choice law in the country was passed by the Mississippi state legislature last night, prohibiting abortions in most cases after 15 weeks of pregnancy. A legal battle over the law appears inevitable, and could call into question Roe v. Wade itself. Brian and John speak with Katherine Klein, Equality for All Advocacy Coordinator at the ACLU of Mississippi.Today continues the weekly series looking at the most pressing political topics of the day, including electoral politics, the political parties, and the most important issues at play in the coming midterm election. Jacqueline Luqman, co-editor-in-chief of Luqman Nation, joins the show. The FARC former guerrillas have withdrawn from the Colombian presidential election today, after being targeted by a wave of paramilitary violence and its candidate, Rodrigo Londono suffered a heart attack. Meanwhile, in what could be a major shake up in Colombian politics, progressive candidate Gustavo Petro is leading in the polls. Mario Murillo, professor of Communications and Latin American studies at Hofstra University who has covered Colombia for over 25 years, joins Brian and John. Another Friday, another week of the worst and most misleading headlines. Brian and John speak with Steve Patt, an independent journalist whose critiques of the mainstream media have been a feature of his blog Left I on the News, which you can find at lefti.blogspot.com.

This episode of Democracy Watch, broadcast on International Women's Day, begins with headlines from Vancouver and the Lower Mainland! We then turn to a report on local feminist literary festival; Growing Room Festival, where the News Collective interviewed festival attendees and nationally acclaimed writers Selina Boan and Chelene Knight. Second up, is a short report on a Vancouver vigil that took place in response to the heightened humanitarian crisis in Eastern Ghouta, Syria. For the second half of the hour, Democracy Watch hones in on housing. First we have an exclusive interview with provincial Housing Minister Selina Robinson, who discusses the 2018 Budget and how it will affect renters caught in Vancouver's housing crisis. After that Vancouver Tenant's Union steering committee member Sydney Ball responds to the Minister's words from a renter advocacy perspective.

The Syrian conflict is now entering its eighth year. Hundreds of thousands have been killed, clashes are fierce in rebel-held areas and the regime of President Bashar Al Assad has again been accused in recent weeks of using chemical weapons in his push to reclaim territory. Eastern Ghouta's 400,000 residents have lived under government siege since 2013, facing severe shortages of food and medicines even before the latest offensive began. Host Mina Aldroubi talks to the UN's Humanitarian Coordinator in Syria, Panos Moumtzis, about the challenges that civilians and aid works are facing in Ghouta. We also spoke to Damien McElroy, The National's London bureau chief who is closely following developments of Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's high-profile visit to the UK.

Why does it feel like no one is taking action to end an increasingly dire humanitarian situation in Eastern Ghouta? What are the prospects for a democratic presidential election in Egypt at the end of this month? Tune in to get behind the news with editors from the Journal of Middle Eastern Politics and Policy at Harvard University.

From Lebanon, Syrian refugees watch the destruction of their homes in Eastern Ghouta. Kate Adie introduces stories and analysis from correspondents around the world: "Life now is just about blood and tears,” one woman tells Yolande Knell, “all of Ghouta is crying over its lost people.” In India, Krupa Padhy meets the head of a new union for unregister doctors - the quacks may be unqualified but they are also in demand. In Sierra Leone, Ed Butler examines the economics of the sex trade and the role rich Western men play in it. Vicky Baker meets the Nicaraguan women speaking, and singing, out against sexism. And in Sweden, Keith Moore tries to teach his son how to speak with the help of Old MacDonald and Per Olsson - but do their horses say neigh-neigh here or gnägg-gnägg there?

Phil and Cooper give a much-needed update on the Syrian conflict, especially with the recent atrocities taking place in Eastern Ghouta outside of Damascus. Also, Egypt dreams of a Magic Kingdom, and Gary Cohn says so long. 04:32 - Syria's Eastern Ghouta faces 'another Aleppo' (Tamer Osman) 04:32 - Calls for truce fall on deaf ears in Syria's Ghouta (Anton Mardasov)  18:12 - Old meets Magic Kingdom: Disneyland-style park comes to Egypt (David Awad) Music: Khebez Dawle - Beta'ammer (iTunes | Spotify)

Eastern Ghouta has suffered intense bombardment as Syrian government forces attempt to oust rebel groups. But behind the name is a place with its own history and aspirations, and home to a defiant group of women blogging even as the shelling intensified. Lina Shaikhouni has been following their posts for BBC Monitoring. Image: Syria's Eastern Ghouta under attack Credit: Hamza Al-Ajweh/AFP/Getty Images

Hundreds of thousands of civilians remain trapped in Eastern Ghouta as the Syrian regime continues its aerial bombardment in the rebel held enclave. Russia has stepped in to play peacemaker, by calling for a daily humanitarian pause in fighting. But is that enough to save those trapped in the besieged district?

Intense bombing by the Syrian government, in alliance with Russia, has killed large numbers of civilians in Eastern Ghouta, which the Syrian government has besieged for years. But differing media accounts make it hard to decipher what's really happening, says Col. Larry Wilkerson Visit http://therealnews.com for more stories and help support our work by donating at http://therealnews.com/donate.

With the manifest failure of the international community to act to save Syria's citizens and the recurrent infringement of any UN Security Council-backed resolution for a nationwide ceasefire, most recently after a week which has seen the relentless bombardment of Eastern Ghouta, this week's episode of The Beacon sees Adam Mazarelo interviewing Matthieu Cimino, Marie-Skɫodowska Curie researcher at the University of Oxford and an associate researcher at the IREMAM, Aix-en-Provence. They discuss a broad range of topics relating to the ongoing war in Syria: from the war's effects on neighbouring Lebanon and the prospects of return for refugees and reconstruction of the country, to the historical context of the Assad regime's rhetoric on Salafi Jihadism.

In this episode I discuss possible war crimes charges against senior officials in South Sudan, continued strikes in the Eastern Ghouta region in Syria, anger in Nigeria over response to Boko Haram kidnappings, a failed attack at the US embassy in Montenegro, a police officer outside of Stoneman Douglas high school doing nothing during last weeks shooting, deaths in the line of duty from last week, Town Halls about gun violence, Florida shooting conspiracy theories, and the NRA's political activity.

The conflict in Syria has entered a new phase. ISIS has been defeated, yet in many ways the war is metastasizing. In places like Eastern Ghouta, on the outskirts of Damascus, the war is as brutal as ever. After days of extremely heavy bombing, the UN secretary general called Ghouta "hell on earth."  Meanwhile, in another part of Syria, in the northern town of Afrin, you have a situation where the US-backed Kurdish forces that were instrumental in defeating ISIS are now under attack by America's NATO ally, Turkey. Meanwhile, in recent weeks, an Israeli fighter jet was downed over the country and the United States reportedly killed dozens of Russian mercenaries in a bombing.  On the line with me to help put what is happening in Syria in the broader context of the trajectory of this nearly seven year old conflict is Raed  Jarrar who is the Advocacy Director for the Middle East and North Africa for Amnesty International, USA. We kick off discussing the situation in Ghouta which is setting off international alarm bells as an ongoing mass atrocity event. We then discuss some of the broader trends of the conflict and what advocacy organizations like Amnesty are doing to keep pressure on the international community to reduce the toll this conflict is taking on civilian populations.  Overall, this conversation serves as a helpful explanation of how the Syria conflict has evolved over the last several months and where it may be heading. 

In this episode, CJ speaks with Asaad Hanna, a Syrian activist, former political officer of the Free Syrian Army and media manager for the White Helmets. He not only describes the uninmaginable carnage and human suffering in besieged Eastern Ghouta, but also responds to those who have deploy conspiracy theories to smear aid workers and Syrian revolutionaries. Please help give voice to the voiceless by donating a small amount here: www.patreon.com/channeltherage

In this episode I discuss Syrian and Russian airstrikes in Eastern Ghouta, Pro-Assad forces sent to Afrin, an attack on a South Africa police station, a Benjamin Netanyahu confidant planning to testify against him, corruption charges against a Latvian banker, charges in the Russia probe against a Dutch lawyer, students protesting against gun violence, Trump moving to ban bump stocks, and I do a movie review for Black Panther.

Syrian activists on the ground call it a ‘Doomsday' campaign. Syrian regime and Russian fighter jets are carrying out strikes on the Damascus suburb of Eastern Ghouta. But instead of targeted attacks, critics say that once again an all-out war is being fought in what's supposed to be a de-escalation zone. Anelise Borges reports.

In the Damascus suburb of Eastern Ghouta, civilians have been reportedly killed and injured after regime and Russian air strikes hit residential neighbourhoods. The onslaught is also cutting them off from food and medicine. Is Bashar al Assad targeting civilians? We speak to Ammar Khaf, Executive Director of the Omran Center for Strategic Studies; and Andrey Afanasev, Host of Tsargrad TV.

It’s been a year since the dramatic siege and fall of Aleppo, and another part of Syria suffers under blockade: Eastern Ghouta, on the flank of Damascus, where an estimated 400,000 civilians languish under arguably worse conditions than Aleppo experience, but with little international attention. Syrian activist Marcell Shehwaro was at the center of the popular uprising in Aleppo, and won a reputation as an unflagging supporter of civil society and a critic of abuses by the government and also by rebel militias. Today she is working from Beirut to give voice to her fellow citizens trapped in Eastern Ghouta. “Every morning I ask myself what did I not do for Aleppo, so that I can do it for Ghouta.” In our second segment, we hear from James Sadri, executive director of the Syria Campaign, which works with citizens’ groups inside Syria and tries to carry their message abroad. His organization is best known for its efforts to publicize the work of the White Helmets, volunteers who rescue Syrians from bomb sites. He marvels at the resilience of Syrians and the failure of the international system to uphold its commitments to human rights and law—and wonders what the international liberal order can salvage from its shameful record in Syria. Participants include: Marcell Shehwaro, a Syrian civil society activist from Aleppo, currently based in Istanbul and Beirut. James Sadri, executive director of The Syria Campaign. Thanassis Cambanis, senior fellow at The Century Foundation. This podcast was produced by Harrison Cramer. 

1-“Hanno perso ogni speranza”. Quasi 400mila persone sotto assedio da 3 anni e mezzo, nel silenzio internazionale. Succede in Siria, nella regione di Ghouta Orientale. Il racconto di Orabi Faeyz, un medico da cinque anni sulla linea del fronte (Syrian American Medical Society).2-Accordo fra Bangladesh e Myanmar per il rientro dei profughi Rohingya. Da agosto sono scappate dalle violenze dell'esercito birmano più di 600mila persone. Difficilmente l'intesa sarà realizzabile (Gabriele Battaglia).3-La Catalogna ha coperto tutto, anche i gravi casi di corruzione che coinvolgono il Partito Popolare, al governo a Madrid. Ma lo scandalo dei fondi neri potrebbe arrivare fino al premier Mariano Rajoy (Giulio Maria Piantadosi).4-Prezzi più alti per contenere il consumo di alcool. In Gran Bretagna sentenza storica della Corte Suprema. Respinti i ricorsi contro la legge scozzese sul prezzo minimo. Protestano i produttori di whisky (Daniele Fisichella).5-World music. Il Saze albanese (Marcello Lorrai)

1-“Hanno perso ogni speranza”. Quasi 400mila persone sotto assedio da 3 anni e mezzo, nel silenzio internazionale. Succede in Siria, nella regione di Ghouta Orientale. Il racconto di Orabi Faeyz, un medico da cinque anni sulla linea del fronte (Syrian American Medical Society).2-Accordo fra Bangladesh e Myanmar per il rientro dei profughi Rohingya. Da agosto sono scappate dalle violenze dell'esercito birmano più di 600mila persone. Difficilmente l'intesa sarà realizzabile (Gabriele Battaglia).3-La Catalogna ha coperto tutto, anche i gravi casi di corruzione che coinvolgono il Partito Popolare, al governo a Madrid. Ma lo scandalo dei fondi neri potrebbe arrivare fino al premier Mariano Rajoy (Giulio Maria Piantadosi).4-Prezzi più alti per contenere il consumo di alcool. In Gran Bretagna sentenza storica della Corte Suprema. Respinti i ricorsi contro la legge scozzese sul prezzo minimo. Protestano i produttori di whisky (Daniele Fisichella).5-World music. Il Saze albanese (Marcello Lorrai)

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by geopolitical analyst and author Catherine Shakdam. Turkish airstrikes on the Kurdish YPG militia has deepened the rift between Turkey and the United States. Meanwhile, fighting rages between opposition groups in Eastern Ghouta and near the de-facto capital of ISIS -- Raqqa.German Chancellor Angela Merkel is in Sochi today where she will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin. As tensions between the West and Russia remain high, will the two leaders be able to make any progress? Geopolitical analyst Rainer Rothfuss joins Brian to discuss the significance of the talks. May Day demonstrations and protests took place across the United States yesterday. We bring you assessments from the frontlines of the struggle, with Juan Jose Gutierrez of the Full Rights for Immigrants Coalition and Preston Wood of the ANSWER Coalition.