http://news.linktv.org Link TV News Videos (Filtered by topics: Refugee) en-us Thu, 11 Apr 2013 05:27:00 -0700 Copyright 2011 Link Media, Inc. http://news.linktv.org/videos/palestinian-double-refugees-flee-syria-for-gaza?start=0 The Syrian civil war has forced thousands of Palestinians to flee the country. Many of these "double refugees" have gone to Lebanon, but some have made their way to Gaza, where they say they have met a warm welcome despite the tough living conditions.<br /> Thu, 11 Apr 2013 05:27:00 -0700 http://news.linktv.org/videos/palestinian-double-refugees-flee-syria-for-gaza Refugees of the Syrian civil war, Palestinians, Syria, Gaza, Yarmouk Camp, Syrian Civil War, Palestinian Refugees, Refugee, Hamas, Al Jazeera English The Syrian civil war has forced thousands of Palestinians to flee the country. Many of these "double refugees" have gone to Lebanon, but some have made their way to Gaza, where they say they have met a warm welcome despite the tough living conditions. http://news.linktv.org/videos/myanmars-rohingya-brave-death-for-brief-refuge-in-thailand?start=0 Several groups of Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar are making desperate attempts to escape to neighboring Thailand in cramped boats with little food or water. Persecuted in their home country, Rohingya refugees hopeful for an answer to their plight are finding little support. Sun, 03 Feb 2013 09:39:00 -0800 http://news.linktv.org/videos/myanmars-rohingya-brave-death-for-brief-refuge-in-thailand Rohingya, Myanmar, Thailand, Muslim, Refugee, Sectarian Violence, Channel 4 News Several groups of Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar are making desperate attempts to escape to neighboring Thailand in cramped boats with little food or water. Persecuted in their home country, Rohingya refugees hopeful for an answer to their plight are finding little support. http://news.linktv.org/videos/refugees-fear-return-to-failed-state-mali?start=0 Mali's diversity could make long-lasting peace elusive after the French-led offensive ends, Al Jazeera finds. Ethnic Tuareg and Arab refugees from northern Mali describe the conflict as the latest in a long series of battles with the south and say they won't return while the Malian army is in control.<br /> Thu, 31 Jan 2013 06:14:00 -0800 http://news.linktv.org/videos/refugees-fear-return-to-failed-state-mali Fulani, 2012-present Northern Mali conflict, Mali, Tuareg, Songhai people, 2012 Malian coup d'etat, Bambara people, Politics of Mali, Refugee, Military of Mali Mali's diversity could make long-lasting peace elusive after the French-led offensive ends, Al Jazeera finds. Ethnic Tuareg and Arab refugees from northern Mali describe the conflict as the latest in a long series of battles with the south and say they won't return while the Malian army is in control. http://news.linktv.org/videos/refugees-overwhelm-malis-neighbors?start=0 Large numbers of refugees fleeing fighting in Mali have joined tens of thousands already in southern Mauritania and aid agencies warn that conditions in the camps are appalling and malnutrition is on the rise. Refugees from northern Mali are also streaming into Niger and Burkina Faso.<br /> Thu, 17 Jan 2013 19:57:00 -0800 http://news.linktv.org/videos/refugees-overwhelm-malis-neighbors Mauritania, 2012-present Northern Mali conflict, Mali, Refugee, Humanitarian crisis, Burkina Faso, Refugee camp, Niger, Ahmed Ould Daddah, UNHCR Large numbers of refugees fleeing fighting in Mali have joined tens of thousands already in southern Mauritania and aid agencies warn that conditions in the camps are appalling and malnutrition is on the rise. Refugees from northern Mali are also streaming into Niger and Burkina Faso. http://news.linktv.org/videos/syrian-refugees-hold-elections?start=0 In a refugee camp in southeast Turkey, Syrian refugees are getting a taste of democracy. Elections are being held for a council to run the camp known as "Container City." The candidates -- who include plenty of women -- describe the vote as preparation for life in a new, democratic, Syria.<br /> Thu, 17 Jan 2013 00:19:00 -0800 http://news.linktv.org/videos/syrian-refugees-hold-elections Refugees of the Syrian civil war, Syrian Civil War, Refugee, Turkey, Syria, Refugee camp, Democracy, Syrian people, Al Jazeera English In a refugee camp in southeast Turkey, Syrian refugees are getting a taste of democracy. Elections are being held for a council to run the camp known as "Container City." The candidates -- who include plenty of women -- describe the vote as preparation for life in a new, democratic, Syria. http://news.linktv.org/videos/winter-heaps-fresh-misery-on-syrian-refugees-in-jordan?start=0 The harsh realities of winter have set in for the Syrian refugees at the Zaatari refugee camp, which has left many angry and frustrated by their current living situation. Heavy rain and bitter cold have already taken their toll on the refugees' flimsy tents, and snow is forecast. <br /> Tue, 08 Jan 2013 13:25:00 -0800 http://news.linktv.org/videos/winter-heaps-fresh-misery-on-syrian-refugees-in-jordan Zaatari refugee camp, Syrian Civil War, Syria, Jordan, Refugee, UNHCR, Refugee camp, Snow, Humanitarian aid, Winter storm The harsh realities of winter have set in for the Syrian refugees at the Zaatari refugee camp, which has left many angry and frustrated by their current living situation. Heavy rain and bitter cold have already taken their toll on the refugees' flimsy tents, and snow is forecast. http://news.linktv.org/videos/harsh-winter-may-doom-afghan-refugees?start=0 Up to two million internal refugees in Afghanistan are in danger of starving of freezing to death this winter. At least 30 people, mostly children, died from the cold in refugee camps around Kabul last winter and a United Nations appeal for funds to improve conditions has fallen far short of its goal.<br /> Wed, 19 Dec 2012 21:05:00 -0800 http://news.linktv.org/videos/harsh-winter-may-doom-afghan-refugees Afghanistan, Afghan refugees, Afghanistan War, Refugee, Internally displaced person, UNHCR, Kabul, Humanitarian crisis, United Nations, Al Jazeera English Up to two million internal refugees in Afghanistan are in danger of starving of freezing to death this winter. At least 30 people, mostly children, died from the cold in refugee camps around Kabul last winter and a United Nations appeal for funds to improve conditions has fallen far short of its goal. http://news.linktv.org/videos/fear-uncertainty-face-syrian-refugees-in-turkey?start=0 After 21 months of revolution in Syria, refugees continue to flood into neighboring Turkey. BBC Arabic reports on conditions inside the refugee camps and how Turkey plans to respond to ever-increasing numbers of those fleeing violence in Syria. Tue, 11 Dec 2012 13:47:00 -0800 http://news.linktv.org/videos/fear-uncertainty-face-syrian-refugees-in-turkey Syrian Civil War, Syria-Turkey relations, Syria, Turkey, Refugee camp, Refugee, Mosaic: World News from the Middle East, BBC Arabic After 21 months of revolution in Syria, refugees continue to flood into neighboring Turkey. BBC Arabic reports on conditions inside the refugee camps and how Turkey plans to respond to ever-increasing numbers of those fleeing violence in Syria. http://news.linktv.org/videos/forgotten-in-iraq-the-struggle-to-help-allies-left-behind-by-us-withdrawal?start=0 Kirk Johnson, a former USAID employee, struggles to help resettle Iraqis whose lives are in danger because of their loyalty to the United States. Is President Obama to blame? <br /> Fri, 07 Dec 2012 14:04:00 -0800 http://news.linktv.org/videos/forgotten-in-iraq-the-struggle-to-help-allies-left-behind-by-us-withdrawal Iraq War, Iraqi people, Withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, Post-invasion Iraq, 2003–present, US-Iraq relations, United States Agency for International Development, Assassination, Refugee, Translator, US Government Kirk Johnson, a former USAID employee, struggles to help resettle Iraqis whose lives are in danger because of their loyalty to the United States. Is President Obama to blame? http://news.linktv.org/videos/refugee-crisis-grows-in-dr-congo-as-rebels-advance?start=0 The UN says there are now 140,000 internally displaced people in and around Goma, the regional capital of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo which was recently captured by M23 rebels. With no end in sight to the fighting, how long will DR Congo's refugees be on the run? Sun, 25 Nov 2012 10:49:00 -0800 http://news.linktv.org/videos/refugee-crisis-grows-in-dr-congo-as-rebels-advance Refugee, Democratic Republic of the Congo, March 23 Movement (M23), Goma, Internally displaced person, Refugee camp, United Nations, Al Jazeera English The UN says there are now 140,000 internally displaced people in and around Goma, the regional capital of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo which was recently captured by M23 rebels. With no end in sight to the fighting, how long will DR Congo's refugees be on the run? http://news.linktv.org/videos/thousands-flee-nigerias-boko-haram-crackdown?start=0 The Nigerian government's battle against Boko Haran extremists has left civilians in the northeast of the country caught in the crossfire. Some of the thousands of refugees who have fled the fighting accuse the military of widespread human rights abuses.<br /> Thu, 22 Nov 2012 23:01:00 -0800 http://news.linktv.org/videos/thousands-flee-nigerias-boko-haram-crackdown Boko Haram, Nigeria, Yobe State, Borno State, Nigerian Sharia conflict, Nigerian army, Refugee, Al Jazeera English The Nigerian government's battle against Boko Haran extremists has left civilians in the northeast of the country caught in the crossfire. Some of the thousands of refugees who have fled the fighting accuse the military of widespread human rights abuses. http://news.linktv.org/videos/syrian-war-fuels-kurdish-independence-hopes?start=0 Iraqi Kurdistan is welcoming hundreds of Kurds fleeing from Syria every day and the influx has given fresh energy to the Kurdish drive for independence. <span class="dateline"><span>The region's ruling party has been giving military training to Syrian Kurds to help them defend territorial gains over the border.<br /></span></span> Wed, 21 Nov 2012 20:14:00 -0800 http://news.linktv.org/videos/syrian-war-fuels-kurdish-independence-hopes Syria, Syrian Civil War, Iraq, Kurdistan Regional Government, Kurdish people, Kurdistan, Refugees of the Syrian civil war, Refugee, Voice of America, Kurds in Syria Iraqi Kurdistan is welcoming hundreds of Kurds fleeing from Syria every day and the influx has given fresh energy to the Kurdish drive for independence. The region’s ruling party has been giving military training to Syrian Kurds to help them defend territorial gains over the border. http://news.linktv.org/videos/refugee-camp-conditions-forcing-syrians-back-to-war-zone?start=0 A humanitarian crisis is unfolding in the camps housing thousands of Syrians displaced by the civil war. In Atimeh camp on the Turkish border, the lack of even the most basic facilities for 13,000 refugees has forced some families to return to areas under bombardment,<br /> Thu, 15 Nov 2012 18:35:00 -0800 http://news.linktv.org/videos/refugee-camp-conditions-forcing-syrians-back-to-war-zone Syrian Civil War, Syria, Refugees of the Syrian civil war, Humanitarian crisis, Idlib Governorate, Refugee camp, Refugee, Channel 4 News A humanitarian crisis is unfolding in the camps housing thousands of Syrian displaced by the civil war. In Atimeh camp on the Turkish border, the lack of even the most basic facilities for 13,000 refugees has forced some families to return to areas under bombardment. http://news.linktv.org/videos/syria-residents-flee-air-strikes-on-border-town?start=0 A second day of air strikes on Syrian towns near the Turkish border is continuing to cause chaos. Some refugees can be seen squeezing under barbed wire fences to enter Turkey. Medical workers and refugees in Ceylanpinar say bombs have fallen on residential areas of Ras al-Ain, an Arab and Kurdish town that fell to rebels last week during an advance into Syria's northeast. <br /> Tue, 13 Nov 2012 08:59:00 -0800 http://news.linktv.org/videos/syria-residents-flee-air-strikes-on-border-town Syrian Civil War, Ra's al-'Ayn, Syria-Turkey relations, 2012 Syrian–Turkish border clashes, Turkey, Syria, Refugee, Air strike, Free Syrian Army, Ceylanpınar A second day of air strikes on Syrian towns near the Turkish border is continuing to cause chaos. Some refugees can be seen squeezing under barbed wire fences to enter Turkey. Medical workers and refugees in Ceylanpinar say bombs have fallen on residential areas of Ras al-Ain, an Arab and Kurdish town that fell to rebels last week during an advance into Syria's northeast. Opposition activists say at least a dozen people were killed on Monday, the latest of an estimated 38,000 victims of the 19 month civil war. Turkey is reluctant to be drawn into a regional conflict but the proximity of the air raids to the border is testing its pledge to defend itself from any violation of its territory or any spillover of violence from Syria. http://news.linktv.org/videos/mosaic-news-110212?start=1360 <p>Mauritanian president remains in Paris as opposition calls for end to military rule, UN condemns Syrian rebels' summary execution of regime soldiers, Arab-American voters lean toward Obama in US elections, and more.</p> Fri, 02 Nov 2012 00:00:00 -0700 http://news.linktv.org/videos/mosaic-news-110212 Israel, US presidential election, 2012, Republican Party (United States), Democratic Party (United States), Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, Syrian Civil War, Arab American, Israeli American, Mahmoud Abbas, Egyptian Revolution Presenter, Male #1 A spokesperson for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees in Malaysia said that the commission is conducting a census on refugees in Malaysia in a first step before granting them refugee status. Rohingya refugees hope that this step will begin to ease the conditions of their stay in the countries they have sought refuge in. Reporter, Male #2 Filming has been prohibited in the halls where asylum seekers are being registered. They fled Myanmar, anticipating that their country's authorities will punish them and their families. Most of them say that Yangon authorities do not recognize them as citizens. The commission for refugees at the United Nations insists that the majority of those seeking asylum in Malaysia are Rohingya. Guest, Female #1 (Yanti Ismail, UNHCR Relations Official) The data collection process for those unofficially registered as refugees from Myanmar, shows us that they are divided into three groups: Rohingyas, who are the majority, Muslims from other Burmese ethnicities, and Myanmar's Tamils. This is part of an ongoing operation to count asylum seekers in Malaysia. Reporter, Male #2 Several hundred families live in this popular neighborhood of Kuala Lumpur. Several families typically share a single home comprised of two rooms. Most of the heads of these families say that they are without stable employment, and do not have legal residency. Their concern is what is happening to their relatives in the province of Rakhine. Guest, Male #3 (Jaafar Ahmed, Rohingya Refugee) Over the past days, several villages have been torched, killing between five and six thousand people. For people to retrieve the corpses for burial, they must pay a ransom to the killers, who are among the Buddhists and security forces. Reporter, Male #2 With regard to Mohammed Rafiq, he received a refugee number, which will grant him freedom of movement without being pursued by authorities. As for Mrs. Noor Jihan, she is pleased after registering the 19 members of her family among the asylum seekers. She hopes it will allow her children to attend school. Guest, Female #2 (Noor Jahan, Refugee in Malaysia) My child is weak, and he is not in good health. He was not able to attend school. We are worried about his future. My husband works sporadically, and his salary isn't enough to cover the bills and rent. We suffer from constant financial problems. Reporter, Male #2 Rohingyas have assimilated socially into the societies they have sought asylum in. But they say that their issue lies in being stripped of their right to citizenship in their own country. Through being recognized as refugees, Rohingya asylum seekers hope to gain their basic rights to health, education, and freedom of movement in the diaspora. However, returning to their country hinges on Myanmar recognizing their right to citizenship. Samer Allawi, Al Jazeera, Kuala Lumpur. ** Contact Mosaic News: mosaicnews{at}linktv{dot}org http://news.linktv.org/videos/mosaic-news-101612?start=1242 <p>France continues push for military intervention in Mali, Iran slams new EU sanctions as illegal, unwise and inhuman, former Bosnian Serb leader denies accusations at war crimes tribunal, and more.</p> Tue, 16 Oct 2012 00:00:00 -0700 http://news.linktv.org/videos/mosaic-news-101612 Sanctions against Iran, European Union, Israel, Syrian Civil War, Syria, Mali, Moshe Dayan, Radovan Karadžić, Investigation into the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, Refugees of the Syrian civil war Presenter, Female #1 Electronic cards were distributed to displaced Syrians in Turkish camps, and despite their displacement, Syrian refugees are trying to adapt to their new reality. Reporter, Female #3 Despite their displacement, the conditions of Syria's refugees behind the Syrian-Turkish border is much better than those who were unable to cross the border. In the Turkish camps that are spread along the border, the displaced live in premade houses, as aid agencies are working on providing them with food and clothes. Finally, the World Food Programme and the Turkish Red Cross have set up a plan to distribute electronic cards to thousands of refugees. The cards come with a specific monthly allowance so refugees can buy necessary food items from large retailers in the border areas. Guest, Male #1 (Daly Belgasmi, World Food Program Regional Director) The World Food Program and the Turkish Red Cross developed this card. It's a type of credit card that allows Syrian refugees to make purchases at large retail stores full of fresh produce. Reporter, Female #2 Syrian families haven't been satisfied with the modest aid they receive that includes bread and food. They decided to bring some of their traditions to the Kilis camp. Winter is near, and the crisis is long, so women decided to take advantage of their down time here to prepare their pantry. The equipment available in the houses motivated women to cook food, so that their fragmented family can be reunited at their modest dining table. While international agencies and organizations are trying to provide the displaced Syrians their basic needs, their increasing numbers in neighboring countries threatens a nearing humanitarian crisis. http://news.linktv.org/videos/mosaic-news-100912?start=481 <p>Deadly twin blasts rock Damascus as Salafi group targets security buildings, Emirati foreign minister slams Muslim Brotherhood amid crackdown on Islamists, humanitarian crisis mounts as 100,000 Sudanese flee internal violence, and more.</p> Tue, 09 Oct 2012 00:00:00 -0700 http://news.linktv.org/videos/mosaic-news-100912 Syrian Civil War, Syria, Aleppo, Antisemitism, Muslim Brotherhood, Israel, France, Egypt, Cairo, United States Presenter, Female #1 Relief organizations working in South Sudan say that more than 100,000 Sudanese are living under harsh conditions on the border between South Sudan and the north. The refugees fled to these areas as a result of the ongoing fighting between the Sudanese army and rebel movements in the areas of the Blue Nile and Nuba Mountains, which are adjacent to the state of South Sudan. Reporter, Male #1 Within these dense forests, the fighting in the states of the Blue Nile and South Kordofan has led to the displacement of tens of thousands of Sudanese, who found a safe haven in the lands of South Sudan. More than 100,000 refugees are housed in this camp, in the southern state of Maban. They are living under harsh conditions, and they lack basic life essentials. Guest, Male #2 We are cut off from the world. The only solution is air transport, and this is somewhat expensive. In addition, we are facing floods that make the roads impassable. This worries us regarding relief supply routes. Reporter, Male #1 Children are the most affected by the suffering resulting from the war in these areas. Their families were forced to flee with them under harsh circumstances, as a result of the spread of combat operations. However, despite the harsh circumstances that these refugees are going through, they seem keen to send their children to the classes available in this camp, and hope to return to their homes one day. Guest, Female #2 During the first week, we received 400 students at the school. Now that number has reached 1,000. We hope that the number reaches 2,000 within a few weeks. Reporter, Male #1 The fighting between the Sudanese army and the rebel movements in the areas of the Blue Nile and South Kordofan erupted in the middle of last year. It saw the secession of South Sudan from the north, and the establishment of the Republic of South Sudan. http://news.linktv.org/videos/syria-new-un-envoy-same-old-peace-plan?start=0 Lakhdar Brahimi, the new UN-Arab League envoy to Damascus, says his predecessor's failed six-point plan to resolve the crisis is just one tool in his "toolbox," but failed to elaborate on what other strategies he intends to use. Tue, 25 Sep 2012 15:03:00 -0700 http://news.linktv.org/videos/syria-new-un-envoy-same-old-peace-plan Lakhdar Brahimi, Damascus, Syrian Civil War, Syrian conflict peace proposals , Arab League, United Nations, Kofi Annan peace plan for Syria, Civilian casualties, Kofi Annan, UN Security Council Lakhdar Brahimi, the new UN-Arab League envoy to Damascus, says his predecessor's failed six-point plan to resolve the crisis is just one tool in his "toolbox," but failed to elaborate on what other strategies he intends to use. http://news.linktv.org/videos/mosaic-news-091812?start=752 <p>Bahrainis rally in solidarity with political prisoners sentenced to death, seven dead in PKK ambush of Turkish military convoy, female suicide bomber kills 12 in Kabul over anti-Islam film, and more.</p> Tue, 18 Sep 2012 00:00:00 -0700 http://news.linktv.org/videos/mosaic-news-091812 United States, Anti-Americanism, Islam, Palestinians, UN General Assembly, Syrian Civil War, Syria, Israel, Human rights in Bahrain, Bingöl Presenter, Female #1 French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius asserted that change in Syria is inevitable. Meanwhile, during the quartet meeting in Cairo, Iran proposed sending international monitors, as clashes continue in several parts of Syria. Reporter, Female #2 Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi is visiting Syria on Wednesday to meet his Syrian counterpart, Walid al-Moallem. Iran had proposed that Egypt, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia send monitors from their four countries to Syria, to assist in ending the violence in the country. Salehi presented this suggestion at a meeting held by the Syria "contact group" in Cairo, and proposed to its observers that Tehran host the contact group's next meeting. Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr announced after the Cairo meeting that the contact group decided to meet a second time in New York, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meeting. Reporter, Female #2 For the first time since taking up his post on June first, international envoy Lakhdar Brahimi visited the Altinozu camp housing Syrian refugees, in Hatay in southern Turkey. Brahimi met several refugees who repeatedly chanted, "Liberate Syria" and "We will fight to the death." Reporter, Female #2 A delegation of Turkish local authorities looked into the living conditions and needs of the Syrian refugees, as Turkey requested support from the international community to host the Syrians, and hopes Syria can regain peace, and that refugees may return there as soon as possible. Brahimi also expressed ease at the welcome he received from Turkish authorities, confirming that Syrian refugees are welcome and generally receive good treatment in Turkey. Reporter, Female #2 After Turkey, the Algerian diplomat moved on to Jordan, where he also visited the al-Zaatari camp housing Syrian refugees, affirming that the situation in Syria is facing further deterioration. On that note, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius warned of the Syrian conflict spilling into Lebanon. Fabius' words came at a joint press conference with Arab League Secretary-General Nabil al-Arabi, after a meeting with President Mohamed Morsi. Guest, Male #1 (Laurent Fabius, French Foreign Minister) The situation is extremely dangerous, not only on the local level, because it may spiral into a regional conflict with international consequences. The spillover of aggression into Lebanon must be avoided, and there can be no solution without the departure of Assad. Guest, Male #2 (Nabil al-Arabi, Arab League Secretary-General) I confirm the position of all Arab states. We all aim to create an area void of nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction, an area that includes all states in the region, not only Iran. This is the position of the Arab nations. Reporter, Female #2 On the ground, violent clashes took place in the neighborhoods of Bustan al-Qasr, al-Itha'a, and al-Sukkari in Aleppo, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, who also spoke of the shelling of the al-Sakhour neighborhood east of the city. Reporter, Female #2 At the time, regime forces confirmed that they have taken control of the al-Meidan neighborhood in Aleppo, after clashes that lasted a week. However, they advised residents to avoid some parts of the neighborhood, indicating that snipers were barricaded there. Reporter, Female #2 The Observatory also highlighted the shelling of the town of Muadamiyat al-Sham in the Damascus countryside, and the city of Rastan in Homs. In Deir az-Zour, fighter jets carried out raids on the city of al-Bukamal. http://news.linktv.org/videos/refugees-or-opportunists-a-look-at-the-tamil-situation?start=0 Since the start of 2012, the number of Sri Lankan refugees - mostly Tamils - headed for Christmas Island has swelled. Are they fleeing persecution or merely opportunists seeking a shortcut to Australia? Sun, 16 Sep 2012 15:25:00 -0700 http://news.linktv.org/videos/refugees-or-opportunists-a-look-at-the-tamil-situation Refugee, Sri Lankan Civil War, Christmas Island, Tamil people, Australia, Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka Navy, Journeyman Pictures Since the start of 2012, the number of Sri Lankan refugees - mostly Tamils - headed for Christmas Island has swelled. Are they fleeing persecution or merely opportunists seeking a shortcut to Australia? This report follows the Sri Lankan navy as it intercepts another boat loaded with asylum seekers bound for Australia, and asks the following question: Now that the country's civil war is over, why are things so bad that people are still desperate to leave? http://news.linktv.org/videos/mosaic-news-091212?start=885 Algerie TV reports that the most recent statistics from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees indicate that the number of Syrian refugees has surpassed 250,000. Among them, 85,000 are in Jordan. Wed, 12 Sep 2012 00:00:00 -0700 http://news.linktv.org/videos/mosaic-news-091212 Christopher Stevens, Benghazi, Libya, Innocence of Muslims, United States, Barack Obama, Lakhdar Brahimi, Aleppo, Cairo, Syria Presenter, Male #1 The exacerbation of the security situation in Syria is still casting its shadow on the humanitarian front. The most recent statistics from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees indicates that the number of Syrian refugees, especially those who are located in Jordan, has surpassed 250,000. This occurs days before Brahimi takes up his mission on the ground in Syria. Walid Qadry reports. Reporter, Male #2 Lakhdar Brahimi is preoccupied with preparing a suitable environment and receiving more international endorsement to succeed at the mission he was assigned with, and ending the 17-month-old Syrian crisis. Reporter, Male #2 During his current tour in Egypt, Brahimi will meet tomorrow with the Arab League Secretary-General and the Qatari prime minister to implement the decisions of the Arab ministerial council concerning the Syrian crisis, which aims to examine how Brahimi can assume his work on the ground in Syria, and create a new vision for the mission. Reporter, Male #2 And according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, 20 constituents of the regime's forces were executed by forces of the armed opposition, after they were kidnapped from army barracks in Aleppo. This is in addition to other consequences of the ongoing violence in Syria, which is worsening. Reporter, Male #2 According to statistics conducted yesterday by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees on the number of Syrian refugees, over 250,000 refugees are spread over five countries. Among them, 85,000 are in Jordan. What is worse is that statistics on the number of deaths, regardless of who announces them and how much they differ, continue to be staggering numbers, which indicates a profound humanitarian crisis. http://news.linktv.org/videos/mosaic-news-090612?start=884 In Turkey, at least 58 people have been killed after a boat carrying immigrants trying to reach Europe sank off the country's western coast near the town of Ahmetbeyli, reports Press TV. The vessel was carrying more than 100 people when it hit rocks and capsized. Thu, 06 Sep 2012 00:00:00 -0700 http://news.linktv.org/videos/mosaic-news-090612 Israel, Syrian Civil War, Palestinians, Turkey, Syria, Fatah, Israel Defense Forces, Azerbaijan, UN Security Council, Arab League In Turkey at least 58 people have been killed after a boat carrying immigrants sank off the country's western coast near the town of Ahmetbeyli. The vessel was carrying more than 100 people when it rocks and capsized. Local sources say that they boat was trying to reach Europe. http://news.linktv.org/videos/record-numbers-of-refugees-flee-syrian-violence?start=0 The UN refugee agency says 100,000 refugees fled Syria in August alone, the highest monthly total since the uprising began, and one that doesn't take into account an unknown number of unregistered exiles. Tue, 04 Sep 2012 09:04:00 -0700 http://news.linktv.org/videos/record-numbers-of-refugees-flee-syrian-violence Syrian Civil War, UNHCR, Syria, Refugee, Turkey, Refugee camp, Jordan, Syria-Turkey relations, Jordan-Syria relations, United Nations The UN refugee agency says 100,000 refugees fled Syria in August alone, the highest monthly total since the uprising began, and one that doesn't take into account an unknown number of unregistered exiles. Adrian Edwards, a spokesman for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, spoke to Al Jazeera about the magnitude of the refugee crisis. http://news.linktv.org/videos/mosaic-news-082812?start=403 <p>Egypt's Morsi speaks out against Assad as Russia stands by Syrian regime, Israel's Rachel Corrie verdict exposes military's culture of impunity, Non-Aligned Movement calls for reforming Security Council, and more.</p> Tue, 28 Aug 2012 00:00:00 -0700 http://news.linktv.org/videos/mosaic-news-082812 Syria, Israeli-occupied territories, Israel, Syrian Civil War, Mohamed Morsi, Gaza, Israel Defense Forces, Syrian people, Russia-Syria relations, Syria-Turkey relations The swelling number of Syrian refugees in Turkey is putting Ankara under huge pressure. Turkey has temporarily closed its borders to thousands of displaced Syrians who are waiting to be allowed entry. Ankara says that the camps already set up are inadequate to accommodate new refugees. Some 10 thousand Syrians are waiting across the border for the camps to be set up. The UNHCR expects up to 200 thousand refugees to flee to Turkey. http://news.linktv.org/videos/syrian-refugees-spend-sombre-eid-in-camps?start=0 Muslims around the world are celebrating Eid-ul-Fitr, a holiday to mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan. But for Syrian refugees living in camps, the day is passing without much celebration. Sun, 19 Aug 2012 14:11:00 -0700 http://news.linktv.org/videos/syrian-refugees-spend-sombre-eid-in-camps Eid ul-Fitr, Refugees of the Syrian civil war, Syrian people, Refugee, Refugee camp, Ramadan (calendar month), Syria-Turkey relations, Syrian Civil War, Syria, Turkey Muslims around the world are celebrating Eid-ul-Fitr, a holiday to mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan. But for Syrian refugees living in camps, the day is passing without much celebration. The UN says more than 170,000 Syrian refugees have been registered in Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. Nearly 70,000 of them are in Turkey, where the government is worried that number will grow as fighting intensifies. Al Jazeera's Stefanie Dekker reports. http://news.linktv.org/videos/greece-no-refuge?start=0 For hundreds of thousands of refugees, reaching Greece means a life away from violence and persecution. But with Greece facing harsh austerity measures and rising unemployment, anger and violence is being increasingly directed towards refugees, with the police providing little protection. Thu, 16 Aug 2012 12:19:00 -0700 http://news.linktv.org/videos/greece-no-refuge Greece, Immigration to Greece, Refugee, Illegal immigration in Greece, Immigration, Minorities in Greece, Golden Dawn (Greece), Greek government-debt crisis, Nikolaos Michaloliakos, Far-right politics For hundreds of thousands of refugees, reaching Greece means a life away from violence and persecution. But with Greece facing harsh austerity measures and rising unemployment, anger and violence is being increasingly directed towards refugees, with the police providing little protection. http://news.linktv.org/videos/democracy-now-august-14-2012?start=2305 In a major shakeup, Egypt's new president, Mohamed Morsi, dismissed the country's two top generals over the weekend, but looks set to replace them with appointments from within the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. Sharif Abdel Kouddous reports on his recent trip to Zabadani, a besieged Syrian town near the Lebanon border, while Omar Dahi discusses the growing refugee crisis being caused by the escalating conflict in Syria. And Paul Ryan's hometown of Janesville, WI is coming under the spotlight, as some claim its economic recovery is due to federal aid the newly anointed GOP VP candidate claims to oppose. Plus headlines, and more. Tue, 14 Aug 2012 11:47:00 -0700 http://news.linktv.org/videos/democracy-now-august-14-2012 Syria, Syrian Civil War, Mohamed Morsi, Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, Egypt, US presidential election, 2012, Mitt Romney, Politics of the United States, Zabadani The escalating conflict in Syria has magnified the refugee crisis, both internally and in neighboring countries. More than 4,000 people entered Turkey in recent days, bringing the total number of Syrian refugees there close to 60,000. There are tens of thousands of Syrian refugees in neighboring Lebanon as well. As the crisis deepens, we're joined by Omar Dahi, assistant professor of economics at Hampshire College. Born and raised in Syria, Dahi has just returned from a research trip to Lebanon looking at the consequences of the Syrian uprising, including the impact on refugees. Professor Omar Dahi is also with us. He is speaking to us from western Mass. He's an economics professor at Hampshire College, born and raised in Syria, just returned from a research trip to Lebanon. Talk about the Syrian uprising and what you understand is happening now, who is fighting, and what you feel needs to happen, Professor Dahi. Yeah, well, my research trip to Lebanon focused primarily on the economic and social consequences of the Syrian uprising, with a particular focus on the refugees. I think Sharif described it accurately, in the sense that this was a mass revolt that increasingly became militarized. And my research in the past couple months was on the fallout of what's happening, overall. We've seen, at the economic level, massive devastation. Of course, the main devastation is the loss of human life. Up to 20,000 people lost their lives, perhaps more. This doesn't include the people who were wounded, who were tortured, who were physically disabled or who have mental health problems, which can add on to that total. About 10 percent of the population has been displaced, about a million-and-a-half people internally displaced inside the country and around 150,000 or more refugees in Syria—sorry, in Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan. So you have this massive upheaval, massive devastation. The estimates—and there were some estimates by the United Nations and other groups before the battles of Damascus and Aleppo, so this is not even taking into account the latest fighting over this past several weeks, is that some 20 percent of the GDP has been lost. You have massive capital flight outside the country, over 10 billion, which is roughly 20 percent of GDP. You have the destruction of land and property and, in particular, destruction of agricultural land, in part by the regime as a deliberate policy in punishing the areas that were under revolt. So you see this massive upheaval. I also took a look at the refugees situation in Lebanon. In Lebanon, you've seen refugees pouring in for more than seven, eight months. Initially, many of them came from border towns that border the Syrian-Lebanese border. Many of those people who left had family members. In a lot of these border towns, there's a lot of intermarriage, and the distinction between Lebanese and Syrian isn't as clear-cut. So, many of them who fled from areas around Homs, for example, after February, when there was the massive government attack on Homs, many of them fled and stayed with friends and relatives in Lebanon. However, the numbers are swelling. They're really increasing. So, the U.N. refugee council has roughly 37,000 registered refugees in Lebanon, but they acknowledge that the number is actually much more. Many people have not registered yet, and there are people moving in all the time. The situation is not ideal, but it's also not uniform. The people who came initially, as I mentioned, who were housed with family members or who were housed in shelters or abandoned schools, maybe have been relatively better off than the people who are coming now, who are having to pitch tents and being in even more precarious conditions. Omar Dahi, let me ask you about the former prime minister, Syrian prime minister's comments, the highest-ranking official in the Assad regime to defect, the ex-Prime Minister Riyad Hijab, who said in Amman, Jordan, that the Syrian regime is collapsing "morally, financially and militarily." He said the regime doesn't control more than 30 percent of the territory, and he said, "I urge the army to follow the example of Egypt's and Tunisia's armies—take the side of the people," he said. The significance of these comments? Well, obviously, the defection of Riyad Hijab was the highest-level defection in terms of his political ranking, the prime minister, so it was a huge symbolic blow to the regime. It was—psychologically, in terms of the regime's support, it did signal that as high as the prime minister is actually defecting, which may signal more defections to come at that level. Riyad Hijab himself does not have a mass or a sort of military or any other mass following, so in that sense it's not a blow in terms of the regime's strength. I agree with the assessment, though, the fact that the regime has lost control of a lot of the country, that it essentially has been, you know, socially and politically bankrupt; however, that doesn't mean that it's not capable of doing a great amount of harm and that the fighting forces may still inflict a lot of harm for months and perhaps years, absent some unexpected event such as an internal coup or some very high-ranking defection within the military-security apparatus. So the other layers of the regime—and this was put in a recent International Crisis Group report—that the outside layers, the political layers, all the other ways in which a regime normally communicates with its people, has been shed, and what's left is a very strong fighting militia and fighting force, that still has some support, some social base, who increasingly view their—and this is particularly true for many Alawites, who support the regime—they view that this is a fight for their survival. And they may increasingly stick to the regime because they see it as an all-or-nothing. They fear the fact that if the regime collapses, it might mean massive retaliation against them. And as the dynamics of the revolt continue, you see increasing sectarian tensions, mutual sectarian killings and assassinations, and overall increasing sectarian discourse within Syria that reinforces this feeling. This is not to mention the fact that the coverage, I would say, by both the Syrian regime media as well as the Arab media, such as Al Jazeera Arabic and Al Arabiya, have both— http://news.linktv.org/videos/dr-congo-refugees-suffer-amid-fierce-fighting?start=0 Civilians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are being caught in heavy fighting as government forces aided by UN peacekeepers continue fighting the M23 rebel group with heavy weapons around two eastern villages. Tue, 31 Jul 2012 17:24:00 -0700 http://news.linktv.org/videos/dr-congo-refugees-suffer-amid-fierce-fighting Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2012 East DRC conflict, March 23 Movement (M23), World Food Programme, UN Peacekeepers, Goma, North Kivu, Internally displaced person, Uganda, Rwanda Civilians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are being caught in heavy fighting as government forces aided by UN peacekeepers continue fighting the M23 rebel group with heavy weapons around two eastern villages. Thousands of civilians are fleeing their homes and heading toward the provincial capital Goma. Thousands more have sought refuge in neighboring Rwanda and Uganda. For those who have crossed the borders, food aid has been easily available. However, those who remain in DRC have nothing to eat and aid agencies are having difficulties reaching them because of the fighting. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) only recently managed to get to the displaced people in Kibati for the first time and provide emergency high-energy biscuits. Some of the people being helped said they had gone without food for a week. Fighting between the Congolese government and the rebels has displaced 470,000 people since April. Footage courtesy of Reuters. http://news.linktv.org/videos/syrian-rebels-help-us-or-well-be-wiped-out?start=0 Rebel forces in Syria have made an appeal to the international community for help as fighting intensifies in Aleppo. Mon, 30 Jul 2012 12:55:00 -0700 http://news.linktv.org/videos/syrian-rebels-help-us-or-well-be-wiped-out Battle of Aleppo, Aleppo, Syrian Civil War, Syria, Free Syrian Army, Refugee, Attack helicopter, Artillery, Civilian casualties, United Nations Rebel forces in Syria have made an appeal to the international community for help as fighting intensifies in Aleppo. http://news.linktv.org/videos/jordan-establishes-first-official-syrian-refugee-camp?start=0 As the Syrian conflict escalates, more and more Syrians are seeking asylum abroad. To accomodate the influx of refugees, Jordan has opened its first official Syrian refugee camp. Sun, 29 Jul 2012 14:59:00 -0700 http://news.linktv.org/videos/jordan-establishes-first-official-syrian-refugee-camp Refugee camp, Syria, Syrian Civil War, Jordan-Syria relations, Refugee, Syrian people, Jordan, Foreign relations of Syria, Immigration, Al Jazeera English As the Syrian conflict continues, more and more people are leaving their homes and seeking refuge abroad. Some just cross the borders, while others register officially as refugees. Jordanian officials have processed more than 150,000 refugees - the most of all of Syria's neighbors. To accomodate the influx of refugees the community can no longer absorb, Jordan has opened its first official refugee camp specifically for Syrians. Currently, the 2,000 tents will provide temporary housing to 10,000 refugees. However, if the crisis escalates, the government could expand the camp to shelter up to 113,000 Syrians. Al Jazeera's Nisreen el-Shamayleh reports from Zaatri, North Jordan. http://news.linktv.org/videos/bangladesh-prime-minister-says-her-country-cannot-help-rohingya?start=0 In an interview with Al Jazeera, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina says her country cannot afford to accomodate more Rohingya Muslim refugees fleeing persecution from neighboring Myanmar. Sat, 28 Jul 2012 07:20:00 -0700 http://news.linktv.org/videos/bangladesh-prime-minister-says-her-country-cannot-help-rohingya Refugee, Rohingya, Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Bangladesh-Burma relations, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Foreign relations of Burma, Politics of Bangladesh, Ethnic cleansing In an interview with Al Jazeera, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina says her country cannot afford to accommodate more Rohingya Muslim refugees fleeing persecution from neighboring Myanmar. The statement follows reports that Bangladishi authorities have been rejecting many of the asylum seekers. Sheikh Hasina has defended the policy, saying Bangladesh is already overpopulated, and it is not her country's responsibility to help all of the Rohingya. There are already about 300,000 Rohingya living in refugee camps in Bangladesh. http://news.linktv.org/videos/tragedy-unfolding-in-myanmar-as-rohingyas-face-horrific-ethnic-cleansing?start=0 Against the backdrop of a new, pro-democracy Myanmar, the Burmese government has implemented a program against the minority Rohingya population that scholars and analysts are calling a "horrific ethnic cleansing". Sat, 14 Jul 2012 10:54:00 -0700 http://news.linktv.org/videos/tragedy-unfolding-in-myanmar-as-rohingyas-face-horrific-ethnic-cleansing Myanmar, Rohingya, Ethnic cleansing, Politics of Myanmar, Ethnic violence, Muslim, Ethnic group, Rakhine State, Aung San Suu Kyi, Refugee Against the backdrop of a new, pro-democracy Myanmar, the Burmese government has implemented a program against the minority Rohingya population that scholars and analysts are calling a "horrific ethnic cleansing". Since June, violence and tension have erupted in Myanmar regarding the fate of the Rohingya, who are ethnically and religiously different from the majority Buddhist population. http://news.linktv.org/videos/chaos-and-tragedy-as-refugees-flee-fierce-fighting-in-dr-congo?start=0 Thousands of civilians from DRC have fled into Uganda after days of fierce fighting between M23 rebels and government forces. Officials said the refugees had crossed the border to escape the bloodshed and avoid conscription by rebel forces. Wed, 11 Jul 2012 09:47:00 -0700 http://news.linktv.org/videos/chaos-and-tragedy-as-refugees-flee-fierce-fighting-in-dr-congo Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2012 East DRC conflict, Bunagana, Refugee, North Kivu, Uganda, March 23 Movement (M23), Conscription, United Nations, Bus Thousands of civilians from the Democratic Republic of Congo have fled into Uganda after days of fierce fighting between M23 rebels and government forces in Congo. Officials at the Nyakabande refugee center said the refugees had crossed the border to escape the bloodshed and avoid conscription by rebel forces. At least 2,200 more have been uprooted and 600 Congolese soldiers had also fled over the frontier. Footage courtesy of Reuters. http://news.linktv.org/videos/scores-missing-after-boat-carrying-200-asylum-seekers-capsizes?start=0 Survivors from a boat carrying 200 people that capsized in the Indian Ocean have begun arriving on Christmas Island, but at least 90 others are still missing. The fishing boat from Indonesia was carrying asylum seekers hoping to reach Australia, and reportedly began issuing distress calls 40 hours before it capsized. Fri, 22 Jun 2012 09:56:00 -0700 http://news.linktv.org/videos/scores-missing-after-boat-carrying-200-asylum-seekers-capsizes Australia-Indonesia relations, Australia, Indonesia, Indian Ocean, Christmas Island, Capsizing, Refugee, Search and rescue, Boat people, Fishing vessel Survivors from a boat carrying 200 people that capsized in the Indian Ocean have begun arriving on Christmas Island, but at least 90 others are still missing. The fishing boat from Indonesia was carrying asylum seekers hoping to reach Australia, and reportedly began issuing distress calls 40 hours before it capsized. http://news.linktv.org/videos/mosaic-news-061412?start=976 <p>Egypt's high court dissolves parliament two days before presidential elections, Syrian conflict nears global proxy war as rhetoric intensifies, a look at Gaza after five years of Hamas rule and Israeli siege, and more.</p> Thu, 14 Jun 2012 00:00:00 -0700 http://news.linktv.org/videos/mosaic-news-061412 Israel, Gaza blockade, Gaza, Gaza–Israel conflict, Palestinians, Supreme Constitutional Court of Egypt, Syrian Civil War, Governance of the Gaza Strip, Nuclear program of Iran, Muammar Gaddafi Israel's crackdown on illegal migrants is stepping up; as many as 500 South Sudanese have already been detained, and will be deported back to their country of origin next week. But despite Israel's tightened policies, the influx continues, and human rights organizations are pressing Israel to grant migrants refugee status. President Benjamin Netanyahu said that once the border fence with Egypt is completed, the influx of migrants will be stopped in months. http://news.linktv.org/videos/democracy-now-june-13-2012?start=738 Has a full-blown civil war broken out in Syria? Hervé Ladsous, the UN under-secretary general for peacekeeping operations, became the first senior UN official to make the assertion on Tuesday amid worsening violence across the country. Wed, 13 Jun 2012 11:21:00 -0700 http://news.linktv.org/videos/democracy-now-june-13-2012 Syria, Syrian Civil War, Civil war, United Nations, Iraq, US Armed Forces, Iraq War, Baghdad, Afghanistan War, Hervé Ladsous Has a full-blown civil war broken out in Syria? Hervé Ladsous, the UN under-secretary general for peacekeeping operations, became the first senior UN official to make the assertion on Tuesday amid worsening violence across the country. The U.S. meanwhile is accusing Russia of arming the Syrian military while Saudi Arabia and Qatar are sending anti-tank missiles to the Syrian opposition through Turkey with the Obama administration's backing. We host a debate between Syrian opposition activist Rafif Jouejati and longtime Middle East journalist Patrick Seale. A top United Nations official said Tuesday the uprising in Syria has grown into a full-scale civil war. Hervé Ladsous, the UN under-secretary general for peacekeeping operations, said, quote, "Clearly what is happening is that the government of Syria lost some large chunks of territory in several cities to the opposition and wants to retake control of these areas." This marks the first time a senior UN official has declared Syria's conflict a civil war. The International Committee of the Red Cross said the situation is worsening in several parts of the country simultaneously. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, 51 civilians as well as 12 soldiers were killed on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Turkey is reporting more than 2,000 Syrians have fled across the border in the last 48 hours. This comes as more reports emerge that both the Syrian military and opposition rebels are receiving heavy arms from outside supporters. On Tuesday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton accused Russia of aiding the president—the government of President Bashar al-Assad. SECRETARY OF STATE HILLARY CLINTON: We have confronted the Russians about stopping their continued arms shipments to Syria. They have, from time to time, said that we shouldn't worry, everything they're shipping is unrelated to their actions internally. That's patently untrue. And we are concerned about the latest information we have that there are attack helicopters on the way from Russia to Syria, which will escalate the conflict quite dramatically. Russia has acknowledged sending arms but claims the weapons are only for self-defense. Meanwhile, Turkey has been smuggling powerful anti-tank missiles and other arms to Syrian opposition fighters in the Free Syria Army. The missiles are being financed by Saudi Arabia and Qatar. According to the New York Times, the United States was consulted about the arming of the rebels but did not take part directly in the weapons transfer. To talk about the crisis in Syria, we're joined by two guests. Rafif Jouejati is a Syrian-American opposition activist and the English-language spokesperson for the Syrian Local Coordination Committees. She's joining us from Washington, D.C. And joining us by Democracy Now! video stream is Patrick Seale, a leading writer on the Middle East. He's author of Asad: The Struggle for the Middle East and, most recently, The Struggle for Arab Independence: Riad el-Solh and the Makers of the Modern Middle East. We welcome you both to Democracy Now! Let us begin with Rafif Jouejati. Are we seeing a civil war in Syria? I don't know if I would characterize it as a civil war. It is really a case of a regime trying to repress a popular demand for freedom and democracy. Patrick Seale, would you characterize it in the same way? Well, I don't think it matters really what we call it. It's just an extremely dangerous situation, in my view, dangerous for everybody—dangerous for Syria, for Iran, its ally, dangerous for Lebanon, for Jordan, and dangerous for the United States, dangerous for the Gulf states. So it's a very tricky moment, and I don't think, quite frankly, the United States is helping to resolve the situation. It's pursuing a high-risk strategy, and which we can talk about in a moment, if you like. Well, what is that high-risk strategy? Well, look, there are two promising diplomatic initiatives in recent weeks in the region. One is led by Catherine Ashton, the European Union's foreign policy chief, and the other by Kofi Annan, the former secretary-general of the United Nations, who is mandated by both the Arab League and the UN to try and promote a peace plan for Syria. Now, Catherine Ashton was pressing for a win-win deal between Iran and the so-called P5-plus-1. That's to say, the five permanent members of the Security Council plus Germany. They've held—they've had two meetings so far. The first one seemed very promising. But there's another meeting coming up on the 18th of June in Moscow, and that doesn't look good at all. Why? Because the United States has toughened its position. It doesn't seem to want a win-win deal whereby Iran would give up its 20 percent enriched uranium but be allowed to keep low-enriched uranium for power generation. Now, why has the Americans—why has the United States adopted this position? It seems to be taking its cue from Israel. Obama, President Obama, either thinks that Iran is a rival to American hegemony in the Gulf, or he thinks, with the elections coming up in November, that he has to carry favor with Jewish voters. I fear the latter. Now, the— Rafif Jouejati, can I just ask you to respond to that? How do you feel the U.S. has been dealing with the conflict in Syria, and what would you like the U.S. to do differently? Well, let me start by saying that to introduce notions of Jewish voters and the Obama re-election bid, I think, is to detract from the fact that there are more than 12,000 civilians shot dead by the Assad regime. I would say that the U.S. has been supportive in condemning the Assad violations of human rights, systematic violations. What I would like to see is for more pressure exerted on Russia to stop the flow of weapons, including those helicopters that are on their way, including things like the shipment of $100 million worth of weapons just a couple of weeks ago. I would like to see more pressure on Russia to stop the flow of arms. I'd like to see more pressure on the international community, in general, to deliver relief supplies, which are so desperately needed. There are reports today, Rafif Jouejati, that both Saudi Arabia and Qatar are arming the rebels in Syria. So, there have been reports, and there were pledges of support from Qatar and Saudi Arabia. According to the FSA, those weapons are— We may have just lost Rafif Jouejati for a moment. We're going to get her back. We're speaking with Rafif Jouejati, who's a member of the Syrian opposition. And we're also speaking with Patrick Seale, a leading British writer on the Middle East who wrote a book about Bashar al-Assad's father called Asad: The Struggle for the Middle East. Rafif, I think we have you back, if you could continue. Yes, so, I was saying that we also need the international community to step up its relief efforts. As you know, the Assad regime has prevented much-needed relief supplies from reaching residents, who are under continuous shelling and bombardment. And Rafif Jouejati, can I just ask you to clarify who it is? If there are funds or arms going to the Syrian opposition, who is the Syrian opposition, the Syrian National Council and other affiliated groups? So, we've had pledges of support from various nations, but in reality, that support is not reaching the Free Syrian Army, which is only one part of the opposition. Instead, there are light weapons being smuggled across borders. So to say that the Free Syrian Army is heavily armed would imply that they are smuggling attack helicopters or tanks from Lebanon, and that would just be ridiculous. In terms of who constitutes the Syrian opposition, you have the Syrian National Council, which is an umbrella organization that encompasses, I would say, the majority of opposition groups. And then you've got the armed portion of it, which is the Free Syrian Army, which is composed primarily of defected soldiers who refused orders to shoot unarmed civilians. How many people have defected from the Syrian army to the Free Syrian Army? It's difficult to give precise numbers, because some of this is obviously quite secretive, but the estimates are ranging in the 40,000 area at this point, with defections every day. Just yesterday, there were three high-ranking officials who defected from the Syrian air force. Patrick Seale, can you say a little about your sense of who constitutes the opposition and whether the opposition is sufficiently united? Well, as we all know, the opposition is deeply divided. The strongest, best funded, best organized element in it are the Muslim Brothers. Now, they have a longstanding grievance against the Assad regime, father and son, going back over 30 years—indeed, ever since the Ba'ath Party came to power in Syria in 1963—Ba'ath Party, which is a secular movement. And from that moment on, some elements of the Muslim Brothers went underground, started taking arms, and mounted a terrorist campaign against the Syrian regime in the late six—in the late '70s, culminating in the seizure of Hama, which the state then retook with great loss of life. Now, after that, the Muslim Brothers were banned. Membership was punishable by death. So they have a great deal to want revenge for from this regime. Now, in addition to the Muslim Brothers, which are the many, many strands of them in Syria and outside Syria, there are also large numbers now of armed Islamic extremists, jihadis, so-called Arab fighters coming in from neighboring countries but also from countries further afield, from Afghanistan, from Pakistan, from Tunisia. Now, these people, a lot of them coming from Iraq, where they've been carrying out suicide operations, which they're replicating now in Syria—gross acts of terror. Now, this is the problem. The number two man in al-Qaeda, Abu Yahya al-Libi, whom the Americans claim to have killed the other day, has just issued a video accusing Bashar al-Assad. So, does the United States want to be on the side of al-Qaeda? Let us bring Rafif Jouejati into this description Patrick Seale has of the opposition, of which you are a part. Yeah. So let me start by correcting Mr. Seale on just a couple of things. First of all, I would say that the majority of the Syrian population has a grudge against the Assad family, which took power in a military coup and has retained power for more than 42 years through violence and repression. So I would say it's not just Islamic fundamentalists who desire to see this regime toppled. It is the majority of the population. Second of all, on the ground, the network of activists, the LCC has one of the largest network of activists. It is a decidedly secular organization. The opposition, the SNC, the LCC, all of the different various groups that do fall under the SNC umbrella, have condemned any al-Qaeda operations. Now, certainly, al-Qaeda is a rogue organization that thrives on chaos. And had Bashar al-Assad retained any stability in the country, we might not be seeing the kind of chaos that allows certain elements to slip through borders. Rafif, did your father work for Hafez al-Assad? My father served the Syrian government from independence from the French all the way until his death nine years ago. So he worked under Hafez al-Assad. What was his position on Bashar al-Assad's father? He—my father believed in service to his nation and not particularly to a regime. He was never a member of the Ba'ath Party. He wanted to serve his country. He believed in a free and independent Syria. Last month, the U.S. expelled the top Syrian diplomat in Washington following the massacre of over a hundred people in Houla. State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland spoke in late May, blaming Iran for the massacre. VICTORIA NULAND: This morning, we called in Syrian chargé d'affaires Zuheir Jabbour and informed him that he is no longer welcome in the United States and gave him 72 hours to depart. We took this action in response to the massacre in the village of Houla—absolutely indefensible, vile, despicable massacre against innocent children, women shot at point-blank range by regime thugs, the Shabiha, aided and abetted by the Iranians, who were actually bragging about it over the weekend. We'll go to this issue of Iran after break. That was Victoria Nuland, State Department spokesperson. We're speaking with Rafif Jouejati, an activist and member of the Syrian opposition. She's in Washington. Patrick Seale, leading British writer on the Middle East, is joining us from the south of France. Stay with us. Our guests are Rafif Jouejati, activist and member of the Syrian opposition, speaking to us from Washington, D.C., and Patrick Seale, a leading British writer on the Middle East, wrote a biography of Bashar al-Assad's father called Asad: The Struggle for the Middle East, and, most recently, The Struggle for Arab Independence: Riad el-Solh and the Makers of the Modern Middle East. We just heard a clip of the State Department spokesperson, Victoria Nuland, blaming Iran. Can you respond, Patrick Seale? Well, the point about that massacre at Houla, the real responsibility has not been established. Ms. Nuland and others have immediately blamed the regime's notorious Shabiha thugs, but a very serious German newspaper, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, the leading West German newspaper, German newspaper, has recently published a report quoting its sources on the ground saying this is not the case, that the massacre was conducted by anti-Assad Sunni militias, who then filmed their victims and posted videos on the internet blaming the regime. Now, this clearly demands an investigation, internal investigation, to establish what the truth is. The fact is that both sides have committed atrocious crimes. Ms. Jouejati is quite right in saying that the population, or part of it, has serious grievances against the Assad regime over the years—police brutality, favoritism for certain communities, a lack of freedom, the neglect after the great drought of recent years in Syria, and many other things. Of course they have grievances. But the problem now is no longer a purely local one. It's become a regional one. The Syrian crisis cannot be separated from the tremendous pressures being put on Iran. The United States seems to have adopted Israel's position, to attempt to bring down both regimes, the regime in Tehran and the regime in Damascus. Now, you may have noticed that President Shimon Peres of Israel, Deputy Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu himself have all in recent days called for the overthrow of the Syrian regime. I mean, Netanyahu wants to bring down the whole Tehran-Damascus-Hezbollah resistance axis, which has dented Israel's supremacy in recent years. So this has become a regional conflict. Now, some Arab states—Saudi Arabia and Qatar—also seem to see the crisis in sectarian terms. They think that Iran, a Shia power, could challenge Sunni primacy in the region. But you saw—your program began, at around—a few minutes ago, with the massacres in Iraq of Shia civilians. Now, who do you think triggered that sectarian conflict? It was the United States, with its invasion of Iraq in 2002, which led to the collapse of the state to a sectarian civil war in which hundreds of thousands of people were killed and millions displaced. Do they want the same thing to happen in Syria? Hasn't Syria suffered enough? Shouldn't the West and Russia join in imposing a ceasefire on both sides, instead of fueling the flames? The United States is said to be coordinating the flow of money, intelligence and weapons to the rebels, and then complaining that Russia is doing the same for the regime. I want to ask—let me just ask Rafif Jouejati to respond both on Victoria Nuland's comments about Iran's involvement and who should be held responsible, or who is responsible, for the Houla massacre. Absolutely. Let's start with the Houla massacre. There are satellite images of regime tank positions stationed all around the area. Logically, by any reasonable calculation, only the regime would have had access to that area in such numbers. There was intense shelling on the area just before the Shabiha went in. They didn't just shoot children. They practically beheaded them. Children were stabbed repeatedly. In many other instances of Shabiha violence, they have actually set fire to their victims. So, that's on the Houla massacre. The regime bears full responsibility. And when Bashar al-Assad delivered a speech just days after it, he said that not even monsters could have carried out this attack. And I believe, by "not even monsters," he was speaking about his own Shabiha. With regard to the German article, Mr. Seale, I did read it. The reporter did not cite any credible sources. What we have gotten from Houla residents, those who remain, were eyewitness accounts of what has happened. So, I would discredit that article 100 percent. In terms of Iran, Iran has, since the very beginning, been supporting the Assad regime through infusions of cash when the sanctions began to take effect in Syria. They have provided military equipment. They have provided surveillance technology. It is the very surveillance technology that enabled the Assad regime to blow up the house where Marie Colvin was when she was killed, the journalist who was killed as she was uploading information. Iran has been recently bragging about its support for the Assad regime. I don't think we want to go too far and muddy the waters by talking about what Israel's ambitions may be. What we're talking about is a popular revolution that the regime is trying to repress through massive military force. I want to ask more about Saudi Arabia and Qatar's role in the conflict. The Independent of London reported today Syrian rebel groups had received multiple shipments of arms, including Kalashnikov assault rifles, machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades, anti-tank weaponry. The weapons were paid for by Saudi Arabia and Qatar and smuggled through Turkey. Patrick Seale, the significance of who's on what side here and Russia sending helicopters to Bashar al-Assad? This the trouble. I mean, there's so much foreign intervention, with each of the external actors pursuing its own strategic goals. Now, the opposition, the rebels, know, I believe, that they cannot hope to defeat the Syrian army on the ground. Their whole strategy has been to try and trigger a Western military intervention. Now that's been slow in coming. Now, to trigger such an intervention, they have either perpetrated massacres themselves — and I stick with the report from the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung — or they try and provoke the regime into massacres. Now, what that German newspaper said was that rebels attacked some checkpoints manned by the army, and in the firefight that followed, which lasted about 90 minutes, the massacre took place. And they contacted many sources on the ground, which Mrs. Jouejati dismisses, and says—and said—they reported that the killing was done by anti-Assad Sunni militants. Now, I'm not saying one thing or the other; I'm saying that this should be investigated. Now, Mrs. Jouejati is, I think, mistaken in not seeing the wider context of this Syrian—tragic Syrian struggle. And the only way to resolve it is not by force of arms. The only way to resolve it is by diplomacy. That is why it is a great mistake to sabotage Kofi Annan's mission, as I'm afraid the United States is doing. It pays lip service to his peace mission while conniving in the arming of the opposition. The West and the Russians should combine in imposing a ceasefire on both sides and bringing both sides to the table. That is the only way to save what is left of Syria. Rafif Jouejati, can you—can you respond to that? Would you agree with Patrick Seale's assessment that what the rebels are trying to do is trigger military intervention? Absolutely not. I think the calls for military intervention came at a time when the civilian population was being so heavily shelled that they had nobody to turn to, and the last resort was to call for foreign intervention. I would maintain the revolution began peacefully, and it would have stayed peaceful had the Assad regime not started firing on protesters, firing on mourners attending the funerals of protesters who had been killed the day before, kidnapping, detaining, torturing children. Let's remember Hamza Ali al-Khateeb, who was 13 years old, who was detained, tortured, mutilated and returned to his village as an example. The Free Syrian Army is composed of defected soldiers, who did not wish to shoot at unarmed civilians. Let's go back to the roots of the revolution and see how it has progressed from March 2011. Let's also take a look at the weapons that Russia is shipping to Syria. Let's talk about foreign intervention and the intervention that Assad has allowed to enter the country in the form of Russian and Iranian support. So what do you want to see happen now, Rafif? I would love to see the Annan peace plan take effect. I would love to see the Assad regime respect a single tenet of that six-point plan, starting with a full pullback of military equipment and troops, and perhaps ending with independent media and foreign journalists allowed to enter to investigate and report on what is actually happening. Rafif, can you explain why the former head of the Syrian National Council, Burhan Ghalioun, was forced to resign last month and tell us a little bit about the new head, Abdul Basit Sieda? Did Ghalioun's resignation have something to do with calls for intervention? I really can't speak for the Syrian National Council. My speculation is that Burhan Ghalioun had originally been seen as a consensus builder and was having a challenge in actually building consensus. Now, we have to remember that the Syrian National Council, A, is a relatively new organization and, B, populated by people who have been politically and intellectually repressed for more than five decades. So there are some growing pains. There is some dysfunction, certainly. I don't think anybody would dispute that. With Burhan Ghalioun stepping down—and it was voluntarily, by the way—he offered to resign as soon as a suitable replacement was found. The council decided it had found a suitable replacement, and he was elected. Now, Mr. Abdul Basit appears to be a consensus builder, appears to enjoy popularity with the very important Kurdish minority. And we hope that, under his leadership, the Syrian National Council can reorganize and overcome some of the difficulties it was facing in the past. Your response, finally, Patrick Seale? Well, Ms. Jouejati doesn't seem to be in close touch with the Syrian National Council or the opposition. Its official policy is to call for a foreign intervention. It knows it can't do the job by itself. That's why—that's why these rebels are trying desperately to provoke the regime into massacres. Now, the regime's strategy is the very contrary: it will not tolerate pockets of armed rebels on its territory, so it's going all-out to exterminate them. So the more the rebels are armed, the more bloodshed there will be, and the more a great need is to support Kofi Annan in every possible way to encourage the holding of a big international conference in Moscow, perhaps, with both sides represented. Stop the bloodshed and start talking—that's what the international community should insist upon. Amy, I'd like to respond to that, if I may. Very quickly, and we're wrapping up right now. Very quickly. I will tell Mr. Seale that, while I am in Washington, D.C., I am in daily contact with activists on the ground. But you don't seem to know that the policy is to trigger— I represent the largest network of activists on the ground in Syria. And the Syrian National Council called for military intervention in response to the people who were being shelled by regime forces, not to further any ulterior motives, but to respond to what the people were asking for. We're going to leave it there. Rafif Jouejati, we want to thank you very much for being with us, activist and member of the Syrian opposition. Patrick Seale, leading British writer on the Middle East, he's speaking to us from the south of France—she, from Washington, D.C. His latest book is The Struggle for Arab Independence http://news.linktv.org/videos/un-report-says-children-being-used-as-human-shields-in-syria?start=0 WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT. George Graham from Save the Children talks about a UN report on abuses against children in Syria, including their use as human shields. He describes a picture building of "a conflict whose principle victims are children." Tue, 12 Jun 2012 14:35:00 -0700 http://news.linktv.org/videos/un-report-says-children-being-used-as-human-shields-in-syria Human shield, Syrian Civil War, Save the Children, Syria, Civilian casualties, Houla massacre, 2012 al-Qubair massacre, Refugee, Child, United Nations WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT. George Graham from Save the Children talks about a UN report he describes as "absolutely shocking." The report on the Syrian conflict details many abuses against children, including their use as human shields. Following the reported massacres in Houla and al-Qubair, Graham describes a picture building of "a conflict whose principle victims are children." http://news.linktv.org/videos/uk-somali-refugee-parents-send-kids-back-home-for-rehabilitation?start=0 Many Somali parents living in the UK say their children, consumed by Western culture, have lost their way. Now some are sending kids back to live in their former home to get a taste of a very different way of life. Wed, 06 Jun 2012 16:35:00 -0700 http://news.linktv.org/videos/uk-somali-refugee-parents-send-kids-back-home-for-rehabilitation British Somalis, Somaliland, Somalia, Refugee, Western culture, United Kingdom, Youth, Channel 4 News Many Somali parents living in the UK say their children, consumed by Western culture, have lost their way and are sending them back to their former home. Somali journalist Jamal Osman has met the returnees as they adapt to their very traditional new surroundings. http://news.linktv.org/videos/suu-kyi-in-thailand-burmese-refugees-meet-their-hero?start=0 Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi left Myanmar for the first time in almost 25 years this week. Suu Kyi took advantage of the country's increasing openness to speak at the World Economic Forum in Thailand. Host Yul Kwon speaks with filmmaker Jeanne Marie Hallacy about Suu Kyi's meeting with Burmese refugees. Fri, 01 Jun 2012 18:14:00 -0700 http://news.linktv.org/videos/suu-kyi-in-thailand-burmese-refugees-meet-their-hero Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar, Thailand, Burmese language, National League for Democracy, World Economic Forum, Refugee, House arrest, Myanmar by-elections, 2012 , Yingluck Shinawatra Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi left Myanmar for the first time in almost 25 years this week. Suu Kyi took advantage of the country's increasing openness to speak at the World Economic Forum in Thailand. Host Yul Kwon speaks with filmmaker Jeanne Marie Hallacy about Suu Kyi's meeting with Burmese refugees. http://news.linktv.org/videos/mosaic-news-052412?start=35 Hundreds of Israelis demonstrated in central Tel Aviv against the increasing numbers of illegal African immigrants in the country and called for their deportation, reports Al Jazeera. They also took part in aggression against Africans and shops that employ them. Thu, 24 May 2012 00:00:00 -0700 http://news.linktv.org/videos/mosaic-news-052412 Syria, Egyptian presidential election, 2012, Arab world, Free Syrian Army, Lebanon, Israel, Egyptians, Cairo, UN Security Council, Eli Yishai Presenter, Female #1 Hundreds of Israelis demonstrated in central Tel Aviv against the increasing numbers of illegal African immigrants in the country, and called for deporting them immediately. These protests came several days after the Interior Minister Eli Yishai called for arresting all African immigrants and deporting them from Israel. Israeli sources estimate there are 60,000 Africans in Israel from various countries. Reporter, Male #1 Hundreds of Israelis took to the streets to support the call put forth by Interior Minister Eli Yishai to arrest and deport Africans living illegally in Israel. The scene was not free of aggression against Africans and local shops that employ them. The recent crimes and rapes committed by Africans instigated the Israelis to come out in protest. However, Yishai did not reveal the real reason behind his call from the podium of Knesset. Guest, Male #2 (Eli Yishai, Israeli Interior Minister) We are not racists, we will solve the problem of refugees, but we also want to protect the Jewish majority. Otherwise, within a few years, we will find ourselves fighting another independence war. Reporter, Male #1 In every corner of Tel Aviv, groups of African immigrants will be found. According to official figures, 60,000 Africans are living in Israel. Half of them are from Eritrea, 15,000 from Sudan, and the rest are from other African countries. Brown-skinned people are viewed by Israelis as an uncivilized sight that should be removed. Guest, Male #3 Israelis targeting us because we are black, and we're Africans. Not for other reasons. Guest, Male #4 We came here in search of freedom and democracy. Then when we came here we encounter the same problems from Israelis. But not all Israelis hate Africans. Reporter, Male #1 Israeli organizations monitoring Africans' affairs, especially those seeking political asylum, say that deporting them would risk their lives. And such behavior is inappropriate for a people that suffered persecution from the Nazis. Guest, Female #2 (Sigal Rozen, African Refugees Advocacy Center) Israel is a Jewish state established by refugees, for refugees. It cannot treat today's refugees this way. Reporter, Male #1 The prosecution of Africans begins at the border with Egypt. Hundreds of them are arrested daily, while hundreds of others manage to arrive at Israeli cities. Along these borders, Israel is setting up a security fence that will soon cut off the way for immigrants from the African continent. Africans come to Israel in search of a new life and a safe refuge. But they are colliding with a society that hosts hatred and racism against strangers. This makes their life full of expulsion, arrests, and deportation, as well as violence. Ilyas Karam, Al Jazeera, Tel Aviv. http://news.linktv.org/videos/mosaic-news-051712?start=1147 <p>Renewed clashes erupt in Lebanon's Tripoli as Hezbollah is blamed, Israel and Iran beat the drums of war ahead of nuclear talks in Baghdad, the White House threatens to target anyone 'obstructing' transition in Yemen, and more.</p> Thu, 17 May 2012 00:00:00 -0700 http://news.linktv.org/videos/mosaic-news-051712 Israel, Syrian Civil War, Tel Aviv, Tripoli, Lebanon, Iran-Israel relations, US-Yemen relations, US-Israel relations, Al Wefaq, Egyptian presidential election, 2012, Eli Yishai Israeli Interior Minister Eli Yishai said that all African migrant workers and asylum seekers in Israel should be jailed, adding that those in the country illegally should be placed in detention or given repatriation grants. He claimed that most infiltrators are engaged in criminal activity. His comments come one day after four Sudanese and Eritrean nationals were arrested on charges of sexually assaulting a 19-year-old woman in Tel Aviv. There are over 50,000 migrants and asylum seekers in Tel Aviv alone, and about 7,000 have crossed illegally through Israel's southern border since the start of 2012. http://news.linktv.org/videos/mosaic-news-042612?start=87 <p>Russia accuses Syrian rebels of waging a terror campaign, CIA expands drone war on Yemen to unidentified individuals, Pakistani PM convicted of contempt, and more.</p> Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700 http://news.linktv.org/videos/mosaic-news-042612 Israel, Syrian Civil War, Syria, Turkey, Jerusalem, Jordan, Muslim Brotherhood, US-Yemen relations, Awn Shawkat Al-Khasawneh, Afghanistan War Meanwhile, 442 Syrian refugees reportedly left camps in Turkey for their own country to fight the government. The return to Syria comes despite Ankara's commitment to abide by the UN-brokered truce. The move has renewed allegations that Turkey has been allowing its soil to be used for training Syrian armed groups. http://news.linktv.org/videos/mosaic-news-042512?start=1344 The UN said that four million displaced people are at risk of starvation in Sudan and South Sudan due to a lack of food caused by the wars raging in the Blue Nile, South Kordofan, and Darfur regions, reports Dubai TV. Wed, 25 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700 http://news.linktv.org/videos/mosaic-news-042512 Israel, Nuclear program of Iran, Human rights in Bahrain, Benjamin Netanyahu, Iran-Israel relations, Bahrain, Bahrain Uprising, United Nations, Israeli-occupied territories, Palestinian prisoners in Israel Presenter, Male #1 The African Union has given Sudan and South Sudan three months to resolve their differences, or face what it described as "appropriate measures." After a special meeting in Addis Ababa to discuss the Sudanese crisis, AU Peace and Security Commissioner Ramtane Lamamra called on both Sudanese rivals to resume talks within two weeks. Talks must address all outstanding issues lingering since the independence of the South last June, including the sharing of oil revenues, the status of the disputed Abyei region, and the demarcation of borders. Presenter, Male #1 Amid a war of words and the war on the ground that seem to be on everyone's mind in the north and the south, the UN issued a new report sounding the alarm on a humanitarian crisis looming in the region. The UN said that four million displaced people are at risk of starvation due to a lack of food caused by the wars raging in the Blue Nile, South Kordofan, and Darfur regions. This was also confirmed by the president of the Darfur Regional Authority. Khartoum, which described the report as "exaggerated," said it will welcome any UN initiative aimed at helping the famine-stricken because of the volatile situation. Sami al-Shinawi reports from Khartoum. Reporter, Male #2 The war between Khartoum and the northern command of the People's Movement, the armed confrontations between rebel movements in Darfur, and the Heglig battles; all these factors have contributed to the humanitarian crisis raging in the regions witnessing an armed conflict. According to a new UN report, nearly four million displaced people are at risk of starvation due to a sharp shortage of food supplies and the difficulty of delivering aid to the famine-stricken because of the violence. The humanitarian situation is far worse in the region of Darfur, especially at the refugee camps scattered along both sides of the Sudanese-Chadian border. The head of the Local Governance in Darfur said the situation can't be helped because the Doha agreement granted him authority but no money. Guest, Male #3 (Al-Tejani al-Sisi, President of Darfur Regional Authority) I must say the situation in some parts of the Darfur state is alarming because of a gap in the food supply, and this calls for an immediate intervention. Reporter, Male #2 While Khartoum said that gap is not as big as cited by UN reports, it welcomed any UN pledge to help the famine-stricken. Guest, Female #1 (Amira al-Fadil, Sudanese Minister of Social Welfare and Security) The government has immediately mobilized, through its Humanitarian Aid Commission branch and the regional authority. We sent food and medical supplies to the region. We made sure the aid reached the affected residents. Reporter, Male #2 It seems the situation on the ground in Sudan is continuing to deteriorate. This requires the immediate intervention of the Sudanese government, which must fulfill the promises it made to those affected by the internal wars. The conflict in Sudan has only left behind all kinds of suffering. At the same time, Khartoum said it will not allow having even one Sudanese citizen at risk of starvation. However, the reality on the ground seems to be harsher than Khartoum's assessment, as confirmed by the UN. Sami al-Shinawi, Dubai TV, al-Khartoum. ** Contact Mosaic News: mosaicnews{at}linktv{dot}org http://news.linktv.org/videos/mosaic-news-041312?start=682 Peaceful protests were held across Syria as usual before Friday prayers, but skirmishes occurred when regime forces tried to suppress the protests, which led the Free Syrian Army to respond with the aim of protecting the demonstrations, BBC Arabic reports. Fri, 13 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700 http://news.linktv.org/videos/mosaic-news-041312 Friday prayers, Nuclear program of Iran, Pakistan, Iran, P5+1, Israel, Saif al-Islam, Drone attacks in Pakistan, Mohammed VI of Morocco, 2011-2012 Jordanian Protests Presenter, Female #1 The Syrian Revolution's General Commission said eight civilians were killed in different parts of Syria. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said clashes erupted in the morning between Syrian forces and members of the Free Syrian Army in the surroundings of Jisr ash-Shugur, in Idlib Province, near the Syrian-Turkish border. This comes as protests were held in different parts of Syria, under the banner of "a Friday for all Syrians." Reporter, Male #1 This is the neighborhood of al-Qarabis in Homs on the second day of the ceasefire in Syria. On Friday, the sound of machine guns dominated, while on Thursday it was the sound of tank fire. As for the countryside of Idlib, a brief clash in Jisr ash-Shugur broke the calm, in the surrounding of Khirbet al-Joz, along the Syrian-Turkish border. It is the area that witnessed the first overt appearance of gunmen one year ago. Guest, Male #2 (Ramy Abdel Rahman, Syrian Human Rights Observatory Director) In the beginning, regime forces fired at defected armed groups. There was no response at all in the beginning during the withdrawal from the area. Regime forces continued to fire, then some members of the defected armed groups responded. Clashes occurred; there were no casualties in those clashes. The regime forces then withdrew from the area. Reporter, Male #1 Gunfire in Khirbet al-Joz was from heard in a Turkish border village holding a Syrian refugee camp. Guest, Female #2 We heard the gunfire, and all the villagers were scared. Reporter, Male #1 But Damascus said what happened near the border is part of the implementation of Annan's plan, and a redeployment of its forces. As for the breach, it said it was caused by yesterday's attack on a military vehicle. Guest, Male #3 (Sherif Shahada, Writer and Political Analyst) These forces were heading to the Syrian border with Turkey, not to fight or engage in battles, but it was a redeployment of the tanks and personnel carriers outside of the cities. This confirms that Syria is truly committed to the truce. And this is why I'm telling you that these breaches didn't happen today; they occurred yesterday when armed terrorists bombed a bus in Aleppo, which lead to the martyrdom of a colonel and injured 26 people. Reporter, Male #1 Military and security forces are still deployed in other Syrian areas, with security forces storming some areas and arresting people, according to activists, who confirmed the regime's armored vehicles withdrew from most cities and villages. In some areas, security forces cordoned off some mosques in the morning, in anticipation of Friday protests titled "a Friday for all Syrians." Nonetheless, protests were held as usual before Friday prayers in the areas that insist on holding peaceful protests despite the consequences. But skirmishes violated the ceasefire; they occurred when regime forces tried to suppress peaceful protests, which led elements of the Free Syrian Army to respond with the aim of protecting the demonstrations. This has not led to confrontations. Reporter, Male #1 In the village of Bridij in the countryside of Hama, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed one civilian died from injuries sustained on Thursday night when Syrian regime forces fired bullets. The Free Syrian Army intervened and killed two members of the regime's forces. Reporter, Male #1 Not far from home, Syrian refugees in Turkey, who escaped the suppression and clashes, want Annan's plan to secure a safe passage for their return to their cities, villages, and homes. The test seems difficult, and Annan's mission is only starting. And amid the counter-accusations between Damascus and the opposition, it is unpredictable whether these guns will break their silence or remain silent forever. Hayan Yaqoub, BBC. http://news.linktv.org/videos/kofi-annan-says-syria-plan-alive-despite-attacks?start=0 Kofi Annan, the UN-Arab League envoy to Syria, has said it is not too late to implement a UN-brokered peace plan, despite reports of continued violence across the embattled country, including in areas not previously targeted. Tue, 10 Apr 2012 16:36:00 -0700 http://news.linktv.org/videos/kofi-annan-says-syria-plan-alive-despite-attacks Syria, Kofi Annan, Ceasefire, Syrian conflict peace proposals , Syrian Civil War, Walid Muallem, Aleppo Governorate, Homs, Syria-Turkey relations, Syrian army Kofi Annan, the UN-Arab League envoy to Syria, has said it is not too late to implement a UN-brokered peace plan, despite reports of continued violence across the embattled country. Activists on Tuesday reported heavy shelling by government troops in the city of Homs and the northern village of Marea in Aleppo. Walid Muallem, the Syrian foreign minister, said in Moscow that Damascus had started pulling some troops out of different provinces. But Annan said he had information that while the Syrian military was withdrawing from some areas, it was also moving to others not previously targeted. http://news.linktv.org/videos/gunfire-from-syria-hits-refugee-camp-in-turkey?start=0 Syrian forces have fired across the border at a refugee camp in Turkey, wounding a Turkish translator and at least two Syrian refugees, in the first such attack since Turkey began sheltering thousands of refugees last summer. Mon, 09 Apr 2012 09:18:00 -0700 http://news.linktv.org/videos/gunfire-from-syria-hits-refugee-camp-in-turkey Refugee camp, Turkey, Syria, Syria-Turkey relations, Kilis Province, Shooting, Border, Translator, Refugee, Syrian Civil War Syrian forces have fired across the border at a refugee camp in Turkey, wounding a Turkish translator and at least two Syrian refugees, in the first such attack since Turkey began sheltering thousands of refugees last summer, authorities said. A government official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with government rules, said Turkey immediately protested the incident to the Syrian charge d'affaires and asked that the fire be halted. Turkish security forces were reinforced in the well-marked border area following the attack, state television reported. Al Jazeera's Anita McNaught has this update from Antakya in southern Turkey. http://news.linktv.org/videos/syria-peace-deal-on-verge-of-collapse-amid-escalating-violence?start=0 Syrian president Bashar al-Assad says his regime will not honor a ceasefire deal with the rebels unless the United Nations can secure stronger agreements from opposition forces. Mon, 09 Apr 2012 08:40:00 -0700 http://news.linktv.org/videos/syria-peace-deal-on-verge-of-collapse-amid-escalating-violence Syria, Ceasefire, Bashar al-Assad, Syrian conflict peace proposals , Syrian Civil War, Politics of Syria, Kofi Annan, Syrian army, Free Syrian Army, Syrian National Council Syrian president Bashar al-Assad says his regime will not honor a ceasefire deal with the rebels unless the United Nations can secure stronger agreements from opposition forces. http://news.linktv.org/videos/mosaic-news-040912?start=1207 <p><strong>WARNING: Graphic Content. </strong>Iraqis have neither democracy nor security nine years after the fall of Baghdad, thousands of South Sudanese in Sudan at risk of becoming stateless, Egypt's former intelligence chief accused of attempting to steal the revolution, and more.</p> Mon, 09 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700 http://news.linktv.org/videos/mosaic-news-040912 Syrian Civil War, Syria, Iraq, Baghdad, Hosni Mubarak, Kofi Annan, Egypt, Christianity in Iraq, Politics of Sudan, Politics of Egypt Presenter, Male #1 The Syrian Revolution's General Commission said security and military forces killed 45 people in Syria, including 30 in Tal Rifaat in the countryside of Aleppo. Reporter, Male #2 Syria's northern area near the Turkish border was the main platform for military operations and clashes since Monday morning. Tal Rifaat, where dozens of people were killed, witnessed the most violent clashes between the Free Syrian Army and the regime's army. According to activists, it was then shelled and stormed by tanks. The opposition uploaded online images of the town, in which clouds of smoke could be seen rising from the town's neighborhoods. Clashes also erupted along the Syrian-Turkish border crossing in the village of Salama. Six Syrian customs workers and security members were killed at the border crossing that is besieged by fighters from the Free Syrian Army. Eight of the fighters were injured and transferred to Turkey, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The opposition uploaded a video online, saying it shows the Kilis refugee camp in Turkey after getting shelled by Syrian forces, which led to casualties. Reporter, Male #2 The town of Maree in the countryside of Aleppo was also shelled. A police officer and a policeman were killed in an attack by a group of Free Army members on the Sukkari police station in the city of Aleppo. The Jisr al-Shughur area near the Turkish border witnessed clashes as well. As for Rastan, attempts by the regime's forces to take control of the city continue to fail. The Free Syrian Army in the city is hitting military targets, filming their operations, and uploading the videos online. In the same context, injured Syrians who managed to flee the Idlib region and are receiving treatment in Turkish hospitals asserted they were subjected to shelling by the Syrian Air Force, which has begun assisting the storming and shelling operation in the areas witnessing clashes. Guest, Male #3 I went to get my sister from home. An aircraft hovered over us and hit us with a missile. One person was martyred and two were injured. No one is left. Everyone has been displaced. Reporter, Male #2 The Syrian Revolution's Local Coordination Committees said regime tanks started massing at about one kilometer from the building of the Syrian cabinet in the capital. It seems that today, one day before the deadline set by the Kofi Annan plan, is witnessing a substantial military escalation, while all sides are holding each other responsible for this escalation. Hayyan Aqoub, BBC. http://news.linktv.org/videos/democracy-now-040512?start=97 In a broadcast exclusive, Democracy Now! reveals the name of the police officer who allegedly killed 68-year-old Kenneth Chamberlain, a retired African-American Marine who was shot dead in his own home in White Plains, New York, after he inadvertently triggered his medical alert pendant. Plus headlines, and more. Thu, 05 Apr 2012 10:00:00 -0700 http://news.linktv.org/videos/democracy-now-040512 United States, US Congress, Shooting, Civilian casualties, Barack Obama, Politics of the United States, Suicide attack, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Athens, World Trade Organization Syrian troops have reportedly launched fresh assaults on rebels in Homs, Deraa and the suburbs of Damascus. There are also reports of a steep rise in refugees crossing into Turkey. This comes as U.N. envoy Kofi Annan travels to Damascus to discuss implementing a ceasefire plan that is supposed to be in place no later than April 12. According to Amnesty International, at least 232 Syrians have died since Syria accepted Annan’s six-point peace plan last week. http://news.linktv.org/videos/thousands-of-south-sudan-refugees-in-need-of-aid?start=0 Fighting in Sudan has displaced nearly half a million people, with thousands fleeing south across the border. Refugee camps in remote areas are in desperate need of humanitarian aid. Tens of thousands now live at Yida Refugee Camp in South Sudan. Mon, 19 Mar 2012 16:37:00 -0700 http://news.linktv.org/videos/thousands-of-south-sudan-refugees-in-need-of-aid South Sudan, Sudan, South Kordofan, Blue Nile, Refugee camp, Refugee, Air strike, Humanitarian aid, United Nations, Humanitarian crisis Fighting in Sudan has displaced nearly half a million people, with thousands fleeing south across the border. Refugee camps in remote areas are in desperate need of humanitarian aid. Tens of thousands now live at Yida Refugee Camp in South Sudan.