WBEZ | Syria

Worldview: Riots in Sweden, prospects for peace in Syria and family planning in India

Thu, 30 May 2013 08:57:00 -0500

Worldview: Pakistani elections, religious violence in Burma and conflict in Syria

Tue, 14 May 2013 11:47:00 -0500

The implications of a Nawaz Sharif victory in Pakistan. Sectarian violence continues in Burma. And a look back at May 14, 1796 when Edward Jenner began performing vaccinations against smallpox.

App will help parents, kids map routes to new schools

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 05:00:00 -0500

'ATTENDING A NEW SCHOOL COULD BE A DANGEROUS PROSPECT.' As Chicago prepares for its largest-ever round of school closings, Tom Kompare, a member of Chicago's vibrant Open Government Chicago programming movement, has created a new Web application called "Go to School!" -- to help families across Chicago gauge "their travel options." That includes, as he explains in an email to the group, "locations of police stations, fire stations, and hospitals."

He says it started out as a selfish exercise: "I sometimes get to work from home and get to pick up my daughter after school. I need to hop on the L do so, and was wondering when I had to leave in order to get there on time."

The app's up and running now, with maps showing which schools are closing or relocating. By this fall, he expects to add so-called "safe haven" businesses and crossing guard locations. It works on smartphones or desktop browsers. Check it out at cps.go2school.org.

Meanwhile, Kompare is making the source code available here to anyone who wants to adapt it for use by other school districts.

* Student protests escalate, along with fear over violence.
* Chicago putting more cops on foot patrol along dangerous blocks.

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A MILLIONAIRE AT 17. British teenager Nick D’Aloisio has sold his news-reading app, Summly, to Yahoo for a figure reportedly in the tens of millions of dollars. And how was your Monday?
* Spotify targets Netflix, HBO with streaming video, including original content.
* Facebook finally adds "Reply" option to comments.
* Facebook founder Zuckerberg creates organization to promote immigration reform.
* Mayor Bloomberg seems to suggest Rupert Murdoch stay off Twitter.

'HI, IN THE PAST 2 YEARS, YOU HAVE ALLOWED ME TO KILL 70,000 PEOPLE.' The Onion makes fun of Syria's president, Bashar al-Assad. Or is it making fun of everyone else?
* UN pulls staff out of Syria because of deteriorating conditions.

NFLer OUT OF THE CLOSET? CBS Sports reports a current NFL player is considering coming out publicly. His main concern, the report says, is that he'll be in jeopardy from homophobic fans.

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Worldview: Conflict in Syria, Colombia

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 12:01:00 -0600

Residents flee Aleppo as Assad forces target Syria's largest city

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 11:35:00 -0500

The U.N. said 200,000 Syrians have fled the embattled city of Aleppo since intense clashes between regime forces and rebels began ten days ago.

The government forces turned mortars, tank and helicopter gunships against rebel positions Monday, pressing ahead with a counter-offensive to wrest back control of neighborhoods taken by rebels in Syria's largest city and commercial hub.

"I am extremely concerned by the impact of shelling and use of tanks and other heavy weapons on people in Aleppo," Valerie Amos, the top U.N. official for humanitarian affairs, said in a statement late Sunday. "Many people have sought temporary shelter in schools and other public buildings in safer areas," she added. "They urgently need food, mattresses and blankets, hygiene supplies and drinking water."

Amos said U.N. agencies and the Syrian Red Crescent are working together on supplying those affected by the fighting all over the country with blankets and humanitarian supplies, but many remain out of their reach because of the combat.

"It is not known how many people remain trapped in places where fighting continues today," she warned. Aleppo is Syria's largest city and commercial hub with about 3 million inhabitants.

Fleeing residents have described to The Associated Press incessant shelling, shortages of food and gasoline and soaring black market prices for everyday staples. They scurry through streets against a backdrop of gunfire and climbed onto any form of transportation available to escape, including trucks, cars and even heavily laden motorcycles.

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said late Sunday that the use of heavy weapons, particularly helicopters, is just another nail in President Bashar Assad's coffin. He spoke during a stopover in Tunisia as he kicked off a Mideast tour expected to focus heavily on the unfolding crisis in Syria.

Syrian state media reported late Sunday that the army had "purged" Aleppo's southwestern neighborhood of Salaheddine and inflicted "great losses" upon the rebels in one of the first districts they took control of in their bid to seize the city.

Activists, however, disputed these claims and just described another day of fierce shelling of certain areas, backed up by the occasional foray on the ground. "They have tanks in nearby Hamdaniya and there is fighting, and there have been random bombardments of Salaheddine," said Mohammed Saeed, who is based in the embattled city.

While giving no indication that the Obama administration is contemplating military intervention, Panetta said it is increasingly clear that the Syrian crisis is deepening and that Assad is hastening his own demise. "If they continue this kind of tragic attack on their own people, ... I think it ultimately will be a nail in Assad's coffin," Panetta told reporters traveling with him from Washington. "His regime is coming to an end."

The Syrian regime has been plagued by a string of defections, including three high-ranking diplomats and several military commanders. On Monday, a Turkish official said a Syrian brigadier general who was deputy chief of police in the Latakia region had defected.

He was among a group of 12 Syrian officers who crossed into Turkey late Sunday, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters. His defection raised to 28 the number of generals who have left for Turkey since the start of the 17-month-old uprising.

But Syria's army remains mostly intact and still vastly outguns the rebel forces, who are armed for the most part with assault rifles and machine guns and don't have the heavy weapons necessary to effectively oppose tanks and helicopter gunships.

The government reinforced its troops outside Aleppo and began an assault over the weekend to retake the city, bombarding rebel neighborhoods and leaving streets littered with rubble and empty apartment blocks with gaping smashed windows, according to videos of the city posted online in recent days.

Monday on Worldview, Moyheddin Kassar gives a firsthand account of the situation from the Syrian-Turkish border. Kassar is the Chicago-based President of the Syrian American society, but has been in Turkey for the past six weeks, working to raise money to aid refugees and rebel fighters.

Associated Press writer Suzan Fraser contributed to this report from Ankara, Turkey

Worldview 5.31.12

Thu, 31 May 2012 09:46:00 -0500

Thursday on Worldview:

The violence that began more than 14 months ago continues to besiege Syria. According to news reports, at least 108 people were killed execution style just this past weekendin the city of Houla. But the Syrian government has denied any responsibility for the latest attack and U.N. plan to stop the violence and protect civilians has so far had little impact.

Dr. Zaher Salhoul, a Chicago doctor and Syrian native, is a member of the Syrian Emergency Task Force. He tells Worldview about the group’s efforts to treat the wounded inside Syria and in the refugee camps in Turkey and Jordan. And Yaser Tabbara, a Syrian-American attorney and member of the Syrian National Council, explains why the U.N. peace plan hasn't been able to stop the violence.

Then on our Global Activism segment we'll hear about the Rainforest Rescue Coalition. Their mission is to conserve and protect rainforest land around the world and support sustainable relationships between humans and nature.

Worldview 5.17.12

Thu, 17 May 2012 09:55:00 -0500

Thursday on Worldview:

We examine Saudi Arabia's efforts to stem the tide of change sweeping the Middle East. The country hopes to form a coalition with its five Persian Gulf neighbors. Joseph Kechichian of the Middle East Institute weighs in.

And, Worldview film contributor Milos Stehlik talks with Lebanese director Nadine Labaki about her film Where Do We Go Now? It tells the story of a rural unnamed village inhabited by both Muslims and Christians who co-exist with an uneasy peace. The film opens in Chicago on May 18.

On Global Activism, independent filmmaker Jason Glaser tells us why he put filmmaking on hold and started the La Isla Foundation. The organization is dedicated to stopping the epidemic of kidney disease in Chichigalpa, Nicaragua.

As cease-fire in Syria dissolves, an all-out civil war looms

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 13:54:00 -0500

A UN-brokered cease-fire in Syria, in place since April 12, has had little effect on stemming the violence that has raged for more than a year now. Yesterday, three members of the Syrian security service were killed in Damascus. Reports also suggest that government forces have been keeping a low profile in the presence of UN monitors and then resuming their attacks once they leave.

The UN Security Council still backs the cease-fire and is preparing to send hundreds of additional monitors in the coming months. Yet many are skeptical over whether this plan will actually end the conflict. Mohyeddin Kassar is the president of the Syrian American Society. He gives Worldview an update on the crisis in Syria.

Worldview 4.25.12

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 13:43:00 -0500

The UN-brokered ceasefire in Syria seems like a lost cause as Assad’s troops and the opposition continue their assaults. While other options to address the conflict have been suggested, few, if any, are good ones. Worldview assesses the situation in Syria with Mohyeddin Kassar, president of the Syrian American Society. Also, Worldview talks with Juan Mendez, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture. Mendez was himself a victim of torture under the Argentinean military dictatorship. And, Jerome and Global Notes contributor Catalina Maria Johnson take a look at how 1970’s punk bands like The Ramones, The Sex Pistols and The Clash are influencing a new generation of musicians around the globe. They explore everything from punk-polka in Austria to Ukrainian gypsy music.

U.N. commissioner for Syria gives an update on Syria's continuing violence and the Annan Plan

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 10:04:27 -0500

The Annan plan for Syria gives the country until April 10th to stop the violence, but the U.S. is skeptical that the Syrian government will suddenly adhere to its commitments. The UN Human Rights Council established an international Commission of Inquiry in September. The commission was given the task of investigating international human rights violations since the beginning of the uprising. After extensive interviews with victims and witnesses, the commission’s report was presented last month. Karen AbuZayd is a commissioner for the United Nations' Independent Commission of Inquiry for Syria. She joins Worldview to discuss the international political climate in Syria, along with the country's burgeoning refugee crisis.