All tag results for 'syria'

Happy Tuesday!

Chief Foreign Correspondent for NBC News Richard Engel, along with three crew members, were released in Syria Monday after five days of imprisonment, and all were unharmed.

A statement released by NBC expresses:

Tags: captive, freed, imprisoned, journalist, nbc, nbc news chief foreign correspondent, richard engel, statement, syria

Angelina Jolie is more than one of the biggest movie stars in the world. She's also a citizen of the world.

As the United Nations' Special Envoy, Angelina traveled to Lebanon on Wednesday. She met with government officials, Syrian refugees, and their nationless children.

The mother of six spoke to several families who, fearful of being killed in the crossfire of a bloody civil war, had left their men behind in order to cross the border from Syria safely. She said:

"I was moved to meet Syrian families in homes where they are welcomed and protected… They lost so much."

Angelina and the U.N.'s High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres praised the Lebanese government for granting asylum to the fleeing Syrians and called on other countries to do the same.

We are so proud of Angie's efforts. And we can only hope that one day the children of Syria grow up knowing only peace.

[Image via Ramey Pix.]

Tags: angelina jolie, children, civil war, lebanon, refugee, special envoy, syria, united nations, violence

Charlize Theron starred in two huge blockbusters this summer and is currently filming another one with Tom Hardy, but she may be taking on a role which could easily translate into more Oscar gold.

The actress, who won an Academy Award for her portrayal of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Monster, is producing and possibly starring in a film about the life of journalist Marie Colvin. The 56-year-old was tragically killed last February while covering the civil war in Syria.

Described as

Tags: academy award, actress, basil iwanyk, charlize theron, journalist, marie colvin, monster, oscar, sad, syria, true story, vanity fair

It's incredibly easy to forget that across the globe, the majority of Human Beings fight and die for basic freedoms that we in America take for granted.

But one oppressed individual - a rebel in Syria fighting against Military rule - found inspiration in the form of Backstreet Boys song, Show Me The Meaning of Being Lonely.

It's a silly love song, but some of its lyrics strangely embody the struggle Syrian rebels are currently undertaking, simply to have the right to live freely, and to choose their ruling party.

Connect with your fellow human (above)!

Borders placed long ago are slowly crumbling!

Tags: america, backstreet boys, fight, inspiration, love, military, rebellion, show me the meaning of being lonely, sings, song, syria, syrian rebel, war

Ugh! This is absolutely AWFUL!

A United Nations report has found that the Syrian military has been murdering children and even using them as human shields under President Bashar Assad's rule.

For obvious good reason, the country was added to the U.N.'s "list of shame" after the global organization became aware of the violence committed against civilians in Syria. The report from Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict Radhika Coomaraswamy read:

"Children between 8 and 13 were forcibly taken from their homes and used by soldiers as human shields, placing them in front of the windows of buses carrying military personnel into the raid on villages. Schools have been regularly raided, used as military bases and detention centres. In detention, girls and boys were beaten, blindfolded, subjected to stress positions and to electrical shocks, as well as whipped with heavy electrical cables."

Terrible, just terrible!

Although it seems like there is no justice in sight for the victims of these atrocities, Radhika has said this:

“The world is keeping a detailed account of the violence committed against civilians in Syria and I am confident that these crimes will not go unpunished.”

Let's hope so!

The fighting between the Syrian government and rebels has caused 10,000 deaths this year alone and with no signs of stopping, that number can only grow. Sadly, innocent civilians always pay the ultimate price when two parties struggle for power.

[Image via WENN.]

Tags: bashar assad, children, government, human shield, murder, power, radhika coomaraswamy, report, sad, syria, united nations, violence

Barbara Walters landed an interview that made headlines around the world when she become the first American journalist to persuade Syria's President Bashar al-Assad to talk to the press.

However, she's getting some serious backlash after emails have surfaced showing that she tried to help one of his closest aides, 22-year-old Sheherazad Jaafari, land an internship at CNN and admission into Columbia University's journalism program.

The two women kept in contact after the interview and Mz. Jaafari, who is also the daughter of Syria’s UN ambassador, originally asked Walters for a job at ABC News. The View host replied that would be "a conflict of interest", but then offered to pass her resume on to Piers Morgan Tonight and speak to a journalism professor at Columbia on her behalf.

Now Mz. Walters regrets her decision to help this young woman and has said in a statement:

Tags: abc, apology, barbara walters, bashar al-assad, cnn, controversy, piers morgan, president, sheherazad jaafari, syria

This show needs to start…like NOW!

Last we heard about Anderson Cooper's new daytime talk show Anderson, the website/logo had been released for the show, and we were loving it. Lick!

Now, Anderson has opened up further about his new show. Here's what he had to say about it:

Tags: anderson, daytime talk show, everyday lives, silver fox, swoon, syria, talk show, website