Joyce Hackel
Gang Truce in El Salvador Reverberates in Los Angeles
Two of El Salvador’s most notorious street gangs got their start in California. The Mara Salvatrucha and its rival the 18th Street Gang were both created by immigrants who had fled El Salvador’s civil war. This past March, the Salvadoran branches of the gangs brokered a truce with help from the Catholic church. Alex Sanchez, a former gang member, says the truce back home has reverberated in Los Angeles.
US Regulators Say Standard Chartered Bank Laundered Iranian Cash
London-based Standard Chartered is facing charges that it “schemed” with Iranian banks to skirt international sanctions.
Defections Rattle Syrian Regime
Syria’s prime minister has confirmed his defection from the regime of Bashar al-Assad.
Sifting Through the Video of Syria’s Conflict
Activists on the frontlines of Syria’s war upload dozens of gritty, often graphic videos to YouTube everyday. The New York Times recently launched a new interactive page to put the videos in context.
Syria: Orthodox Christians Wary of Their Future in Post-Assad Regime
Syria’s Christian minorities are facing increasing dangers, especially in the city of Aleppo. Mar Gregorios, the Archbishop of Aleppo tells host Aaron Schachter about the competing pressures Orthodox Christians face as they try to position themselves politically for a future when President Bashar al-Assad is no longer in power.
Syria Conflict: Rebels Gird for Showdown in Aleppo
Rebels in Aleppo, Syria’s most populous city, are girding for battle. Host Aaron Schachter speaks with reporter Adrien Jaulmes inside Aleppo, and New Yorker staff writer Jon Lee Anderson on the outskirts of the city.
Ghana: Swift Transition to New Leadership
Journalist Elizabeth Ohene explains how the country has managed to stay on an even keel throughout the transition.
Gun Violence: Virtually a Thing of the Past in Japan
Authorities in Japan have made it very difficult for most of the country’s citizens to own guns. As a result, they’ve virtually eliminated shooting deaths. Max Fisher, an associate editor at The Atlantic says the differences between the gun cultures in the US and Japan are rooted in history.
Iraq: Al-Qaeda Declares New Offensive as Sectarian Violence Kills More than 100
A staggering wave of coordinated bombings and attacks swept across 15 Iraqi cities on Monday killing more than 100 people. Although there was no immediate claim of responsibility, the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq announced this weekend that the group was launching a new offensive. Correspondent Jane Arraf talks with host Aaron Schachter about al-Qaeda’s staying-power in Iraq.
Controversy Swirls Around Hungarian Nazi War Crimes Suspect
Investigators at the Simon Wiesenthal Center say they’ve found a Nazi war criminal living in Hungary.
Afghanistan: Pragmatists Significant Voice in Taliban, Says Former Diplomat
The Taliban leadership is pragmatic, and prepared to accept less than full control of Afghanistan after American troops leave, according to an insurgent commander who sat down with Michael Semple, a fellow at the Carr Center for Human Rights at the Kennedy School at Harvard. Semple tells host Lisa Mullins that the commander he interviewed thinks most Taliban no longer want to work with al Qaeda.
Annan Turns to Moscow and Tehran to Help Break Syria Deadlock
Nicholas Burns, a former Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs says Syria’s allies could play a key role in ending the current crisis.
Uncovering the Crimes of Argentina’s Junta
Marco Werman speaks with Robert Cox, former editor of the Buenos Aires Herald. Cox testified at the trial of the two former Argentine military rulers who were found guilty of overseeing the systematic theft of babies from political prisoners in 1970s.
Defected Syrian Journalist Explains How He Fabricated Stories for Pro-Assad Network
A reporter from one of Syria’s largest pro-government TV networks has fled to Turkey where he told the BBC’s James Reynolds that the network he worked for in Damascus regularly fabricated stories.
Barclays Ex-chief Diamond Apologizes for Traders’ “Reprehensible” Behavior
Bob Diamond, former head of Barclays faced a grilling before members of Britain’s parliament Wednesday about charges that his bank rigged an inter-bank lending rate.
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