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Syrian refugees, "land grabs" in Africa & Cesare Battisti

| Thursday, 6 June 2011 | 17:47 - 19:47 GMT

Hi Nuala here posting for Ros who is in Cairo as you've probably seen from his posts, pics and tweets. You can chat with him at 1700 & 1800GMT and we have three conversations that we'd like to take part in.

The fallout from the unrest in Syria appears to be intensifying. Across the border from Syria, a Turkish official said around one thousand Syrian refugees entered overnight, bringing the total to more than fifteen hundred since violence erupted in the Syrian town of Jisr al-Shughur earlier in the week. We'll bring you the latest at 1700 GMT. In the meantime, what's your reaction to this exodus of refugees?

Also, a US think-tank says hedge funds are behind "land grabs" in Africa to boost their profits in the food and biofuel sectors. It says the acquisitions have displaced millions of small farmers, and created insecurity in the global food system. However, some companies named in the report say that they're bringing more work, and higher salaries to impoverished areas. Is it harmful for hedge funds to buy up land in Africa?

And, Italian prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, has attacked Brazil for freeing Cesare Battisti a former Italian left-wing militant and convicted murderer. Mr Berlusconi says his release denies justice to his victims. Italy says it will now ask the international court in the Hague to back its fight to get Mr Battisti returned. Is Brazil right not to extradite him? What do people in Brazil and Italy make of this case?

Whether it's Syrians in Turkey, "land grabs" in Africa or the Italian Cesare Battisti in Brazil that you'd like to talk about, please do get in touch.

Your comments

  1. Comment sent via Facebook

    • 18:47
    • 113631290

    <p> Justin in Germany<br /> <br /> That Africa needs investment in improving its agricultural productivity is clear to everyone, are there any international examples where hedge funds work?</p>

  2. Comment sent via BLOG

    • 18:44
    • 113631290

    <p> Jodie in Virginia<br /> <br /> Hedge funds are the epitome of rationalization, wherein greed justifies taking advantage of anyone where a buck can be made for the fund.</p>

  3. Comment sent via Facebook

    • 18:44
    • 113631290

    <p> Ricardo in Jamaica<br /> <br /> So soon we&#39;ll see the lands of Africa being traded on some stock market . . . Hedge fund traders are a set of Vampires!</p>

  4. Comment sent via Facebook

    • 18:43
    • 113631290

    <p> Sannie in Nigeria<br /> <br /> Don&#39;t forget it&#39;s African leaders that make these shoddy deals with hedge funds. If we dont learn to protect what&#39;s ours, then all manners of hyenas will come and feed on our treasures!</p>

  5. Comment sent via Facebook

    • 18:36
    • 113631290

    <p> Kelly in Zambia<br /> <br /> The hedge fund land here has had nothing to do with the current harvest of Zambia&#39;s staple grain: maize. They are busy growing sugarcane for biofuels.</p>

  6. Comment sent via Feed

    • 18:35
    • 113631290

    <p> Tedla in Ethiopia emailed us<br /> <br /> These land grabs are killing Africans by suffocating their food resources. We demand all foreign land grabbers stay away from our land and water.</p>

  7. Comment sent via Facebook

    • 18:35
    • 113631290

    <p> George in Uganda<br /> <br /> I have witnessed one of Africa&#39;s prestigious forests being demolished because the hedge funds need land to grow sugarcane. We need these corporations, but Africans should not be left to starvation.</p>

  8. Comment sent via Feed

    • 18:23
    • 113631290

    <p> The 47th tweets<br /> <br /> Turkey? Why are you banning reporters from speaking to Syrian refugees in your camps!? Why are you pulling a dictator move?</p>

  9. Comment sent via Feed

    • 18:23
    • 113631290

    <p> Ashley in Norwich tweets<br /> <br /> Turkey has stated it will keep their boarder to Syria open for all refugees, however what could be the Turkish consequences?</p>

  10. Comment sent via Feed

    • 18:12
    • 113631290

    <p> SyriaCoast tweets<br /> <br /> Turkish police is banning syrian refugees from speaking to medias.</p>

  11. Comment sent via Feed

    • 18:11
    • 113631290

    <p> Philip, who says he&#39;s located between Monrovia and Damascus, tweets<br /> <br /> Has Turkey instituted a media blackout on refugees fleeing Syria? Is it sending them back?</p>

  12. Comment sent via Feed

    • 18:10
    • 113631290

    <p> Tommie in Dublin tweets<br /> <br /> Sad that Syria, for years a refuge to millions of refugees from Armenia, Palestine, Iraq and elsewhere, is now seeing it&#39;s own citizens flee</p>

  13. Comment sent via Feed

    • 18:10
    • 113631290

    <p> Abu in Aleppo tweets<br /> <br /> Thank you Turkey for helping Syrian refugees. Lebanon did not and handed them over to the Assad regime!</p>

  14. Comment sent via Facebook

    • 18:09
    • 113631290

    <p> Daniel in Port Harcourt, Nigeria<br /> <br /> The UN and Arab league should use their military means to dethrone the rulers of Syria and Libya, otherwise the mass exodus of refugees will spill over to various countries.</p>

  15. Comment sent via Feed

    • 18:08
    • 113631290

    <p> Anita McNaught, an Al Jazeera journalist tweets<br /> <br /> Let&#39;s be frank. As far as I can see, no media - local or foreign - is able to freely speak to Syrians fleeing Jisr Al Shaghour because of the Turkish government.</p>

  16. Comment sent via Facebook

    • 18:07
    • 113631290

    <p> Isaac in Zambia on Facebook<br /> <br /> This is because of tyrants who don&#39;t know how to lead their own people. It&#39;s sad, the wave started in North Africa and until this tyrannism ends, more of this kind of exodus is anticipated.</p>

  17. Comment sent via Facebook

    • 18:07
    • 113631290

    <p> Isaac in Zambia<br /> <br /> This is because of tyrants who don&#39;t know how to lead their own people. It&#39;s sad, the wave started in North Africa and until this tyrannism ends, more of this kind of exodus is anticipated.</p>