(VOA) -- Two Turkish-American men involved in a brawl at the Turkish Embassy earlier this year pleaded not guilty to assault charges in a Washington, D.C., courtroom Thursday. Sinan Narin of Virginia and Eyup Yildirim of New Jersey faced charges of felony aggravated assault as well as making assault threats. Court documents from Thursday indicate the men both entered pleas of not guilty and asked for a jury trial.

Gaziantep, Turkey - A group of Syrian children already well versed in the language of despair now have a chance to learn a vocabulary of hope at the Excellence Education Centre in Turkey's Gaziantep. In a bright and colourful classroom, the kids enthusiastically recite some of the Turkish phrases they'll need in their new homeland from a curriculum designed by the centre's owner, Asmaa Joha. "When I would look into the eyes of Syrian children, I was feeling afraid," explains Asmaa. "I wondered how they would feel when they got older, and if I had done my duty and served them well as a teacher."