Beth Zalin, Syria -- Amid Syria's ongoing political and cultural transformations, renewed debate is emerging over the future of the Assyrian language and its place in the country's educational and constitutional systems, with advocates calling for its recognition as an integral part of Syria's national identity and historical heritage.
By Lisa Navarrette
On a Sunday morning somewhere in the Middle East, an old church bell still rings. It may sound across a neighborhood in northern Iraq, an ancient quarter of Damascus, or a village tucked into Lebanon's mountains. Inside, families gather beneath stone arches worn smooth by centuries of worship. Some recite prayers in Arabic.
Stockholm -- The Assyrian presence has not been absent from the electoral scene in Sweden. Rather, it has been present, active, and influential, with considerable popularity at the parliamentary and municipal levels.
A security force detained Amer Abdullah Najm al-Jumaili, a lecturer at the University of Mosul, on Monday after he alleged in a Facebook comment that state land near an ancient Assyrian site in Nineveh province was being handed to influential figures, a source told Shafaq News.
By Leman Altuntaş
The kings of Assyria made certain that history would remember them. Their victories covered palace walls, their names filled cuneiform tablets, and colossal stone guardians stood at the gateways of cities built to display their power. For much of modern archaeology, however, the women who shared that royal world remained little more than shadows beside them.
Iraq has recovered more than 80 antiquities that had been stolen or smuggled out of the country, the Ministry of Justice announced on Monday, as Baghdad continues a wider legal and diplomatic effort to reclaim cultural objects lost through decades of theft, trafficking and archaeological looting.
New York -- The persecution of Christians in the Middle East, including Syria, has drawn renewed international attention during the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. US President Donald Trump devoted part of his 22 September address to the persecution of Christians around the world.
By Georgena Habbaba
For Christians in Iraq, remaining in their historic homeland increasingly depends not only on security but also on whether younger generations can find meaningful work and build stable lives, according to Chaldean Catholic Archbishop Bashar Warda of Erbil.
By Ivan Petricevic
When Babylonian and Median forces captured Nineveh in 612 BC, they brought down the capital of a vast empire. The years before the siege had been difficult too. A stalagmite from northern Iraq now gives researchers a long climate record that points to repeated drought during Assyria's final century. It is one piece of a larger story. The empire faced war, revolt and a succession crisis.
Södertälje, Sweden -- Two Assyrian educators, Helena Malki and Johan Mousa, have been recognized among the teachers honored by Södertälje Municipality for their contributions to education, student development and the creation of supportive school environments.
Liege, Belgium -- On 4 October, an event will take place in Liège to commemorate the Sayfo Genocide against the Syriac (Aramean-Assyrian-Chaldean), Armenian and Pontic Greek peoples. The event will feature a documentary exhibition, an academic lecture, and a documentary based on testimonies from survivors and eyewitnesses from 1915.
Amsterdam -- The genocide of Assyrians is now explicitly included in a Dutch history textbook used in secondary education, marking a milestone in a decades-long campaign by Assyrian organizations to bring the history of the 1915 genocide into Dutch classrooms.