Niles, Illinois -- After Assyrian families in Skokie, Niles, Morton Grove and Lincolnwood spent nearly a decade advocating for an Assyrian language program at Niles Township High School District 219, the program, the first of its kind in the nation, is enjoying robust enrollment and has received a regional award.
Melbourne -- The Victoria government has pledged 10 million Australian dollars to help build the "Mar Yusuf Assyrian School" in Melbourne, a long-awaited project that the local Assyrian community sees as essential for preserving their language and culture in the diaspora. The announcement was made by Premier Jacinta Allan during the Kha Nisan-Akitu celebrations in Melbourne.
Akitu is the traditional New Year of ancient Mesopotamia and has been celebrated by Assyrians and Babylonians for over 4,000 years. The festival marks the arrival of spring, the renewal of life, and a strong cultural identity that has endured throughout history. The modern date, 1 April, was chosen because it is close to the vernal equinox in the ancient Mesopotamian calendar.
Christians in Syria are once again under attack by Islamic groups affiliated with the country's jihadist regime, headed by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former al-Qaeda leader also known as Abu Mohammad al-Julani.
Christian communities throughout Syria limited or canceled Holy Week festivities, including Palm Sunday observances, after mobs of Muslim attackers targeted Christian communities this weekend, destroying Christian symbols and looting shops.
The Patriarchs of the Christian Churches in Syria issued a joint statement on March 29, 2026, condemning recent events in Al-Suqaylabiyah (story) and calling for peace and stability across the country. The meeting took place at the headquarters of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch in Damascus, bringing together John X of Antioch, Ignatius Aphrem II, and Youssef Absi.