Parishioners from six churches in Suwayda, Syria, have been displaced in recent weeks, underscoring the mounting humanitarian crisis in the governorate, according to Greek (Rûm) Catholic Father Tony Boutros, pastor of Saint Philip's Church. The situation reflects the broader fragility and complexity of life in Suwayda, where security and humanitarian conditions are rapidly deteriorating.
When U.S. envoy to Syria Tom Barrack recently suggested that the country may need to explore alternatives to an overly centralized state, his remarks reverberated beyond the halls of Daramsuq (Damascus).
LANSING, Michigan, USA -- The US city of Detroit, Michigan, is home to the world's largest concentrated Chaldean-Syriac-Assyrian diaspora, numbering more than 160,000 people. On August 21, the Michigan House of Representatives approved legislation officially designating May as Chaldean American Month.
Sydney -- The French documentary Return to Babylon will be screened for Australian audiences at a cinema in Wetherill Park, Sydney, on Saturday evening, 23 August. Directed by French filmmaker Sébastien Daycard-Heid, the documentary explores Assyrian--Chaldean cultural heritage and the ties of the diaspora to their ancestral homeland.
Baghdad -- Joseph Sliwa, head of the Beth Nahrain Patriotic Union (Huyodo Bethnahrin Athroyo, HBA) and former member of the Iraqi Parliament, has spoken out after being barred from contesting the upcoming parliamentary elections as a representative of the Chaldean--Syriac--Assyrian community.
Nohadra, Iraq -- The Simele massacre remains an open wound in the collective memory of the Chaldean--Syriac--Assyrian people. Since 1933, the tragedy has lived on in the hearts of descendants who hold annual memorials in churches, local communities, and international forums across Beth Nahrin (Mesopotamia) and the diaspora, continuing to call for official recognition by the international community...
Bet Zalin, North and East Syria -- A century ago, a city was built in the far northeastern corner of Syria, at the junction of the borders with Turkey and Iraq. What began as a small settlement on the banks of the Al-Jaghjagh River soon grew into a vibrant town, carrying within it a unique blend of authenticity and openness, and preserving the stories of diverse communities that found in it both...
Abu Dhabi -- Archaeologists have unearthed a cross during excavations at a monastery complex on the United Arab Emirates' Sir Bani Yas Island, the National reports. The cross, molded on a plaque, measures 27 centimeters long, 17 centimeters wide, and 2 centimeters thick, and is believed to be around 1,400 years old.
Beirut -- Catholicos-Patriarch of Assyrian Church of the East Mar Awa III Royel arrived in Lebanon on 15 August 2025 with a busy schedule ahead of him. It shows the deep spiritual connection between the Assyrian Church of the East and Lebanon.
By Alberto M. Fernandez
The monastery and tomb of the old saint had seen numerous desert raiders in the past 16 centuries. When Muslim conquerors first appeared in the seventh century, Mar Elian ("Mar" means saint in Syriac), near the Syrian desert town of al-Qaryatayn, was at least two centuries old.
By Luke Coppen
A shrine to Mary, Mother of Persecuted Christians, will open in the Iraqi town of Qaraqosh, 11 years after the Christian population was temporarily driven out by ISIS. The shrine in Iraq's northern Nineveh Plains will be the seventh worldwide dedicated to Mary, Mother of Persecuted Christians, when it opens in the town's newly built St. Ephrem Church in October. Fr.
Baghdad -- In an unprecedented move, Iraq's Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) has excluded Chaldean-Syriac-Assyrian candidates from the parliamentary track, igniting widespread debate over disqualification criteria and its implications on minorities' representation.