Syria

The Italian Ambassador to Syria presented the religious sister with an award for her long service at Saint-Louis Hospital. She dedicatedthe recognitionto the sick and the poor shemetover more than half a century.For her,“Syria has become my second homeland,”

Loudspeakers urging women to cover up, universities excluding female applicants, restrictions are multiplying. Talent and opportunity: slogans trumpeted but ignored. Yet a country rebuilding itself after years of dictatorship and civil war must not exclude young women or deny them opportunities.

During a parliamentary debate in Damascus, criticism was levelled at the “excessive number of female teachers” and calls were made for corporal punishment (which the Minister of Education has, however, ruled out). Meanwhile, an estimated two million children have dropped out of school due to poverty. And the issue of safeguarding the identity of minorities remains unresolved.

The building, which had been closed by the Assads, was damaged in December 2024 during clashes between government forces and rebels. Civil and religious authorities, as well as Christian and Muslim leaders, attended the opening ceremony. Vicar of Aleppo: “Young people cannot read or write. It is essential to revive education”.

The Jordanian government has stepped up technological surveillance using night-vision goggles, thermal imaging systems, drones, and satellites. Traffickers are moving not only Captagon but also hashish, methamphetamine, synthetic cannabinoids, and cocaine. Stabilising Syria, combating criminal groups, and maintaining territorial control are crucial.

Protests against price hikes have spread from the northeast to Idlib, Aleppo, Hama, and Homs. Meanwhile, in Kurdish-majority areas, mobilisations continue for the right to education in the mother tongue. President al-Sharaa is in Dubai for a summit on communication and media.

From Anatolia to Syria, new routes emerge to offset the blockades at Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb. For Amer Sabaileh, the Houthis need fewer resources to influence Red Sea traffic. A multitude of avenues exists to rethink energy security.

The event, held recently with 1,000 exhibitors from almost 60 countries, served as a showcase for the Syria of today. Yet, precisely for this reason, a series of videos circulating online have raised many questions regarding the space afforded to minorities and the willingness to envision a society that transcends power and vengeance.

Led by the heads of various Churches, pilgrims have returned to the 5th-century monastery built around the column on which Saint Simeon lived for 40 years. One of the most important monuments of early Christianity, it still bears the scars of bombing and looting. Yet it bears witness to a faith stronger than any adversity.

The bombings in the Syrian capital, coinciding precisely with Macron’s visit and his meeting with Trump in Turkey, have reignited doubts about the extent to which the former jihadist-turned-president truly controls the country. The army is ‘absorbing’ more than sixty militias but without dismantling the local power bases, while international players pursue different objectives regarding the ‘new Syria’.

The 29-year-old striker for the German national team is the son of migrants originally from the Viranşehir district. He is the first Kurd to score at a World Cup, celebrating the goal with a traditional dance. He was also the target of a campaign peppered with racially charged insults during a Europa League match in Istanbul. Nine players from this ethnic-religious minority are taking part in the tournament.

The repatriation to Australia of women and children linked to the Islamic State puts the spotlight on a hitherto forgotten issue. Thousands held in the Al Hol and Al Roj camps, run by the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), are not only the last physical vestige of the caliphate but also the battleground between two difficult-to-reconcile needs: the protection of national security and obligations towards one’s citizens.