Syrian Civil War
All topics-
Bilingual children's books
Kurdish as a living language
"When I was a child, I felt ashamed of my identity," says linguist and translator Marwan Sheikho. Determined to create a different reality for his own children, he's made his publishing debut with three bilingual Kurdish children's books.
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Syrian-Kurdish politician Elham Ahmed
"Syria should be governed federally like Iraq or the UAE"
Elham Ahmed, the foreign representative of northeast Syria, voices concern for minorities in Aleppo following the city’s recent capture. In an interview with Qantara, she outlines her vision of a decentralised Syria and comments on the German debate over the deportation of criminal refugees.
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Syrians in Lebanon
Not safe to stay, not safe to go home
Desperate Syrians are weighing up whether to stay in an increasingly hostile Lebanon or risk a precarious existence in areas held by the Syrian opposition. The return journey is deadly and conditions in Syria are tough
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Islamists in Idlib
Syrian protesters rise up against Hayat Tahrir al-Sham
Opponents of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad seeking refuge in Idlib are now protesting against local Islamist hardliners Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. The group is accused of becoming increasingly dictatorial
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Najat Abed Alsamad's "Kein Wasser stillt ihren Durst"
Searching for life
Najat Abed Alsamad's award-winning novel, "La Ma'a Yarwiha", has been published in German translation as "Kein Wasser stillt ihren Durst" (No water quenches her thirst). In it, she tells the story of a young Druze woman who roundly rejects the traditional rules imposed on her by her parents and relatives and begins a long fight for her freedom
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After the local elections in Turkey
An end to AKP rule?
Last week's local election results in Turkey are a setback for the ruling AKP party and President Erdogan – but do they also herald an end to the party's uncontested power?
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Lebanon's Tripoli
Old wounds and new problems on "Syria Street"
Syria Street in Tripoli, Lebanon's second-largest city, was a microcosm of the Syrian Civil War for many years. Nowadays, a fragile calm hides the complexities of Lebanon's past and the resilience of its people
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Anti-Assad protests in Syria's Sweida governate
New wave of violence after protester death?
Locals in southern Syria have been protesting peacefully for months now, despite their government's brutal crackdown. But in late February, for the first time, a demonstrator was killed
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War in Sudan
Conflict fuelled by climate change and the Emirates
The violent conflicts in the western region of Darfur, which were triggered by decades of drought, have now spread to central Sudan, and the United Arab Emirates is adding fuel to the fire
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Refugees
Battling public mood, Turkey quietly assimilates Syrians
Mahmud Abdi came to Turkey hoping to return once the bloodshed ebbed. Almost a decade later, the 30-year-old carpenter is looking to open his own workshop in the southeastern Turkish city of Sanliurfa, where a quarter of the two million inhabitants are Syrian
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Syrian refugees in Lebanon
Living in constant fear of deportation
About two million Syrian refugees have fled to Lebanon since the start of the war. However, since the Lebanese economy has nosedived, life for the refugees has become increasingly difficult. This year, Lebanese authorities have stepped up their deportations of Syrian refugees. By Andrea Backhaus in Bar Elias
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Syrian literature
Acclaimed writer Khaled Khalifa dies aged 59
Award-winning author, poet and screenwriter Khaled Khalifa has died at his home in Damascus. Although one of his country's most celebrated writers, his novels were banned in Syria