(AINA) -- An estimated 20,000 Assyrian refugees celebrated Orthodox Christmas in Beirut, where they have sought refuge after fleeing Iraq. The population of Assyrians in Iraq has declined precipitously, from 1.4 million in 2003 to about 300,000 today.
The Assyrian Policy Institute has obtained a letter dated December 22, 2018 signed by Shabak MP Qusay Abbas Mohammed which calls for the distribution of public lands in Hamdaniya District in the Nineveh Plain to Shabak families. The letter was signed by an additional 58 members of parliament and has alarmed members of the local Assyrian community who fear demographic change in the region.
Clashes between Turkish forces and the PKK outside Mar Sawa Church on December 13, 2018. (Barzan Sadiq) Ongoing hostilities between Turkish forces and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) continue to threaten Assyrian areas administered by the Kurdistan Regional Government in northern Iraq.
Vienna (AINA) -- A delegation of three Patriarchs of Churches of Syriac tradition from Syria and Iraq visited the Austrian Federal Cancellor Sebastian Kurz on Wednesday, December 11. Cardinal Patriarch Louis Raphael Sako from Baghdad, (Chaldean Church of Babylon), Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II Karim from Damascus (Syriac Orthodox Church).
(AINA) -- A national organization serving Assyrian youth has been established in the United States. The Assyrian Youth Federation of America will be an umbrella organization for youth organizations in various cities with Assyrian populations, including Boston, Yonkers, Flint, Detroit, Chicago, Houston, Phoenix, Modesto, San Jose, San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego.
Sydney (AINA) -- A new documentary chronicling the Assyrian identity post-empire promises to take audiences on an inspiring and eye-opening journey. Thanks to the latest in archaeological and historical research, a team of international experts are piecing together evidence that is yielding profound answers. The makers of ASSYRIA A.D.