16 h. ago Syria's Kurds call for a democratic state that protects their ethnic rights

Representatives of Kurdish groups in Syria are calling for a democratic state that gives the country’s Kurds their ethnic rights after the fall of Bashar Assad

Politics

3 d. ago A dwarf crocodile carried home by a hunter: Thomas Nicolon’s best photograph

‘As a species, these crocs are easy to find and easy to catch. Brice Itoua is the most skilled hunter in his village. But they kill the crocs to eat – not to sell’The Congo dwarf crocodile is a lovely species. They’re very shy and, unfortunately, very easy to find and catch. Mostly hunted for their bushmeat, these crocs only grow up to a few feet in length and during the dry season, they often spend the daytime hiding in burrows and dens at the water’s edge. Hunters use a long, woody liana vine with a hook on the end to drag them out, before binding their snout with a shorter vine and carrying them away.Last summer, I shot a story about the Congo dwarf crocodile after being given access to the Lake Télé Community Reserve by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), which manages this protected area in the Democratic Republic of the Congo with the Congolese government. Continue reading...

Events

9 d. ago US to withdraw 600 troops from Syria, leaving fewer than 1,000 to help counter IS militants

The U.S. will withdraw about 600 troops from Syria, leaving fewer than 1,000 to work with Kurdish allies to counter the Islamic State group

Politics

3 w. ago Kurdish fighters leave northern city in Syria as part of deal with central government

Scores of U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters have left two neighborhoods in Syria’s northern city of Aleppo part of a deal with the central government in Damascus

Politics

3 w. ago A man wielding an axe wounds 3 people at the Assyrian Christian new year's parade in Iraq

Witnesses and officials in the northern Iraqi city of Dohuk say a man with an axe has attacked a new year's parade by Assyrian Christians, and three people have been wounded

Politics

last month From the Oscars to Israeli detention: the attack on No Other Land director Hamdan Ballal – podcast

What does the attack on an Oscar-winning Palestinian director say about the situation in the West Bank today? Adrian Horton and Lorenzo Tondo reportEarlier this month, No Other Land won the Oscar for best documentary feature. The film chronicles the West Bank community of Masafer Yatta as it resists being driven off its land by settler violence and the demolitions of the Israeli military. The film’s two protagonists, Palestinian film-maker Basel Adra and Israeli film-maker Yuval Abraham, gave speeches when they accepted their award.Yuval Abraham: “We live in a regime where I am free under civilian law and Basel is under military laws that destroy his life There is a different path, a political solution without ethnic supremacy, with national rights for both of our people.” Continue reading...

Politics