海角大神

鈥� Netanyahu set for trial:听Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to testify Dec. 10 for the first time in a trial against him on corruption allegations.
鈥⑻齆otre Dame reopens:听Paris鈥� Notre Dame reopens its doors for the first time since a fire nearly destroyed the beloved 12th-century cathedral five years ago.
鈥�听China investigates Nvidia:听China says it has launched an investigation into Nvidia Corp. over suspected violations of the country鈥檚 anti-monopoly law, in a move seen as a retaliatory shot against Washington鈥檚 latest curbs on the Chinese chip sector.
鈥⑻齃ara Trump steps down:听Lara Trump will step down as co-chair of the Republican National Committee as she considers potential options with her father-in-law, President-elect Donald Trump, set to return to the White House.

Read these news briefs.

After decades of repression, the pace of political change in Syria over the weekend was stunning. But resetting the country鈥檚 institutions and reassuring the public will be painstakingly slow.

Syria鈥檚 civil war, which appeared to be dormant, flared into sudden action last week, toppling a 54-year-old dictatorship in a matter of days. What comes next?

Donald Trump鈥檚 campaign featured the issue of unauthorized immigrants. On Day 1, he may try to change their children鈥檚 future in the U.S. 鈥� against a century of legal precedent.

South Korea鈥檚 relatively young democracy proved its resilience last week when lawmakers shut down the president鈥檚 attempt to impose martial law. But he remains in power 鈥� at least on paper 鈥� revealing the challenges still facing the country.听

Economic issues have been the deciding factor in many of the world鈥檚 elections this year. In Ghana, the rising cost of its most beloved food helps explain why voters decisively ousted their ruling party on Saturday.

About a third of India鈥檚 school-age children don鈥檛 attend classes. In Delhi, impoverished kids are learning to love reading and math, thanks to a police officer鈥檚 makeshift school.

Since Dec. 8, when a long dictatorship in Damascus fell quickly to a rebel group, many of the more than 12 million people displaced by Syria鈥檚 conflicts have probably told their loved ones, 鈥淲e are going home.鈥�

鈥淚 feel like I鈥檝e been born again,鈥� Maysaara, a refugee in Belgium, told The New Yorker, packing his bags. 鈥淚 prayed to live long enough to see this day.鈥�

That longing for home was always a strong sentiment among the more than half of Syria鈥檚 population that was displaced by 13 years of war and lived either inside Syria or as refugees from Turkey to Europe to Canada. It may also have been a strong reason the Assad regime crumbled so quickly.

鈥淭o the displaced all over the world, free Syria awaits you,鈥� one commander, Hassan Abdul Ghani, posted on X after the regime鈥檚 collapse.

The desire for home 鈥� as a sanctuary, a place of safety, a reflection of dignity, and an expression of family affection 鈥� often can influence a conflict in subtle ways. Nearly 120 million people 鈥� not quite half of the global migrant population 鈥� have been displaced by conflict, violence, or natural disasters. Less noticed are the streams of people returning home. In 2023 alone, 6.1 million displaced people returned to their areas or countries of origin, according to the International Catholic Migration Commission. Many do so voluntarily, to rebuild and restore.

The desire to return home underscores that home is not just a place. For Syrians, home before the war started was seen 鈥渁s enriching multigenerational relationships with family and friends, intertwined with culture, faith, a love of place,鈥� according to a 2023 study published in Wellbeing, Space and Society.

鈥淏eyond the family,鈥� the study found, 鈥淪yrian men and women described social networks where faith was central and included close friendships with neighbors and community members and which reflected values and a way of life where others could be depended upon for support and care.鈥�

In Arab societies, Muslim and 海角大神 alike, home is also vital to a spiritual obligation of hospitality 鈥� 鈥済enerosity of spirit ... which defines humanity itself,鈥� observed Mona Siddiqui, professor of Islamic and Interreligious Studies at the University of Edinburgh.

The rebel forces that have toppled the regime of Bashar al-Assad have struck chords of reconciliation. The new leadership has granted a general amnesty for 鈥渃rimes鈥� committed before Dec. 8, signaling the release of an estimated 150,000 people detained by the fallen regime 鈥� many on the pretense of criticizing the state. The rebels have also vowed to protect the rights of religious minorities.

But for countless Syrians preparing to return to their communities, the journey is a path not just to a place, but to spiritual renewal. As a very diverse nation now tries to find national unity, it may find it in that special desire for belonging that defines the Syrian people.