Mesopotamia

A possible regime attack on Syria's northwestern province of Idlib will sabotage the ongoing political process and cause a serious crisis of confidence, the Turkish presidential spokesman said on Sept. 11.

The United Nations has called on guarantor powers Russia, Iran, and Turkey to forestall a battle in Syria's Idlib province, saying a humanitarian corridor should be set up to allow civilians to leave the area.

Archaeologists have found traces of beer in Iraq, dating back 2,500 years to ancient Mesopotamia and the Babylonian Empire. While texts from those forgotten days speak of fermented drinks, this is the "oldest direct evidence" of beer discovered, Smithsonian reported. Now, the archaeologists who have discovered traces are trying to replicate the recipe in the modern era. 

Rebels in Syria's battered south said Thursday they are returning to talks with government ally Russia after the most intensive bombing campaign yet in the regime's two-week offensive that triggered what was described as "the largest displacement since the start of Syria's war", creating 320,000 refugees.

The U.N. humanitarian agency's top official for Syria has expressed concerns about recent airstrikes in rebel-held Idlib province, warning that "we may have not seen the worst of the crisis" in Syria even after seven years of war.

The United Nations voiced concern on June 11 about an escalation in fighting and air strikes in Syria's Idlib province, where 2.5 million civilians have "no place else to go" within their homeland.

The European Union called on Russia, Iran and Turkey on April 25 to ensure a halt to fighting in Syria, as international donors gathered in Brussels to drum up aid for the conflict-ravaged country.

The U.S. has credible information that Russia and Syria are trying to "sanitize" the site of a suspected chemical weapons attack in Syria, the State Department has said.

Turkey and Russia held talks on April 18 regarding developments in Syria, including the situation in Eastern Ghouta, Idlib and northern Syria following a joint strike by the U.S., France and the U.K. punishing the alleged use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime.

Germany has arrested four Syrian citizens, reportedly aged between 18 and 27, on suspicion of carrying out an attack on a Turkey-linked mosque in the southern German city of Ulm.