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Continue reading →: The Question About Gaza That Cost a Journalist His Job
Last October, Gabriele Nunziati asked to the European Commission whether Israel should be required to pay for Gaza’s reconstruction, just as Russia is expected to pay for Ukraine. The video went viral and ultimately led to his dismissal from the Italian news agency Agenzia Nova. But for Nunziati, holding power…
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Continue reading →: Power, Politics and the Kurdish Future in Syria
What happens to Syria’s Kurds when the West stops seeing them as indispensable? For nearly a decade, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) were central to the U.S.-led fight against ISIS. They controlled large swaths of northeastern Syria under the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (ANES) and managed…
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Continue reading →: Why Everything You Know About Iran Might Be Wrong
From Nobel laureates at Sharif University to the reductionist clichés of legacy media, Kourosh Ziabari challenges the “nuclear-proxy” binary. Students pressed shoulder to shoulder in the corridors of Sharif University, spilling into stairwells and doorways long after the lecture hall had reached capacity. The auditorium was built for 400; nearly…
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Continue reading →: Why We Kill History to Erase a People with Sophie Constantin
The targeted destruction of cultural heritage in conflict zones The museum halls of Sudan are filled with the echo of gunfire, a setting that might seem peculiar for a battlefield until you follow the paper trail. It isn’t just about territory; it is about the assets inside. As journalist and…
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Continue reading →: Pope Leo XIV in Lebanon
Pope Leo XIV visited Lebanon from November 30 to December 2 as part of his pastoral trip to the Middle East. This was the third papal visit to Lebanon, the Middle Eastern country with the largest Christian population, which accounts for roughly one third of its citizens. The trip provided…
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Continue reading →: Becoming Me
Aryn was thousands of miles from home when the panic began. Derek was in their bedroom in Texas, staring at a positive pregnancy test they never thought they’d see. Aryn and Derek didn’t know each other. They didn’t know anyone else like them. But their stories were more similar than…
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Continue reading →: Gaza Ceasefire: Jordan says truce is step toward peace
Jordan is watching closely after the new ceasefire in Gaza. Celebrations erupted across the country, home to one of the largest Palestinian communities in the world. Just days ago, Jordan welcomed U.S. President Donald Trump’s unexpected 20-point plan to end the war between Israel and Hamas. But key questions remain,…
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Continue reading →: When Protest Becomes a Deportable Offense
As pro-Palestinian protests sweep U.S. universities, the federal government is escalating its crackdown on student activism – testing the boundaries of free speech and immigration law. Beginning with the detention of Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University protest leader and legal permanent resident, the Trump administration has invoked national security and…
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Continue reading →: Caught in the Crossfire: Jordan’s Balancing Act in the Iran-Israel Conflict
With Israel’s June military strikes on Iran, resulting in 1,064 casualties including 45 children, shockwaves were sent throughout an already turbulent Middle East. Other than scuttling diplomacy between Iran and the United States, the attacks and the ensuing war also created instability in countries that were situated in the crossfire…
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Continue reading →: Israel to Occupy Gaza City: Hospitals in Gaza Are at Near-Total Collapse Under Israel Bombardment
Since March, the corridor has transferred hundreds of patients to Jordanian hospitals, many of them children carrying the physical and emotional scars of war. Among them is five-year-old Haneen, who survived an Israeli airstrike that set her home ablaze, killing her parents and younger sister. She arrived in Jordan with…
Hello,
I’m Francesca Maria
I am an international multimedia reporter and editor based in the Middle East. Here you can find all my work.
Francesca Maria Lorenzini 