Looting

White-gloved hand holds ancient artifact known as the Gilgamesh Dream Tablet.

Iraq needs to reclaim its cultural past to develop its future, art historian says

Culture

This week, the US agreed to return more than 17,000 treasures to Iraq. Nada Shabout, a professor of art history, joined The World’s host Marco Werman to discuss Iraq’s stolen cultural heritage. 

A boy selling antiques in Old Aleppo, January 2015. Archaeological treasures, thousands of years old, are being openly looted and traded In Syria and neighboring nations.

Modern day ‘Monuments Men’ try to save antiquities from ISIS

Conflict
Kenya police and military officers control the temporary entrance erected at the Westgate shopping mall following the recent attack in Kenya's capital Nairobi.

Kenyan military accused of turning Westgate mall siege into shopping spree

Global Politics

Researchers document great damage to Syrian antiquities

UK arrests provide details of riot perpetrators

UK riots spread to Manchester and Birmingham

Violence spread to other major UK cities — including Manchester and Birmingham, where three men were hit by a car and killed in violence there.

Brits inciting riots on Facebook sentenced to years in prison

Concerns in UK over sentencing of two men to four years in prison for encouraging people to riot by posting messages on Facebook.

Hundreds arrested in London riots

A police incident sparked riots across London neighborhoods — looting and violence left at least 35 police officers injured

Iraq’s national museum reopens

Arts, Culture & Media

Iraq’s National Museum in Baghdad was formally re-dedicated this week — it has been closed for six years since chaotic weeks following the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

The World

Why One Researcher is Documenting the Damage to Syria’s Archaeological Sites

Arts, Culture & Media

As the fighting has raged on in Syria, there have been reports about Syrian archaeological sites damaged in the conflict. The scope of that damage has just recently started to come out, thanks largely to one diligent graduate student in northern England.