United Nations

The Unbearable Burden of the Syrian Crisis in Lebanon

With the fall of Bashar al-Assad, the justification long used by the international community – particularly the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) – for maintaining the Syrian presence in Lebanon no longer holds. The agency had argued that “political refugees” would face serious danger if they returned and that coordinating their repatriation with ...

Cyprus Says 'Progress' in UN-Backed Talks on Divided Island

Cypriot leaders agreed Wednesday to press on with trust-building measures that could revive the abandoned peace process on the divided island, the UN said after a meeting in the capital, Nicosia. President Nikos Christodoulides of the Greek-speaking, internationally recognized Republic of Cyprus reported "progress" after the meeting with Turkish ...

Shiite Council Files Legal Complaint Over Rocket Attacks and Pro-Israel Rhetoric

The Supreme Islamic Shiite Council has filed a legal complaint against unidentified individuals responsible for launching rockets from southern Lebanon toward Israel, as well as those accused of spreading Israeli military propaganda and fueling sectarian tensions. Filed on Wednesday through the council’s attorney, Dr. Hassan Fadlallah, the ...

Gaza Rescuers say Nine Children Among Dead in Israel Strike on UN Building

The Israeli army said it targeted Hamas militants in a strike on a UN building in Jabalia refugee camp Wednesday that Gaza's civil defence agency said killed 19 people, nine of them children. The army said in a statement that it struck the militants "inside a command and control centre that was being used for coordinating terrorist activity", and ...

Myanmar Quake Victim Rescued after 5 days as Aid calls Grow

Rescuers on Wednesday pulled a man alive from the rubble five days after Myanmar's devastating earthquake, as calls grew for the junta to allow more aid in and halt attacks on rebels. The shallow 7.7-magnitude earthquake on Friday flattened buildings across Myanmar, killing more than 2,700 people and making thousands more homeless. Several ...

Eid Celebrations: Joy Amid Conflict’s Shadow

Despite the psychological impact of the airstrikes, Ramzi Salman, the President of the Lebanese Guesthouses Syndicate, told This is Beirut on Tuesday that the Eid al-Fitr weekend saw a significant influx of visitors. According to Salman, guesthouses experienced relatively strong bookings, highlighting the sector’s resilience amid the ongoing ...

Gaza Rescuers Say Recovered 15 Bodies After Israel Fire on Ambulances

The Palestinian Red Crescent said on Sunday it had recovered the bodies of 15 rescuers killed a week ago when Israeli forces targeted ambulances in the Gaza Strip. Bodies of eight medics from the Red Crescent, six members of Gaza's civil defence agency and one employee of a UN agency were retrieved, the Red Crescent said in a statement. It said ...

What We Know About Syria’s New Government

Syria's new government, dominated by interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa's inner circle, faces the daunting challenge of gaining the trust of Syrians, as well as that of Western countries to secure sanctions relief. The transitional 23-member cabinet -- without a prime minister -- was announced on Saturday, more than three months after Sharaa's ...

UN Chief Urges S.Sudan Leaders to 'Put Down The Weapons'

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday urged all parties in South Sudan to "put down the weapons" amid warnings that the impoverished African country may be headed back into civil war. "South Sudan may have fallen off the world’s radar, but we cannot let the situation fall over the abyss," Guterres told reporters. The country's ...

Ireland Increases Its Aid to Lebanon with a €2.5 Million Donation

Minister of Foreign Affairs Youssef Rajji announced on Wednesday an additional €2.5 million donation from Ireland, aimed at funding the United Nations Humanitarian Fund in Lebanon. The announcement was made during a meeting held at the ministry, in the presence of Irish Deputy Prime Minister Simon Harris and the Irish delegation, which included ...

Syria Slams 'Flagrant' Israeli Violation After Deadly Bombardment

Syria slammed Israeli attacks as a "flagrant violation" of its sovereignty after a deadly bombardment Tuesday in the country's south, where Israel's military said it had responded to incoming fire. The violence near the UN-patrolled buffer zone on the Golan Heights followed Israeli air strikes in central Syria, the latest in a string of attacks ...

Sudan War at 'Turning Point' But No End in Sight: Analysts

Sudan's army has recaptured the presidential palace from rival paramilitaries and is pushing ahead to wrest full control of the capital, but analysts warn that the brutal two-year war is far from over. In the early days of the fighting, the army-aligned government was forced to flee Khartoum, which army forces are now a breath away from ...