United Nations

MP Alameh: Up to 400,000 Syrian Refugees Would Return Home Soon

Lebanon may see up to 400,000 Syrian refugees return home in the near future, MP Fadi Alameh said on Wednesday, noting that between 200,000 and 250,000 have already gone back. Speaking after chairing a session of the Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Committee, Alameh said the meeting focused on the refugee return file and was attended by Deputy ...

Iran's Khamenei bemoans low oil production

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday bemoaned his country's oil production levels and called for the diversification of its export markets as Tehran faces renewed pressure from the West. "Oil production in the country -- with the importance it has in the economy, which is obvious -- is low," Khamenei said in a ...

Cocaine Market: Low Prices, High Health Risks

Cocaine prices are falling, but the risks are rising. In Lebanon, as elsewhere, a gram has never been cheaper. It may seem like a “good deal,” but behind the low price lies a harsh reality: regulated use, a growing number of addicts and mounting health risks. Cocaine, or “coke” to regular users, is circulating more freely than ever. ...

Sudan's RSF Commits 'Myriad Crimes Against Humanity': UN Probe

The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in Sudan has committed numerous crimes against humanity in Sudan's civil war, in particular in its siege of El-Fasher in western Darfur, UN investigators said Friday. The United Nations' fact-finding mission for Sudan also found evidence of war crimes by both sides in the conflict between the regular ...

Days After Quake, Afghan Survivors Still Await Aid

Rescue teams struggled Wednesday to reach survivors days after a powerful earthquake in eastern Afghanistan left more than 1,400 people dead, as access to remote areas remained obstructed. A magnitude-6.0 shallow earthquake hit the mountainous region bordering Pakistan late Sunday, collapsing mud-brick homes on families as they slept. Fearful of ...

FAO Builds Partnerships to Shape Lebanon’s Agricultural Future

During a short visit to Beirut, a high-level delegation from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) met with Lebanese leaders and international partners to strengthen cooperation and support projects aimed at transforming the country’s agricultural sector. Talks with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Minister of ...

At Least 21,000 Children Disabled in Gaza War

At least 21,000 children in Gaza have been disabled since the war between Israel and Hamas began on October 7, 2023, a United Nations committee said Wednesday. Around 40,500 children have suffered "new war-related injuries" in the nearly two years since the war erupted, with more than half of them left disabled, said the UN Committee on the ...

Hope Dwindles for Survivors days After Deadly Afghan Quake

Hope faded Wednesday of finding survivors in the rubble of homes devastated by the weekend's powerful earthquake in eastern Afghanistan, as emergency services struggled to reach remote villages. A magnitude-6.0 earthquake hit the mountainous region bordering Pakistan on Sunday, leaving residents huddled in the open air for fear of powerful ...

Israeli Attack on UNIFIL: France Urges Protection of Peacekeepers

France on Wednesday “strongly condemned” the Israeli attack against the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), stressing that the protection of peacekeepers must be ensured. Paris “reiterates that the protection of peacekeepers, as well as the safety of United Nations personnel, property, and premises, must be ...

UN says Over 200,000 Syrian Refugees Return from Lebanon

Since the beginning of 2025, nearly 200,000 Syrian refugees have left Lebanon to return to their homeland, Kelly T. Clements, Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees at the UNHCR, told AFP on Monday. Most of these returns have been carried out individually, though some have been organized by the Lebanese Ministry of Social Affairs in coordination ...