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Int’l Organization Says 73 Migrants 'Presumed' Dead off Libya Coast

Migrants on a wooden boat are rescued by German NGO Jugend Rettet ship "Juventa" crew in the Mediterranean sea off Libya coast, June 18, 2017. Picture taken on June 18, 2017. REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini
Migrants on a wooden boat are rescued by German NGO Jugend Rettet ship "Juventa" crew in the Mediterranean sea off Libya coast, June 18, 2017. Picture taken on June 18, 2017. REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini
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Int’l Organization Says 73 Migrants 'Presumed' Dead off Libya Coast

Migrants on a wooden boat are rescued by German NGO Jugend Rettet ship "Juventa" crew in the Mediterranean sea off Libya coast, June 18, 2017. Picture taken on June 18, 2017. REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini
Migrants on a wooden boat are rescued by German NGO Jugend Rettet ship "Juventa" crew in the Mediterranean sea off Libya coast, June 18, 2017. Picture taken on June 18, 2017. REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini

At least 73 migrants were missing and presumed dead after their boat sank on Wednesday off the coast of Libya, the UN's International Organization for Migration (IOM) said.

The boat carrying 80 people had departed from Qasr al-Akhyar, east of the capital Tripoli, and was heading to Europe, the IOM said.

The Libyan authorities didn't comment on the matter.

"Seven survivors who made it back to Libyan shores in extremely dire conditions are currently in the hospital," the agency revealed, adding that Libyan rescuers had retrieved 11 bodies.

"Concrete action by states is needed to increase search and rescue capacity, establish clear and safe disembarkation mechanisms as well as safe and regular pathways to migration to reduce dangerous journeys," the IOM said.

The latest tragedy brings the number of deaths on the central Mediterranean route to 130 this year, the IOM stated, calling the situation "intolerable".

According to the agency's Missing Migrants Project, more than 1,450 migrant deaths were recorded on the route in 2022, a fraction of the more than 17,000 deaths and disappearances since 2014.

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Arab World

UN: Over 1,000 Civilians Killed in Sudan's Darfur when Paramilitary Group Seized Camp

The Sudanese flag flutters in Omdurman, part of greater Khartoum on December 13, 2025. (AFP)
The Sudanese flag flutters in Omdurman, part of greater Khartoum on December 13, 2025. (AFP)
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UN: Over 1,000 Civilians Killed in Sudan's Darfur when Paramilitary Group Seized Camp

The Sudanese flag flutters in Omdurman, part of greater Khartoum on December 13, 2025. (AFP)
The Sudanese flag flutters in Omdurman, part of greater Khartoum on December 13, 2025. (AFP)

Over 1,000 civilians were killed when a Sudanese paramilitary group took over a displacement camp in Sudan's Darfur region in April, including about a third who were summarily executed, according to a report by the UN Human Rights Office on Thursday.

"Such deliberate killing of civilians or persons hors de combat may constitute the war crime of murder,” said the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk in a statement accompanying the 18-page report.

The Zamzam camp in Sudan's western region of Darfur housed around half a million people displaced by the civil war and was taken over by Rapid Support Forces between April 11-13.

Arab World

Guterres Says Operating Environment 'Untenable’ in Areas Held by Houthis

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres speaks during a press conference at the Nasrec Expo Center in Johannesburg on November 21, 2025, ahead of the G20 Leaders' Summit. (Photo by GIANLUIGI GUERCIA / AFP)
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres speaks during a press conference at the Nasrec Expo Center in Johannesburg on November 21, 2025, ahead of the G20 Leaders' Summit. (Photo by GIANLUIGI GUERCIA / AFP)
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Guterres Says Operating Environment 'Untenable’ in Areas Held by Houthis

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres speaks during a press conference at the Nasrec Expo Center in Johannesburg on November 21, 2025, ahead of the G20 Leaders' Summit. (Photo by GIANLUIGI GUERCIA / AFP)
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres speaks during a press conference at the Nasrec Expo Center in Johannesburg on November 21, 2025, ahead of the G20 Leaders' Summit. (Photo by GIANLUIGI GUERCIA / AFP)

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday urged all parties in Yemen to exercise maximum restraint after an advance by southern separatists that risks rekindling a 10-year-old civil war after a long lull.

He also said the operating environment had become untenable in the areas held by the Iran-aligned Houthi movement - Yemen's capital Sanaa and the heavily populated northwest.

"I urge all parties to exercise maximum restraint, de-escalate tensions, and resolve differences through dialogue," Guterres said. "This includes regional stakeholders, whose constructive engagement and coordination in support of UN mediation efforts are essential for ensuring collective security interests."

Guterres also condemned the Houthis' continued arbitrary detention of 59 UN staff, calling for their immediate and unconditional release.

"In recent days, Houthi de facto authorities referred three of our colleagues to a special criminal court. This referral must be rescinded. They have been charged in relation to their performance of United Nations official duties. These charges must be dropped," he said.

The United Nations has repeatedly rejected Houthi accusations that UN staff or UN operations in Yemen were involved in spying.

"We must be allowed to perform our work without interference," Guterres said. "Despite these challenges, we remain committed to providing life-saving support to millions of people across Yemen."

He said 19.5 million people in Yemen - nearly two-thirds of the population - need humanitarian assistance.

Arab World

US Congress Ends Syria Sanctions

The new Syrian government headed by Ahmed al-Sharaa had urged the US to remove sanctions. Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP
The new Syrian government headed by Ahmed al-Sharaa had urged the US to remove sanctions. Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP
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US Congress Ends Syria Sanctions

The new Syrian government headed by Ahmed al-Sharaa had urged the US to remove sanctions. Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP
The new Syrian government headed by Ahmed al-Sharaa had urged the US to remove sanctions. Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP

The US Congress on Wednesday permanently ended sanctions imposed on Syria under ousted leader Bashar al-Assad, paving the way for the return of investment to the war-ravaged nation.

President Donald Trump had already twice suspended the implementation of sanctions in response to calls from Saudi Arabia and Türkiye.

The new government headed by Ahmed al-Sharaa had sought a permanent end to the sanctions, fearing that so long as the measures remained on the books they would deter businesses wary of legal risks in the world's largest economy, reported AFP.

The Senate passed the repeal of the 2019 Caesar Act as part of a sweeping annual defense package. The Senate voted 77 to 20 in favor of the legislation, which was already approved by the House of Representatives and is expected to be signed by Trump.

The repeal, broadly backed by lawmakers of both parties, "is a decisive step toward giving the Syrian people a real chance to rebuild after decades of unimaginable suffering," said Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Damascus hailed the decision as a turning point.

"We express our gratitude and appreciation to the US Senate for its support of the Syrian people and its vote to repeal the Caesar Act," Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said.

He described the move as "a positive development that opens new horizons for cooperation and partnership between our country and the world".

The Caesar Act, named after an anonymous photographer who documented atrocities in Assad's prisons, severely restricted investment and cut off Syria from the international banking system.

The law was intended to prevent the influx of foreign businesses to rebuild Syria at a time when it had seemed that Assad had triumphed following more than a decade of brutal civil war that triggered a massive flow of refugees toward Europe and helped spawn the birth of the ISIS extremist movement.

Sharaa's fighters seized Damascus a year ago in a lightning offensive.

Sharaa has impressed Trump, including when they first met during the US leader's May trip to Riyadh.