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UN Condemns Denmark’s Decision to Deport Syrians

Migrants check a departure board at Copenhagen Central Station (File photo: Reuters)
Migrants check a departure board at Copenhagen Central Station (File photo: Reuters)
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UN Condemns Denmark’s Decision to Deport Syrians

Migrants check a departure board at Copenhagen Central Station (File photo: Reuters)
Migrants check a departure board at Copenhagen Central Station (File photo: Reuters)

The Danish authorities are being criticized for revoking the residence permits of dozens of Syrian refugees after declaring parts of Syria as a “safe place to send refugees back.”

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) expressed concern about Copenhagen’s decision despite the suspension of deportations, in light of the absence of communication between the Danish government and the Syrian regime.

UNHCR issued a communique Thursday, calling for maintaining the protection of migrants, saying the recent security improvements in parts of Syria are not sufficient, stable, or permanent to justify ending international protection for any group of refugees.

The organization demanded that Syrian refugees are not forcibly returned to any place in their country, regardless of who controls the area in question.

Since June 2020, Copenhagen has embarked on a large-scale process to review each of the cases of 461 Syrians from Damascus, saying the current situation in the city no longer justifies granting or extending their residence permit.

Last week, Aya Abu Daher, 19, appealed to the authorities to keep her in Denmark, especially that she’s a few months away from graduating from high school.

Activists reported on social media the case of Aya and many other refugees who are threatened to return to Syria.

Abu Daher's school principal urged the government to reverse its decision and allow her to continue her studies in Denmark, saying she is an exemplary student.

Last March, Denmark revoked the permits of 94 Syrians, out of 273 cases that were studied individually, according to the latest report of the Danish Immigration Services. Some of them have been placed in immigration detention.

Denmark aims for “zero asylum seekers” to see an end to asylum requests in the country. The policy encourages the voluntary return of Syrians and has only issued temporary residence permits since 2015.

Legally, permits are granted without time limits, in the event of an extremely dangerous situation in the country of origin, characterized by arbitrary violence and attacks on civilians.

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World

Danish Refugee Council Warns 4 Million More Face Displacement as Aid Drops

Some of the Sudanese civilian refugees and human rights activists hold placards with the wordings, 'KeepEyesOnSudan' outside a bus branded during a commemorative gathering dubbed 'Under the Neema (Tree)' to mark the third anniversary since the war in Sudan started, organized by the Amnesty International at the Freedom Corner in Nairobi, Kenya, 15 April 2026. EPA/DANIEL IRUNGU
Some of the Sudanese civilian refugees and human rights activists hold placards with the wordings, 'KeepEyesOnSudan' outside a bus branded during a commemorative gathering dubbed 'Under the Neema (Tree)' to mark the third anniversary since the war in Sudan started, organized by the Amnesty International at the Freedom Corner in Nairobi, Kenya, 15 April 2026. EPA/DANIEL IRUNGU
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Danish Refugee Council Warns 4 Million More Face Displacement as Aid Drops

Some of the Sudanese civilian refugees and human rights activists hold placards with the wordings, 'KeepEyesOnSudan' outside a bus branded during a commemorative gathering dubbed 'Under the Neema (Tree)' to mark the third anniversary since the war in Sudan started, organized by the Amnesty International at the Freedom Corner in Nairobi, Kenya, 15 April 2026. EPA/DANIEL IRUNGU
Some of the Sudanese civilian refugees and human rights activists hold placards with the wordings, 'KeepEyesOnSudan' outside a bus branded during a commemorative gathering dubbed 'Under the Neema (Tree)' to mark the third anniversary since the war in Sudan started, organized by the Amnesty International at the Freedom Corner in Nairobi, Kenya, 15 April 2026. EPA/DANIEL IRUNGU

Over 4 million people are set to be newly displaced around the world by the end of next year as donors step back from providing life-saving aid, the Danish Refugee Council said on Thursday.

There are already some 117 million people forcibly displaced worldwide as the number of conflicts has surged to around 130 - double ⁠the number reported ⁠earlier this century, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

"For families fleeing war with nothing but the clothes on their backs, there is little ⁠hope: the international safety net that once existed has gaping holes as humanitarian assistance shrinks," Reuters quoted Charlotte Slente, Secretary General of the DRC, as saying.

Sudan - where a war entered its fourth year this week and 13.5 million people are already displaced - will see the largest jump with an additional 670,000 people ⁠fleeing ⁠this year and next, the DRC said.

UN agencies are warning that they may have to cut off vital supplies of water and food to them in neighboring Chad because of a lack of funding.

The DRC's findings, supported by IBM, were based on key indicators on security, environment and other factors across 27 countries.

World

US Democrats File Impeachment Articles Against Pentagon Chief

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth welcomes Minister of Defense for Indonesia Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin to the Pentagon, Monday, April 13, 2026 in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth welcomes Minister of Defense for Indonesia Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin to the Pentagon, Monday, April 13, 2026 in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
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US Democrats File Impeachment Articles Against Pentagon Chief

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth welcomes Minister of Defense for Indonesia Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin to the Pentagon, Monday, April 13, 2026 in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth welcomes Minister of Defense for Indonesia Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin to the Pentagon, Monday, April 13, 2026 in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)

US House Democrats introduced six articles of impeachment against Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth on Wednesday, accusing him of "high crimes and misdemeanors" including waging war on Iran without congressional approval.

The impeachment resolution is led by Yassamin Ansari, a Democratic Congresswoman from Arizona, and has slim chances of passing due to the Republican majority in the House.

Impeachment is the process by which the US House of Representatives brings charges against a government official for alleged wrongdoing, with removal from office only possible if the Senate convicts after a trial.

"I've introduced Articles of Impeachment against Pete Hegseth for violating his oath, endangering US servicemembers, and committing war crimes, including attacks on civilians and a girls' school in Minab, Iran," Ansari wrote on X.

"Only Congress can declare war; his actions demand immediate removal."

The War in the Middle East has sent oil prices soaring and dented Trump's approval ratings ahead of crucial midterm elections in November.

The first impeachment article alleged that Hegseth started the conflict with Iran "without a declaration of war or specific statutory authorization by the Congress," and "knowingly exposing members of the Armed Forces of the United States to substantial and foreseeable risk of injury or death."

Another article held Hegseth responsible for the strike on an Iranian primary school on February 28 -- the day the United States and Israel began bombing Iran -- which killed at least 170 people, including students and teachers, AFP said.

The New York Times has reported that the preliminary findings of a US military investigation indicate that a US Tomahawk cruise missile hit the school due to a targeting mistake.

Hegseth has "authorized, condoned, or failed to prevent the use of military force in a manner inconsistent with the law of armed conflict," such as the strike on the school, the document read.

The Democrats also criticized Hegseth for so-called "double tap" strikes -- hitting targets twice -- against alleged drug smuggling boats in the Carribean.

They said the double tap strikes were illegal and undermined rules of engagement designed to protect non-combatants.

Other allegations included "negligence and reckless handling" of sensitive military information, as well as obstructing congressional oversight, referring to Hegsteth's use of commercial messaging app Signal to discuss strikes on Yemen.

Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson told news outlet Axios "this is just another Democrat trying to make headlines as the Department of War decisively and overwhelmingly achieved the Presidents' objectives in Iran."

World

Bus Accident Kills 14 in Ecuador

Vehicles cross the Rumichaca International Bridge, the border crossing between Colombia and Ecuador, in Tulcan, Ecuador, 10 April 2026. EPA/Xavier Montalvo
Vehicles cross the Rumichaca International Bridge, the border crossing between Colombia and Ecuador, in Tulcan, Ecuador, 10 April 2026. EPA/Xavier Montalvo
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Bus Accident Kills 14 in Ecuador

Vehicles cross the Rumichaca International Bridge, the border crossing between Colombia and Ecuador, in Tulcan, Ecuador, 10 April 2026. EPA/Xavier Montalvo
Vehicles cross the Rumichaca International Bridge, the border crossing between Colombia and Ecuador, in Tulcan, Ecuador, 10 April 2026. EPA/Xavier Montalvo

A bus veered off the road and plunged into a ravine in southern Ecuador Wednesday, killing 14 people and injuring at least 29, emergency officials said.

The accident happened in the Molleturo area in the Andean province of Azuay, whose capital Cuenca is Ecuador's third most populous city, AFP reported.

"At this time, the number of people who have died on the Cuenca-Molleturo highway has risen to 14, and the number of injured to 29," Ecuador's emergency service ECU911 wrote on X late Wednesday.

"Personnel from the coordinated agencies are at the scene searching for more people who may have lost their lives," it added, without specifying the number of passengers on the bus.

Traffic accidents are among the leading causes of death in the South American country, where more than 2,000 people died in road accidents last year, compared to a record 2,373 deaths in 2023, according to official figures.