Aid agencies and the Irish Navy are reporting that a fishing vessel carrying about 600 migrants capsized in the Mediterranean and a distress call was issued, about 24 kilometers north of Libya. The navy reports say hundreds of people were in the sea and a rescue effort was under way. The Associated Press cited Irish […]
Italian authorities say at least 29 African migrants have died of hypothermia while crossing the Mediterranean in freezing weather and rough seas. The Italian coast guard says it found seven people dead when it answered a distress call from the migrants’ boat off Libya late Sunday. It says 22 others died on a vessel that […]
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said his government receives information about U.S.-led airstrikes against Islamic State militants in Syria, but he stressed there is no direct cooperation. Assad told the BBC in Damascus that there are exchanges of messages through third parties, such as Iraq, but the exchanges do not include tactical information. He said Syria […]
BEIRUT—Visa restrictions have been imposed on Syrians entering Lebanon, as further efforts are made to limit the flow of refugees into the country. The new measures mean Syrians now have to obtain a visa before crossing into Lebanon, which is already struggling to cope with more than a million refugees. The move was announced by […]