  UN: 1.15 million Syrians are now refugees March 20, 2013 - 09:30 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The United Nations high commissioner for refugees, Antonio Guterres, said that 1.15 million Syrians are now refugees in neighboring countries and 3.6 million people are internally displaced, Arabs Today reported. “The Syrian crisis is the most complex, the most dangerous, and with the worst humanitarian consequences of all the conflicts I’ve seen since I started eight years ago in this post,” he said in Washington, testifying to a U.S. Senate subcommittee. Guterres noted the “staggering escalation” from 33,000 refugees outside Syria in April 2012 to 500,000 in December. He announced March 6 that the refugee count had reached 1 million. The UN earlier this month estimated 2.5 million internally displaced Syrians before Guterres’ revision to 3.6 million. Syrians displaced in and out of the country now number nearly 5 million in a country of about 20 million people. “Each one of them is a human tragedy,” Guterres said. Partner news  Top stories An Islamist insurgency, once confined largely to the republic of Chechnya, has spread across the North Caucasus in recent years. Earlier, at least five Azerbaijan soldiers were killed and six seriously injured when their vehicle rammed into a tree and overturned. Among its provisions are bans on child marriage and the traditional practice of selling and buying women to settle disputes. Jorge Rafael Videla, an austere former army commander, led Argentina during the bloodiest days of its Dirty War dictatorship.   Partner news |  Latest news Russia has fair chance to avoid economic recession: PM  “Perhaps, this is not very much. But, at the same time, it’s much better than Europe’s figures,” Dmitry Medvedev said.Sir Alex Ferguson named Manager of the Year The 71-year-old, who won 38 trophies in a 26-year reign at Old Trafford, will be succeeded by Everton's David Moyes.Senate report says Apple avoided billions in taxes Apple uses two conventional offshore tax practices typical of multinational companies' tax-avoidance strategies, the report said.The Doors rock band keyboardist Ray Manzarek dies at 74 Manzarek formed the band with lead singer Jim Morrison in 1965 after a chance meeting in Venice Beach, Los Angeles. |
