Should disaster strike once again, the United States stands ready to lend its support, resources, and expertise to the Republic of Cyprus, US Ambassador Judith Garber assured, pointing out at the same time, that Americans have benefitted directly from the heroism and efficiency of the Civil Defense team in the past.
The United Nations refugee agency chief Filippo Grandi urges the international community to support the most vulnerable citizens as well as Syrian refugees in Lebanon.
In September, bodies were spotted off the Syrian coastal town Tartus - victims of the latest in a string of deadly shipwrecks. Many were Palestinian refugees, desperate to escape a country where some see themselves as already dead.
Lebanon is in the midst of a currency crisis and has devalued its local currency. But implementing a new exchange rate policy is set to have catastrophic consequences on people's daily lives.