On 22 December, tropical storm Tembin,  known locally as “Vinta”, made landfall in southern Philippines and traversed a path of destruction as it swept through the region.

Syria topped the agenda in the Security Council on Tuesday, where ambassadors heard briefings from the UN officials overseeing the political and humanitarian response to the

A “golden opportunity” has been missed to decide the future of Syria at the end of the latest round of UN-led talks in Geneva, veteran negotiator Staffan de Mistura said on Thursday.

“Several countries” with influence on the Syrian conflict have said that they will do “all that they can” to ensure the evacuation of hundreds of critically ill men, women and children from a besieged opposition stronghold outside the capital Damascus, a senior UN adviser said on Thursday.