World in brief: January 26, 2025

SYRIA: Around 200,000 refugees have gone back to their homeland following the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad’s government, with many more considering returning after years of displacement during the 14-year conflict, UN refugee chief Filippo Grandi said today.
But he warned that sustainable resettlement requires improved living conditions, reconstruction efforts and the lifting of Western sanctions — which he called “an important obstacle.”
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