Míchel Sánchez's side qualified for the Champions League for the first time in the club's history
sports10 hours ago
More than one million Syrians are trapped in besieged areas, a new report says in a challenge to the United Nations, which estimates just half that amount and has been accused by some aid groups of underplaying a crisis.
The fate of Syria's besieged is at the heart of peace talks that quickly fell apart last week in Geneva and are set to resume by February 25. Negotiators for the opposition had insisted that the Syrian government stop besieging civilians before talks could truly begin.
The town featured in the images, Madaya, was not listed by the United Nations as a besieged community at the time. Aid workers who entered last month reported seeing skeletal people and parents who gave their children sleeping pills to calm their hunger.
The Siege Watch report says 1.09 million people are living in 46 besieged communities in Syria, far more than the 18 listed by the UN It says most are besieged by the Syrian government in the suburbs of Damascus, the capital, and Homs. In the eastern city of Deir El Zour, about 200,000 people are besieged by both the Daesh group and the Syrian government. The report lists two communities besieged by opposition groups.
"Electricity and running water are usually cut off, and there is limited (if any) access to food, fuel, and medical care," the report says.
Deaths have been reported from malnutrition, disease, hypothermia and poisoning while scavenging for food. Some communities have been besieged for months or years. The estimates are based largely on information provided by local contacts in the communities, including local councils, medical workers and citizen journalists.
With the spotlight on the besieged, the United Nations last month raised its estimate by almost 100,000, saying that 486,700 people are affected.
That's still less than some aid groups and others estimate. They argue that the world body's numbers set the tone for humanitarian response efforts and that more urgency is needed.
"Many remain unaware of the extent of the crisis, and the international response has been muted as a result," the Siege Watch report states.
In meetings this week with United Nations officials and member states, PAX says it will call for the immediate lifting of sieges as a way to build confidence in the peace talks.
Míchel Sánchez's side qualified for the Champions League for the first time in the club's history
sports10 hours ago
The Tractor Boys finish the season on 96 points – just one fewer than champions Leicester - to go from the third tier to the first in successive seasons
sports10 hours ago
A third win in a row pushed the Bengaluru side to seventh place on the points table
sports11 hours ago
The World Food Program is one of the many humanitarian groups trying to get aid into Gaza
mena11 hours ago
In Porto Alegre, the capital of Rio Grande do Sul, the Guaiba lake broke its banks, flooding streets
americas12 hours ago
Khan, 53, who became the first Muslim mayor of the British capital in 2016, has pledged to build more social housing
europe12 hours ago
Charlie Appleby and William Buick team up to win the prestigious English Classic for the second time in three years following Coroebus in 2022
sports12 hours ago
A UNESCO report found that journalists and news outlets reporting on environmental issues dealt with about 750 attacks in the past 15 years
world13 hours ago