At the anniversary of the Syrian conflict, the civilians caught in the middle of the conflict are in a worse position than ever. Getty Images
At the anniversary of the Syrian conflict, the civilians caught in the middle of the conflict are in a worse position than ever. Getty Images

Failure in Syria must stop now



The Failing Syria report by 21 humanitarian and human rights organisations presented grim statistics about the situation in Syria and highlighted the world’s failure to stop the conflict, which enters its fifth year today, seemingly more complex and intractable than ever.

The report said that three 2014 UN Security Council resolutions on protecting civilians and improving the humanitarian response have failed to halt the intense violence and save the lives of innocent civilians. Instead, the opposite occurred: more people have been killed during the past year, with at least 76,000 out of a total of 220,000 since the crisis began, humanitarian access has faced more restrictions and the international aid contributions are lower in real terms than before and are chronically inadequate to meet people’s needs. Hopes of a political solution are also non-existent, with the collapse of Geneva II talks in February and the resignation of the UN special envoy Lakhdar Brahimi in May.

All these findings indicate the international community has failed Syrian civilians caught up in the conflict. Organised attacks, murders, rapes, kidnappings and torture are increasingly carried out against wen, women and children by all sides of the conflict. Those who manage to flee the country now face more restrictions in neighbouring countries, making it increasingly difficult for them to seek refuge.

The international community’s approach to the conflict in Syria requires an urgent reassessment to prevent the situation becoming even worse. Swift action is required to implement the Security Council’s resolutions and push the warring parties towards a political solution.

In the meantime, humanitarian assistance must be scaled up significantly, especially for those who are unable to leave Syria. More support should also be given to those countries that have taken most of the refugees. The situation in Syria is dark now but we cannot stand by and contemplate the next anniversary with conditions having become even worse.

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Finnair: Suspending flights to Nanjing and Beijing Daxing until the end of March

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Is it worth it? We put cheesecake frap to the test.

The verdict from the nutritionists is damning. But does a cheesecake frappuccino taste good enough to merit the indulgence?

My advice is to only go there if you have unusually sweet tooth. I like my puddings, but this was a bit much even for me. The first hit is a winner, but it's downhill, slowly, from there. Each sip is a little less satisfying than the last, and maybe it was just all that sugar, but it isn't long before the rush is replaced by a creeping remorse. And half of the thing is still left.

The caramel version is far superior to the blueberry, too. If someone put a full caramel cheesecake through a liquidiser and scooped out the contents, it would probably taste something like this. Blueberry, on the other hand, has more of an artificial taste. It's like someone has tried to invent this drink in a lab, and while early results were promising, they're still in the testing phase. It isn't terrible, but something isn't quite right either.

So if you want an experience, go for a small, and opt for the caramel. But if you want a cheesecake, it's probably more satisfying, and not quite as unhealthy, to just order the real thing.

 

 

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