For a small nation with a has-been imperial past, British rulers appear to still suffer from the delusion of strutting around the globe as if on a high horse. Now less of a splendid steed and more like a broken-down hobby horse rocking on its overblown pretensions. Senior British government figures are reportedly due to visit Moscow in coming weeks,…
Russia and China have vetoed a UN Security Council proposal that would have banned the supply of helicopters to the Syrian government, and blacklisted eleven Syrian military commanders over allegations of toxic gas attacks. The proposed resolution, put forward by Britain, France and the United States, was put to the vote of the international body…
Last month, Helsinki hosted an international conference on the humanitarian situation in Syria, resulting in the launch of a regional refugee plan for the next two years, focused on assisting Syria’s neighboring states in dealing with the refuge crisis. In accordance with this plan, UN officials seek 4.6 billion dollars worth of humanitarian aid to…
Syria faces public health catastrophes that will linger for decades due to toxic rubble dust, oil fire pollution and the US-led coalition’s use of depleted uranium weapons on Islamic State targets, campaigners have warned. The US last week admitted it had fired armour-piercing DU ammunition in its war against IS, and had hit not only…
The United Nations this week launched an emergency appeal to raise $2 billion for humanitarian aid to Yemen – the Arabian Peninsula country where war has been raging for nearly two years. The UN says some 12 million people – half the population – are facing starvation unless the international community urgently comes to their aid….
…and so does the Palestinian leader, again The Middle East peace conference which took place in Paris on 15 January was the usual farce, with Israel and Palestine, the subjects under discussion, both staying away. Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu called the talks “useless” and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas was off opening an embassy in…
