Over half a million dead, 164,000 civilians included, in Syria’s ‘forgotten conflict’
Today's headlines: Senior doctors in South Korea join trainee doctors’ protest. India's foreign exchange reserves reach their highest level in two years. Iran is beset by a severe nursing shortage with more than 3,000 emigrating abroad a year. Thailand is considering legalising casinos. The Chinese are quietly occupying Siberia, raising concerns among local Russians.
SYRIA
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, in 13 years, more than 507,000 people have died in the country’s civil war, while millions more have become internally displaced or refugees abroad. Civilian casualties exceed 164,000, including more than 15,000 women and 25,000 children. While it started on the first day of protests on 15 March 2011 amidst the wave of Arab Spring uprisings, the conflict has now become largely “forgotten”.
SOUTH KOREA
The protest of trainee doctors in South Korea shows no sign of abating; on the contrary, it is intensifying in spite of government orders. A group of senior doctors announced today that they will resign starting on 25 March, in support of their younger colleagues who have been on strike for about a month against the reform. As a result, hospitals have plunged into chaos, while many surgeries and lifesaving treatments have been cancelled, despite the extensive use of military nurses and doctors.
INDIA
India's foreign exchange reserves (INFXR=ECI) rose for the third consecutive week, hitting a two-year high, with US$ 636.10 billion as of 8 March, this according to central bank data released yesterday. The price of gold, of which India is the second-largest consumer in the world, is also rising, reaching a record Rs 66,356 per 10 grams.
IRAN
Iranian authorities are sounding the alarm about a severe nursing shortage in Iranian hospitals, the result of large-scale emigration, a member of the Iranian Medical Council (IRIMC) lamented. The crisis is putting the country’s healthcare system at risk. Every year, at least 3,000 nurses leave, causing a disaster that intense recruitment efforts have failed to counter.
THAILAND
The Thai government could legalise casinos in a bid to attract new investment and support tourism, this despite public opposition over similar announcements in the past. So far, only state-controlled horse races and lotteries are allowed in the kingdom. At least 10 per cent of the population is addicted to gambling.
RUSSIA – CHINA
While the Russians are violently occupying Ukraine, the Chinese are quietly occupying Siberia, especially the Baikal area and the Far East, a local television station in Irkutsk has reported, highlighting the number of houses and hotels built by the Chinese in violation of the law. This is a source of great concern among local Russians faced with millions of Chinese immigrants.
SINGAPORE – GAZA – JORDAN
Singapore is planning to deliver the third tranche of humanitarian aid to Gaza and will soon start relief operations from Jordan. The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) has sent two cargo planes – an A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport and a C-130 Hercules transport aircraft – along with 69 people to provide assistance.
TAJIKISTAN – ISLAM
The head of the Ulema Council of Tajikistan, Mufti Saidmukarram Abdulkodirzoda, has appealed to the country's merchants and traders. The religious leader is asking them not to increase food prices during Ramadan, indeed possibly lower them, since “greed is an immoral attitude condemned by Islam", to be countered with charity towards the poor.
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12/02/2016 15:14
26/11/2018 09:01
