Denouncing “unrelenting horrors” in Syria, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appealed yesterday for an end to the violence and more aid to address a situation he said is catastrophic and worsening by the day.
“How many more people will be killed if the current situation continues?” Ban said, addressing a donors conference in Kuwait aimed at raising money for UN humanitarian work. “I appeal to all sides, and particularly the Syrian government, to stop the killing ... in the name of humanity, stop the killing, stop the violence.”
More than 60,000 people have been killed since Syria’s 22-month-old conflict began, the UN says.
An official of the Gulf Cooperation Council, a grouping of six Gulf Arab states, said a total of US$1 billion had been pledged by midday, after promises of US$300 million each from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.
The UN warned on Monday that without more money it would not be able to help millions of Syrians and appealed for donations at the aid conference to meet its US$1.5 billion target.
Four million Syrians inside the country need food, shelter and other aid, while more than 700,000 more are estimated to have fled to countries nearby.
King Abdullah II of Jordan told the gathering that Syrians had taken refuge in his country in their hundreds of thousands, but Amman’s ability to help was at its limits.
“We have reached the end of the line, we have exhausted our resources,” he said.
UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Valerie Amos said that agriculture was in crisis, hospitals and ambulances had been damaged, and painkillers were unavailable. Harsh weather had made matters worse, and people lack winter clothes, blankets and fuel, with women and children particularly at risk, she said.
“We are watching a human tragedy unfold before our eyes,” she said.
THREATS: Naval facilities have been built in Shanghai and Zhejiang, while airbases have been expanded in Xiamen, Fuzhou and Zhangpu, across the Strait from Taiwan The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is building large-scale military infrastructure at five sites along the eastern coast of China, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in a recent report. The latest issue of the council’s Mainland China Situation Quarterly said satellite photos showed military infrastructure such as air force and naval bases being constructed along the eastern coast of China. That means the CCP might be preparing for potential conflict in Taiwan, it said, adding that there are five such construction sites from north to south. A naval base has been built in Shanghai’s Pudong New Area, with underground oil storage tanks, railway
MILESTONE: The foreign minister called the signing ‘a major step forward in US-Taiwan relations,’ while the Presidential Office said it was a symbol of the nations’ shared values US President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed into law the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act, which requires the US Department of State to regularly review and update guidelines governing official US interactions with Taiwan. The new law is an amendment to the Taiwan Assurance Act of 2020 focused on reviewing guidelines on US interactions with Taiwan. Previously, the state department was required to conduct a one-time review of its guidance governing relations with Taiwan, but under the new bill, the agency must conduct a review “not less than every five years.” It must then submit an updated report based on its findings “not later
A trial run of the north concourse of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport’s new Terminal 3 is to commence today, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The eight additional boarding gates would allow for more aircraft parking spaces that are expected to boost the airport’s capacity by 5.8 million passengers annually, Deputy Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Kuo-shian (林國顯) said. The concourse, designed by a team led by British architect Richard Rogers, provides a refreshing space, Lin said, adding that travelers would enjoy the tall and transparent design that allows sunshine to stream into the concourse through glass curtain walls. The
The Presidential Office today thanked the US for enacting the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act, which requires the US Department of State to regularly review and update guidelines governing official US interactions with Taiwan. The new law, signed by US President Donald Trump yesterday, is an amendment to the Taiwan Assurance Act of 2020 focused on reviewing guidelines on US interactions with Taiwan. Previously, the department was required to conduct a one-time review of its guidance governing relations with Taiwan, but under the new bill, the agency must conduct such a review "not less than every five years." It must then submit an updated
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