As Syria approaches the 10-year mark in its civil war next month, the United Nations says the nation’s youngest generation is suffering most, as millions of children suffer malnourishment, stunted growth, and a lack of schooling. “More than half a million children under 5 in Syria suffer from stunting as a result of chronic malnutrition, according to our latest assessments,” U.N. Humanitarian Chief Mark Lowcock said Thursday in his monthly briefing to the Security Council on the situation. “We fear this number will increase,” he said. Lowcock said stunting is especially bad in the northwest and the northeast of the country, where data show that in some areas, up to one in three children suffers from impaired growth and development due to poor nutrition and recurrent illnesses. The effects of stunting are irreversible. Last week, Lowcock spoke with a group of Syrian doctors. At one pediatric hospital, the physicians said malnourished children occupy half of the facility’s 80 beds. In the past two months, five children have died from malnutrition. “Another pediatrician told me that she diagnoses malnutrition in up to 20 children a day,” Lowcock said. “But parents are bringing their children to her for completely different reasons, unaware that they are suffering from malnutrition. Malnutrition, she said, has become so normal that parents cannot spot the signs in their own children.” Neglect Drives Child Labor in Syria Millions of displaced Syrian children work difficult, dangerous jobs just to survive Robbed of childhoods In a decade of war, Syria’s youngest citizens have known nothing but conflict and suffering. They are among the millions of internally displaced and refugees; young girls have been married off in their teens, and boys have been recruited to fight. Children have been physically and psychologically wounded from the violence of war — both perpetrated on them and in front of them. Thousands have been killed. ...
New technology in the civil war
Papua New Guinea’s Michael Somare, ‘Father of the Nation,’ Dies at 84
SYDNEY - Papua New Guinea's first prime minister, Michael Somare, has died at 84, his daughter said Friday. Known as the "father of the nation," Somare led the Pacific archipelago to independence from Australia in 1975 and served four times as prime minister. He had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in early February, his daughter, Betha Somare, said in a statement. She said many Papua New Guineans had embraced her father as their own "father and grandfather." Before independence, Somare was the chief minister of the Australian-administered territory of Papua New Guinea. He most recently served as the country's leader briefly in 2011. PNG is a mountainous and sprawling nation rich in resources and minerals, including oil and gas and gold and copper. Linguistically diverse, it is one of the largest island economies in the South Pacific, although it has faced economic hardship and internal conflict, most notably during the decade-long civil war in the region of Bougainville that claimed as many as 20,000 lives before ending in 1998. PNG Prime Minister James Marape said the former leader was now at rest from the "pain and toils of life." "Our nation honors this great leader, the founding and longest serving prime minister of our country," Marape said in a statement, appealing for a week of silence, peace and calm as the country pays its respects. "He is unmatched by anyone of us who comes after him," he added. Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison wrote in a tweet on Friday that Somare was the founding father of a democratic and independent PNG and "great friend" to Australia. ...
Whitney Young Jr.: An unsung hero of the civil rights movement
close Video America Together - Black History Month - Family of Whitney M. Young Jr. Whitney Young Jr. may not be as well-known as some of the towering figures of the civil rights movement, but he had just as much impact, if not more. While the 1960s raged with unrest, riots and protests, Young, as head of the National Urban League, took the battle to corporate boardrooms and civic meetings. He was one of the era's unsung heroes: a bridge builder. "He preferred to diffuse situations using humor to find common ground," his daughter Dr. Marcia Cantarella said. BEN WATSON: BLACK HISTORY MONTH – FAMILY AND FAITH CONTINUE TO INSPIRE, SUSTAIN AFRICAN AMERICANS In an interview with Fox News as part of Black History Month, Cantarella talked about how her father worked with former President Lyndon B. Johnson crafting the War on Poverty bill. It was like two buddies getting together. "I'm absolutely sure that he sat with Lyndon Johnson, they told a couple of jokes. They had a shot of bourbon. And they did the work," she said. Young's legacy lives on in his daughter. Cantarella is a corporate executive who later became an associate dean at Princeton University. She considers herself fortunate being born into a family where the focus was always on excellence and high achievement. It's a philosophy Young worked to disperse throughout the entire Black community from the very beginning. SELMA'S 'BLOODY SUNDAY': WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE MARCH FOR CIVIL RIGHTS Cantarella, one of Young's two daughters, was born in Minneapolis where her father honed his skills as a powerbroker. Hubert Humphrey was then the mayor of Minneapolis and would later become vice president under Johnson. Young led the local Urban League in the city and as an example of how he preferred a quiet factual approach to change, he studied foot the traffic of African Americans in the major department store. He presented a cost-benefit ...
Michigan Reports 1,388 New COVID-19 Cases, 48 Deaths Thursday
MICHIGAN (CBS DETROIT) – The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services announced 1,388 coronavirus cases in the state and an additional 48 deaths Thursday. The deaths announced Thursday includes 30 deaths identified during a Vital Records review. READ MORE: BorgWarner Donates $1,025,000 To Kettering University To Support Opportunities For Minorities This brings the state total of COVID-19 cases to 585,352 and 15,453 deaths as of Feb. 25. READ MORE: Stimulus Check Latest: Will Your Next Relief Payment Be $1,400? In the state as of Feb. 19, there has been a total of 529,080 recovered cases of COVID-19. MORE NEWS: Michigan Matters: Fighting for Inclusion, Detroit's Place in Civil Rights History For the latest numbers, visit here . They are updated daily with coronavirus updates included as of 3 p.m. © 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Related ...
1 in 5 supports reparations in new poll
Twenty percent of Americans say in a new poll they support reparations but an overwhelming majority still opposes payments meant to address the legacy of slavery and tackle the persistent wealth gap between Black and white Americans. The Reuters/Ipsos poll released Thursday found that 1 in 5 respondents said the U.S. should use “taxpayer money to pay damages to descendants of enslaved people in the United States.” The results were sharply divided along partisan lines, with 80 percent of Republicans saying they’re opposed to reparations while about a third of Democrats said they are supportive. The results were also split among races, with 10 percent of white respondents supporting the idea and half of Black respondents backing it. ADVERTISEMENT Supporters said the payments would recognize the lingering effects of slavery and the systemic racism that still plagues the country. The U.S. has paid reparations in the past, paying money to Japanese Americans interned during World War II. The new poll comes amid shifting perceptions on race amid rising protests over racism and police brutality in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody last month. A separate Reuters/Ipsos poll found that 72 percent of Americans understood “why Black Americans do not trust the police,” up 17 points from a similar poll in 2015, and 59 percent said police were too violent when dealing with people suspected of crimes, up 15 points from 2016. Congress has begun grappling with reparations, with Democrats introducing a bill in 2019 to establish a commission to examine the impacts of slavery in the U.S. and recommend ways to compensate the descendants of slaves. That legislation has languished in Congress. Former Vice President Joe Biden Joe Biden Biden 'disappointed' in Senate parliamentarian ruling but 'respects' decision Taylor Swift celebrates House passage of Equality Act Donald Trump Jr. calls Bruce Springsteen's ...
