Workers stage sit-in before UN in Damascus condemning Adra massacre (SANA NEWS)

Damascus, (SANA)- Hundreds of workers staged a
sit-in before the UN Headquarters in Damascus condemning
the terrorist massacre perpetrated by the armed terrorist
groups against civilians in Adra, Damascus countryside.

In a letter sent to the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, the
workers denounced the silence of the UN and its organizations
towards the acts of terrorists against the Syrian labors.
They called on the UN, the international Labor organization to
immediately and actively intervene at the countries which
support the mercenaries in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey to
pressure those terrorists to halt the killing, slaughtering
against the Syrian workers in Adra or in any other places.

"The Syrian workers had a big part of the crimes of terrorists
through targeting them in their factories, companies and
transport means, houses, the latest of which was the terrorist
attack on Adra," participants in the sit-in said.
They added that the crime is a dishonor on the world's
civilized forehead where innocent workers are being killed by
takfiri thinking.

The workers concluded by saying that the fault of those who
were slaughtered that they had stood by the homeland and
worked hard to ensure the basic needs of Syrian citizen.
Gathering of "Syrians against terrorism and war"
condemns the act

Meanwhile, the gathering of "Syrians against terrorism and
war" strongly condemned the brutal acts of the terrorist groups
against unarmed civilians in Adra.
"Targeting the workers, employees is a terrorist crime which
exceeds all brutality of war crimes," the gathering said in a
statement, holding the international community responsible
for such terrorist crimes.
It called on the UN envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi to put
counter-terrorism as a priority in the works of Geneva
conference, considering that no political solution or life for
Syrians with the remaining of terrorism.

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28 children among 76 killed by Syria ‘barrel bombs’  (Arab News)

BEIRUT: Regime air raids using barrel bombs on rebel-controlled areas of Syria’s second city of Aleppo at the weekend killed at least 76 people, including 28 children, activists said on Monday.

The number of people “killed after the bombing of areas in the city of Aleppo with explosive-packed barrels yesterday (Sunday) rose to 76,” including “28 children and four women,” said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The Observatory said that one youth and 43 men had also been killed in the bombings, but did not specify whether any opposition fighters were among the casualties.A previous toll from the Observatory — which relies on a network of activists, lawyers and medics for its information — had put the number of killed at 36, among them 15 children.

The Aleppo Media Center, a network of activists on the ground, called the raids on the northern city “unprecedented.”The Local Coordination Committees, a network of pro-opposition activists, said military aircraft had dropped barrels packed with explosives on rebel-held areas of Aleppo.Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said the raids had targeted the Sakhur, Ard Al-Hamra and Haydariyeh areas of the capital.
Activists posted footage online from the aftermath of the raids in Aleppo, showing bulldozers clearing rubble from the streets as men searched for survivors in bombed-out buildings.The bombardment came a day after the Syrian Red Crescent delivered food and medicine to Aleppo central prison, which has been under rebel siege for eight months.
Earlier this week, the government announced an amnesty on humanitarian grounds for scores of prisoners held on criminal charges.More than 126,000 people have been killed in Syria since March 2011, and millions more have fled their homes.

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A wounded Syrian woman walks with her children following airstrikes on a rebel area of the war-torn northern city of Aleppo- BY Mohammed al-Khatieb -AFP

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Journalists hit by surge of attacks in Iraq’s Mosul (AFP)

MOSUL, Iraq: The north Iraq city of Mosul has become a nightmare
for journalists, with five killed since October with alleged impunity,
pushing some to flee the area or even the country.
Iraq has come in for repeated criticism over the lack of media
freedom and the number of unsolved killings of journalists.

But the series of attacks on journalists in Mosul, with the latest on
Sunday when gunmen shot dead TV presenter Nawras Al-Nuaimi, is
the worst to hit Iraq in years.
“I had to change my place of residence in Mosul and remain at my
(new) home without leaving, after the killings that affected a number
of my colleagues,” said journalist Salim Fadhel, 30.
“My colleagues left Mosul for the Kurdistan region with their
families, or for outside Iraq,” Fadhel said, referring to the
autonomous three-province region of north Iraq where attacks are
relatively rare compared to the rest of the country.
“There is a rumor in Mosul saying that armed groups issued a list of
names of 40 journalists who will be eliminated by them,” Fadhel
added.

Al-Nuaimi, a young presenter for Al-Mosuliyah TV, was the sixth
journalist to be killed in Iraq since October, of whom five died in
Mosul.

Her death came after that of Alaa Edwar, a Christian journalist
working for the Nineveh Al-Ghad television network, who was shot
dead in Mosul in November.

And Al-Mosuliyah cameraman Bashar Abdulqader Najm and two
journalists from Sharqiya television channel — correspondent
Mohammed Karim Al-Badrani and cameraman Mohammed Ghanem — were killed in Mosul in
October.

Mosul, the capital of Nineveh province, is one of the most dangerous cities in Iraq, with
militants frequently carrying out attacks and reportedly extorting money from shopkeepers.
And Iraq as a whole has come in for repeated criticism from media rights groups.
“Many Iraqi journalists are routinely exposed to threats, murder attempts, attacks, difficulties
obtaining permission, denial of access, confiscation of equipment and so on,” media rights
watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said earlier this year.
Another journalist, Kawa Ahmed Germyani, was shot dead earlier this month in front of his
mother in Iraq’s Kurdistan region.
Following that killing, RSF said it was “worried about the very dangerous climate for
journalists both in Iraqi Kurdistan and the rest of Iraq, and about the impunity enjoyed by
their attackers and killers.”

Ban Al-Obaidi, the Mosul representative of an Iraqi media rights group, said its efforts are
limited to issuing condemnations when attacks or other violations occur, “because of the lack
of interest of relevant government agencies.”
“Fifty journalists or media (employees) have been killed in the province of Nineveh at the
hands of unknown (people) since 2003,” and others have been wounded or disabled, she said.
“We are astonished by the weakness of the security forces and the local government, which
appear helpless in front of the killing and targeting of journalists that is happening without
them moving a finger to protect them,” said Fadhel.
Authorities should “at least arrest some of those who carry out killings, to find out who is
behind them,” he said.
Adhawi Al-Suaib, a member of the Nineveh provincial council’s culture committee, which is
responsible for handling issues related to journalists, admitted it is unable to protect them.
“We recognize our inability to do what is necessary to ensure journalists in Mosul are
protected,” Suaib told AFP.
“We are not even able to protect ourselves.”

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Israeli Soldier Shot Dead on the Lebanese Border with Occupied Palestine (Al manar.Lebnon)

A Lebanese soldier opened fire on an Israeli patrol in the area of Naqoura southern  Lebanon, killing an Israeli soldier. In response, the Israeli army launched flares over the area and flied helicopters.
Haaretz confirmed the death of the soldier on the Lebanese border and
said the army left the it to the Israeli officials to decide on the appropriate
response.

Al-Manar Website correspondent in the South reported that a general security post came
under fire from the Israeli side.
The Lebanese army denied reports that a soldier went missing Sunday night and of the
suspicion he was in Israeli hands.

A meeting is scheduled between Israeli and Lebanese officers at the UNIFIL headquarters.
According to the report, the Lebanese army is still investigating the incident but no formal
statement has been issued.
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said in statement that both sides were, "cooperating
with the United Nations ... to ascertain the facts," and he urged both sides to exercise
restraint.

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UN makes $6 . 5 billion appeal for Syria (Al Jazeera )

The worldwide appeal to help victims of the Syrian conflict is the largest ever UN appeal for a
single crisis .

The United Nations has appealed for a record $6.5 billion for Syria and its neighbours to help 16
million people, many of them hungry or homeless victims of a conflict that has lasted 33 months
with no end in sight .

The Syrian appeal accounted for half of an overall funding plan of $ 12.9 billion for 2014 to help 52
million people in 17 countries, announced by UN emergency relief coordinator Valerie Amos at a
meeting of donor countries in Geneva on Monday .

There are parts of country where for 22- 23 hours a day people aren ' t getting electricity. Fuel is
scarce . Even if the violence were to stop tomorrow we would have to maintain help on the
humanitarian front .

Valerie Amos, UN emergency relief coordinator.
" This is the largest amount we have ever had to request at the start of the year , " Amos told a
news conference , referring to the worldwide appeal.
The money requested for Syria, covering food, drinking water , shelter, education, health services
and polio vaccines , was the largest UN appeal ever for a single crisis .
More than 100, 000 people have been killed in a civil war that has uprooted millions of people,
devastated many cities and wreaked havoc on the economy and basic public services.
Syria' s currency has plummeted by 80 per cent since the revolt began in March 2011, and
destruction of the water network has left 10 million people - almost half the pre - war population -
relying on the UN to chlorinate water .
" There are parts of country where for 22- 23 hours a day people aren ' t getting electricity. Fuel is
scarce , " said Amos, who visited Damascus briefly on Saturday to meet ministers .
" Even if the violence were to stop tomorrow we would have to maintain help on the humanitarian
front , " she said .
Amos was cautious about chances of a breakthrough at peace talks between President Bashar al -
Assad' s government and his opponents that are scheduled to begin in Switzerland on January 22.
" Obviously the expectations have to be modest in this point of time , " she said.
Airlifts from Iraq

The UN estimates that 250, 000 Syrians are living under siege as winter bites, most of them
encircled by government forces, but also including 45, 000 in two towns in the north that are
besieged by anti - Assad rebels.

The United Nation' s Security Council issued a presidential statement on October 2 calling for
protection of civilians, demilitarisation of schools and hospitals , and improved access for aid
workers.

The UN started airlifting aid from Iraq on Sunday, as it was too dangerous to go by land , said
Antonio Guterres, head of the UN refugee agency .
The UN is seeking $2.3 billion to help 9.3 million people in Syria next year , compared with its
2013 appeal of $1.4 billion, of which only 62 percent has been received.
For five neighbouring countries - Egypt, Iraq , Jordan , Lebanon and Turkey - it is seeking $4.2
billion to assist up to 4 .1 million Syrian refugees and host communities who will be given food
aid , including cash or vouchers .
Its overall appeal for 2014 also includes aid to Sudan , South Sudan , Yemen, Democratic Republic
of Congo , Afghanistan and the Philippines.

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83 dead in aerial bombardments on Aleppo, Syria, opposition group says (CNN)

(CNN) -- At least 83 people died in aerial bombardments conducted
by government forces in Aleppo, Syria, Sunday, said the Local
Coordination Committees, an opposition group.
At least 27 children and eight women were among the dead, the
group said; it reported that 50 more people had sustained injuries in
the bombardments.

Helicopters dropped barrel bombs on 12 neighborhoods in the city,
where people have strongly backed rebels opposing the government
of President Bashar al-Assad.
The opposition organization says it is not the first time the Syrian
regime has dropped barrels filled with explosives on Aleppo
neighborhoods.

The LCC said 135 people died in total in the conflict on Sunday.
The United Nations estimates that more than 100,000
people have died since the Syrian conflict began in March
2011. Hundreds of thousands of civilians have also been
injured.
It began when government forces cracked down on
peaceful protesters during the Arab Spring movement, and
slowly spiraled into a bloody, full-blown civil war.
More than 2.3 million people have fled Syria, and another 4.25 million
Syrians have become refugees within their country since the civil war
began, according to an Amnesty International report released on
Friday.

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Army continues operations against armed terrorist groups in different provinces (SYRIAN ARAB NEWS AGENCY)

The army on Sunday achieved a big progress over the armed terrorist groups in several areas in the country, killing and injuring a number of terrorists and destroying their tools.

Army kills terrorists in Damascus countryside

Army units eliminated armed terrorist groups in Adra city, Douma, Rima farms and al-Dmair, destroying big amounts of weapons and ammunition.

Sources told SANA that an army unit eliminated an entire terrorist group and destroyed a heavy machinegun in Adra city. Mohammad Toumeh and Abdullah al-Nawwas have been identified among the dead terrorists.

20 terrorists have been killed in quality army operations against terrorist groups' dens near the Municipality roundabout and behind Hawa Mosque in Douma city, with the terrorist Alaa Salam identified among the killed terrorists.

A den for terrorists and a car, with the weapons and ammunition inside have been destroyed in Alia farms. Nine terrorists were killed, among them Adnan Anis.

The sources said that an army unit destroyed a den for terrorists in Erbin town and killed the terrorists inside, among them Ihsan Zarifa, as another units targeted Jabhat al-Nusra concentrations in Rima farms in Yabroud area, killing the terrorist Ayman Khouzai.

In al-Nabek, an army unit discovered amounts of weapons, ammunition, modern communication devices and materials for manufacturing explosives in a den for terrorists during mopping-up operations in the city.

The sources pointed out that several terrorists have been killed during army operations against their dens in al-Dmair farms, among them Firas al-Shaer, in addition to destroying large amounts of weapons and ammunition.

An army unit repelled an attempt of an armed terrorist group to attack a military checkpoint east of al-Dmair city in Damascus countryside, killing and injuring scores of its members.

Numbers of terrorists have been killed near al-Hasan Mosque in al-Qaboun neighborhood and the area surrounding al-Hussain Mosque in Barzeh neighborhood.

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Kilian Kleinschmidt- On Running the Zaatari Refugee Camp (SYRIA DEEPLY)

                                                             Kilian Klienschmidt in Za'atari refugee camp,Jordan

The kids of Za’atari. The kids, now 45,000 of them. Kids wherever you look. Kids around you when you walk. Kids when you shop in the souk. Kids hanging on water tankers looking for adventure. Kids with wheelbarrows carrying items to be smuggled. Kids selling phone cards. Kids playing counterstrike in the computer cafes. Kids screaming Allah-u-Akbar and making V signs. Kids running after your car. Kids throwing stones and tent pegs after you. Kids playing in child friendly spaces. Kids learning Tae Kwon Do. Kids playing soccer. Kids making music and painting. Kids dismantling fences when our backs are turned. 12,000 kids going to school. Kids crying when they are vaccinated.

When I close my eyes after a day of work in Za’atari, I see children. Children everywhere. And it’s only the children I remember as I try to sleep.

The kids bring a good and bad power to Za’atari. A positive and a negative energy. The ying and the yang. Some days I will remember the bad stories they have brought to me, but often there is one child that has made a difference. The one child who offered me friendship, a cup of tea or who held my hand.

But frequently there is a child that comes to me with a gruesome story. I have often said that I do not want to focus on this terrible stories. I cannot. If I focus on individual stories, and there are some truly horrific things these children have experienced, I will not be able to do my job as Camp Manager at Za’atari. If I focus on the individual stories and allow an individual story to affect me, I will become overwhelmed.

But rules are often broken, and this is a rule I have broken many times.

We can see all too clearly the scale of the crisis Syria is currently undergoing through the behavior of its children.  The moral, traditional and societal values of the community is unravelling. It is losing its bearings. And as the community has become dysfunctional – so have the children.

At times it feels as if 45,000 little souls are free floating bubbles in space erring through the 530 hectares of the Za’atari desert. They are searching for that landing spot where they can find peace and a protecting warm hand; looking for the hug many parents have forgotten to give.

Often just one handshake will bring a smile to a lost face, but too often all I see are faces that are hard, strong, angry and full of hate against a life, which has not been good to them. And that is unbelievably sad. We are losing a generation.

We believe that more than 2,000 kids have already reached a stage where they cannot be saved by a friendly smile, a place in school, a football game, or Tae Kwon Do lessons. They have checked out, moved on, and left their childhood far behind.

When faced with their criminal acts, we refer them to the juvenile police unit, when we can catch them that is. But we are avoiding them rather than confronting their problems, because they scare us with their violence. They need specialized help and focus.

The thousands of other children need many many hands to hold if we want to prevent them from reaching the next levels of violence and despair. But we do not have enough of those hands to offer. And this isn’t just about those of us who work at the camp. Only by working with the Syrians themselves can we manage to hold so many hands. Outreach on such a scale cannot be humanitarian but is a challenge the adult refugees have to take on as well. But they themselves are lost, hardened and angry.

Those who dream of a peaceful Syria in the future must invest in building the foundations of a functioning and a fully accountable society by the letting the children be children again. The Future of Syria report launched today by UNHCR  highlights that of the 680 shops in Za’atari, most of them employ children. This is unacceptable. Children shouldn’t be working. They must be given time and space to play and learn.

The children I see every day are incredible. They are innovative and they are resourceful, but they are also angry. And most importantly they are missing out on an education which will provide them with the skills so necessary for helping to rebuild the country they have been forced to leave behind. We must do everything we can to ensure as many children as possible are given all the attention and skills they need. Saving lives is not only about food, water and shelter – it’s about dignity.

http://beta.syriadeeply.org/op-eds/zaataris-manager-conflict/#.Uq7SpNIW3zk

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Britain should 'hang its head in shame' for failing Syrian refugees, says Amnesty International (THE INDEPENDENT)

The UK has been heavily criticised by a human rights charity for failing to resettle vulnerable Syrian refugees. Amnesty International said the Government should “hang its head in shame” for not opening its borders to the some of the millions of people displaced by continuing violence in Syria.

The UK is one of a number of EU countries who have offered no resettlement or humanitarian places, Amnesty added.

The Government says it has no plans to plans to resettle or provide temporary protection to Syrians, but would consider individual asylum claims.

Salil Shetty, Amnesty International secretary general, said: “Across the board European leaders should hang their heads in shame.”

He said the number of Syrians the EU is prepared to resettle is “truly pitiful”.

“The EU has miserably failed to play its part in providing a safe haven to the refugees who have lost all but their lives. The EU must open its borders, provide safe passage and halt these deplorable human rights violations.”

Earlier this week International Development Secretary Justine Greening said Britain would provide a further £60 million to help Syrian refugees get through the third winter of fighting.

Ms Greening said the cash will go towards winter tents, shelter materials, warm clothing and heaters for thousands of families, as well as clean water, food, heating fuel and healthcare for refugees in Syria and neighbouring countries.

She warned of fears that this will be “the worst winter yet” because of severe weather conditions and crowded refugee camps susceptible to rapid spread of life-threatening illnesses such as pneumonia.

The UK has committed £500 million to help those affected by the Syrian conflict - Britain's largest ever response to a humanitarian crisis.

Amnesty International said 55,000 refugees from Syria have managed to reach an EU country and claim asylum but many risk their lives to do so.

So far 10 member states have together offered 12,000 humanitarian places to those affected by the crisis - 0.5 per cent of the 2.3 million people who have fled Syria.

Germany has been the most generous, according to the charity, pledging to take 10,000 refugees.

France has offered just 500 places and Spain 30.

A Home Office spokesman said: “The UK has no plans to resettle or provide temporary protection to Syrians. Instead, we are giving as much help as possible to people in the region.

“We are one of the highest international donors to the Syrian relief effort - our £500 million pledged so far is more than the other EU member states combined.”

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Syrian helicopter bomb raids kill 36 in Aleppo - monitor (REUTERS)

(Reuters) - Thirty-six people, nearly half of them children, were killed on Sunday when Syrian army helicopters dropped improvised "barrel bombs" on the disputed northern city of Aleppo, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Video uploaded by local activists showed a fire in a narrow street covered in debris and dust after one air raid in the Karam el-Beik district. Another showed blackened and twisted wreckage of a vehicle at a busy roundabout.The Britain-based Observatory said at least 15 of the casualties on Sunday were children.

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