Syrian children have experienced the deadliest year in 2018, with more than 1,100 killed by the war, the United Nations said, as a conference on the devastating conflict kicked off on Tuesday in Brussels.
The UN children's agency (Unicef) warned that at least three children were killed every day last year, adding the toll to 1,106, the highest annual figure since the fighting broke out in 2011.
But it stressed that the numbers are likely to be much higher.
“These are the numbers that we as Unicef and the UN have been able to verify. We can assume that the actual number of children killed is likely much higher,” Geert Cappelaere, Unicef’s regional director for the Middle East and North Africa.
Syria’s war has killed an estimated half a million people and driven about 5.6 million people out of the country. An additional 6.6 million who are in the country have lost or fled their homes.
“We cannot allow ourselves to be fooled by claims of military victory,” Mr Cappelaere said, adding that 4 million children are estimated to have been born inside Syria and one million born in refugee hosting countries.
“Since 2011, five million children whose entire life has been war. Nothing but war,” he said during a press conference in Beirut.
Exploded ordnance accounted for 434 deaths and injuries last year, the agency said.
Since January about 60 children have died trying to get to Al Hol camp in northeastern Syria, which is now home to more than 65,000 people fleeing ISIS.
“In Al Hol camp alone, we estimate that close to 3,000 children of foreign nationality are living in extremely dire conditions,” Mr Cappelaere said.
Civilians have found refuge in Al Hole camp as the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) barricaded ISIS’s last territorial rule at the besieged village of Baghouz near the Iraqi border.
The UN agency estimates that 90 per cent of civilians inside the camp are children and women.
"Al Hol is meant to host a maximum of 20,000 people. Today more than 65,000 have to be accommodated. I can tell you that the harsh winter has been hitting them hard, particularly on women and children in the camp," Mr Cappaerlaere said.
Syrian children face a bleak future and are at risk being stateless, he warned.
Almost every day in 2018, a school or a health facility has been targeted, preventing children from going to school.
“They are prevented from benefitting from education, benefitting from much needed health services,” Mr Cappelaere said.
The UN has expressed concern about the intensification of violence and harsh living conditions for children around the country.
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Abramovich London
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Grand Slam Los Angeles results
Men:
56kg – Jorge Nakamura
62kg – Joao Gabriel de Sousa
69kg – Gianni Grippo
77kg – Caio Soares
85kg – Manuel Ribamar
94kg – Gustavo Batista
110kg – Erberth Santos
Women:
49kg – Mayssa Bastos
55kg – Nathalie Ribeiro
62kg – Gabrielle McComb
70kg – Thamara Silva
90kg – Gabrieli Pessanha
The biog
Name: Younis Al Balooshi
Nationality: Emirati
Education: Doctorate degree in forensic medicine at the University of Bonn
Hobbies: Drawing and reading books about graphic design
UK's plans to cut net migration
Under the UK government’s proposals, migrants will have to spend 10 years in the UK before being able to apply for citizenship.
Skilled worker visas will require a university degree, and there will be tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.
But what are described as "high-contributing" individuals such as doctors and nurses could be fast-tracked through the system.
Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English.
Rules will also be laid out for adult dependants, meaning they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the language.
The plans also call for stricter tests for colleges and universities offering places to foreign students and a reduction in the time graduates can remain in the UK after their studies from two years to 18 months.
Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest
Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.
Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.
Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.
Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.
Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.
Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia
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ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, semi-final result:
Liverpool 4-0 Barcelona
Liverpool win 4-3 on aggregate
Champions Legaue final: June 1, Madrid