The media constantly moves on, forgetting crises when they are no longer news worthy. 

A record 12.4 million Syrians – nearly 60 percent of the population – are now food insecure, according to the UN World Food Programme (WFP). 

In just over one year, an additional 4.5 million Syrians have become food insecure.  the number of people who are severely food insecure – meaning they cannot survive without food assistance – has doubled in just one year to stand at 1.3 million people. Unless urgent action is taken, an additional 1.8 million people are at risk of falling into severe food insecurity.

“The situation has never been worse. After ten years of conflict, Syrian families have exhausted their savings as they face a spiralling economic crisis,” said WFP Representative and Country Director in Syria Sean O’Brien. It is alarming that a simple meal is beyond the reach of families across Syria, and this new data shows humanitarian assistance is the difference between putting a meal on the table and going to bed hungry. Lifesaving support has never been so crucial,” said O’Brien.

An economic crisis, job losses as a result of COVID-19 and soaring food prices have added to the plight of Syrians who have been displaced and worn down by a decade of conflict. Each month WFP provides lifesaving food assistance to almost 5 million of Syria’s most vulnerable people. For many, this is the only food they eat each month.

Basic foods to feed a family for a month – bread, rice, lentils and oil and sugar- now cost at least 120,000 Syrian Pounds which far exceeds the average salaries. Over the last year food prices across Syria have soared, and the price of basic items has increased by 236 percent, just as the value of the Syrian Pound has plummeted. On average, the price of oil has increased from 1000 Syrian pounds in Jan 2020, to 5000 Syrian pounds in Jan 2021. Parents now report making desperate decisions to survive, eating less food so they can feed their children, going into debt, and selling assets and livestock to generate an income. In addition, close to 50% of the Syrian population report having lost one or more sources of income because of the economic downturn and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Twelve million Syrians now in the grip of hunger, worn down by conflict and soaring food prices – Syrian Arab Republic | ReliefWeb

 Towering Injustice

Forty four months since Grenfell burned, and still

Too many tenants in too many towers

Sleep one eye open through the early hours

For when the shrill fire alarm isn’t a drill.

The wall beyond the curtain’s not secure,

Cheaply dressed, just for appearance sake,

But allows the damp or the flame to take

And negates even the means to insure.

Capital builders will promote facades

To try and disguise what’s shoddy behind,

Sure the poor should be too grateful to mind:

Where profit fails, frustrated need pervades.

People remain disgruntled, yet resigned,

Until, that is, the working class abraids.

D. A.

 Towering Injustice

Forty four months since Grenfell burned, and still

Too many tenants in too many towers

Sleep one eye open through the early hours

For when the shrill fire alarm isn’t a drill.

The wall beyond the curtain’s not secure,

Cheaply dressed, just for appearance sake,

But allows the damp or the flame to take

And negates even the means to insure.

Capital builders will promote facades

To try and disguise what’s shoddy behind,

Sure the poor should be too grateful to mind:

Where profit fails, frustrated need pervades.

People remain disgruntled, yet resigned,

Until, that is, the working class abraids.

D. A.

Migrants are needed to stop population decline in Scotland, a new report has found.

New Zealand’s birthrate dropped to its lowest ever level in 2020, well below the population replacement rate of 2.1. The country’s declining birthrate is in line with trends seen in Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, Japan and the US, among others.

The country’s total fertility rate dropped to 1.61 births per woman of child-bearing age (15–49 years), the latest fall in a decade-old trend.

Most babies registered in 2020 were conceived before New Zealand moved to Covid-19 lockdown on 25 March last year, said Hamish Slack at Statistics NZ.

“Fertility rates in New Zealand were relatively stable between 1980 and 2012, but have generally decreased since then,” said Slack. “Since 2013, the number of women of reproductive age has increased by 11% and the number of births has decreased by 2%.”

In 2020, there were 57,753 live births registered in New Zealand, down 2,064 (3%) from the previous year.

Demographer Prof Paul Spoonley from Massey University forecasts for the next 20 years indicated many families would have either one child or be childless.

He said “The results of the demographic transition which we’re going through now is something we’ve never encountered before,” he said. “We’ve never had a society in which one in four people is aged over 65, for example. It is unprecedented.”

New Zealand birthrate sinks to its lowest ever | New Zealand | The Guardian

New Zealand’s birthrate dropped to its lowest ever level in 2020, well below the population replacement rate of 2.1. The country’s declining birthrate is in line with trends seen in Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, Japan and the US, among others.

The country’s total fertility rate dropped to 1.61 births per woman of child-bearing age (15–49 years), the latest fall in a decade-old trend.

Most babies registered in 2020 were conceived before New Zealand moved to Covid-19 lockdown on 25 March last year, said Hamish Slack at Statistics NZ.

“Fertility rates in New Zealand were relatively stable between 1980 and 2012, but have generally decreased since then,” said Slack. “Since 2013, the number of women of reproductive age has increased by 11% and the number of births has decreased by 2%.”

In 2020, there were 57,753 live births registered in New Zealand, down 2,064 (3%) from the previous year.

Demographer Prof Paul Spoonley from Massey University forecasts for the next 20 years indicated many families would have either one child or be childless.

He said “The results of the demographic transition which we’re going through now is something we’ve never encountered before,” he said. “We’ve never had a society in which one in four people is aged over 65, for example. It is unprecedented.”

New Zealand birthrate sinks to its lowest ever | New Zealand | The Guardian

 The Common Sense Group of Conservative MPs has proposed that the 1,761 recipients of the Victoria Cross and George Cross be immortalised with a statue in their place of birth. 

The Common Sense Group’s campaign has been warmly greeted by both the culture secretary, Oliver Dowden, who said he “looked forward to discussing these ideas further”

Sir John Hayes, the chair of the Common Sense Group,  “Tragically, too many who have given and achieved so much have been all but forgotten. In many places, locals may be unaware that they tread in the footsteps of heroes. Which is why the Common Sense Group has launched a campaign to honour every recipient of the VC and GC through the erection of a statue, immortalising them in their place of birth. Where this is not practically possible, these heroes could be recognised by a plaque or have a public building, park or road named or renamed after them.”

More war hero statues ‘wholly retrograde’ move, says UK women’s group | Heritage | The Guardian

 In Colombia, Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP), which was set up as part of the peace process after the left-wing Farc rebels signed the 2016 peace deal with the government. The JEP is a transitional court system which was put in place for a period of 10 years to try all participants in the conflict, be they rebels or state members. Those who admit to their crimes up front will avoid jail time, but will be required to contribute in other ways to reconciliation – such as participating in programmes to remove landmines, build key infrastructure or construct monuments.

 Mexico has made a plea at the UN security council for countries to stop hoarding vaccines against Covid-19 as poorer ones fall behind in the race to vaccinate their citizens.

Three-quarters of the first doses have been administered to citizens in only 10 countries while in more than 100 countries no vaccines have been applied at all.

 “We urge countries to avoid hoarding vaccines and accelerate the first stages of Covax deliveries, to give priority to countries with fewer resources,” Ebrard said. “It is urgent to act, to reverse the injustice that is being committed because the security of all humanity depends on it,” Ebrard said.

So far no vaccines have been distributed under the global Covax initiative. Officials from the Pan American Health Organization said on Wednesday that countries could expect confirmation of their Covax vaccine shipments soon, although the first batches were expected to be small.

Mexico calls on rich countries not to hoard coronavirus vaccines | Mexico | The Guardian

 Malnutrition in children has risen across India in recent years. Most Indian women are anaemic and poor women, especially so. And since undernourished mothers give birth to undernourished babies, experts say the worsening rate of malnutrition could be a result of women struggling to access nutrition benefits.

India’s latest National Family Health Survey (NFHS), which shows that children in several states are more undernourished now than they were five years ago, is based on data collected in 2019-20. The survey was conducted in only 22 states before the onset of the pandemic – so experts fear the results will be much worse in the remaining states, where the survey began after the lockdown ended.

In Dahod, a rural and largely tribal district in India’s western state of Gujarat, has seen a steep rise in the proportion of undernourished children compared with 2015-16, when the last survey was conducted. Stunting among children under five in Dahodis up from 44% to 55%. And the proportion of severely underweight children in the district has risen from 7.8% to 13.4%.

Many families in Dahod migrate to cities to eke out a better living. But that also means being left out of massive government schemes that are mostly delivered at local level – so benefits aren’t easily transferred across districts or states. This is despite the fact that there are three different schemes offering maternity and nutrition benefits to women in Gujarat.

Experts say “exclusion” is one of the main reasons for rising malnutrition levels across India. While migration creates geographical exclusion, bureaucracy and its need for documentation creates a form of social and economic exclusion.

Aadhar, the biometric government ID scheme, is a must-have for accessing nearly every social welfare programme in India. But a system that was meant to serve the poor more swiftly has often been accused of failing them. The poor have complained that linking the ID to their bank accounts or updating it with new information – such as when they migrate for work – involves multiple trips to government offices that they cannot afford. Despite the existence of government schemes, many women are unable to access them because of a lack of documents.

Malnutrition is rising across India – why? – BBC News