“Fail” Grade for UN on Syria: Aid Agencies

With friends like the UN Security Council, who needs…

21 Humanitarian and human rights organizations say warring parties and powerful states have failed to implement UNSC resolutions leading to “worst year” of crisis for civilians in Syria. —Report

Despite the unanimous adoption of Resolution 2139 by the UN Security Council—the body responsible for international peace and security—at the end of February 2014, which “called for an urgent increase in access to humanitarian aid in Syria and demanded that all parties immediately cease attacks against civilians, end arbitrary detention, kidnapping and torture, and lift sieges of populated areas,” says the report, “civilians in Syria have witnessed ever-increasing destruction, suffering and death.”

In the 12 months since Resolution 2139 was passed, humanitarian needs have increased by nearly a third compared with 2013.

People are not protected – Aid access has not improved – Humanitarian needs have increased

• More than 11.6 million people are now in urgent need of clean water and nearly ten million people do not have enough to eat.

• More than 4.8 million people live in areas defined by the UN as “hard to reach,” 2.3 million more than in 2013.

• In December 2013 UNICEF declared that there were 4.3 million children in need of humanitarian assistance inside Syria.  By December 2014 this number had risen to 5.6 million, a 31 percent increase since 2013.

• More than 212,000 people are still living in besieged locations, including 163,500 in Eastern Ghouta, and over 4.8 million reside in areas that aid agencies operating from inside Syria can either reach only sporadically or in many locations not at all.

• In 2014, some 76,000 people were reportedly killed in the conflict out of a total of at least 220,000 deaths over four years.

“The bitter reality is that the Security Council has failed to implement its resolutions. Last year was the darkest year yet in this horrific war. Parties to the conflict have acted with impunity and ignored the Security Council’s demands, civilians are not protected and their access to relief has not improved,” said Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council.

M5.1 Quake Strikes ESE of Fukushima NPP

Menacing quake strike offshore Fukushima, Japan

Centered at 37.342°N, 141.551°E, about 45km ESE of Fukushima DAIICHI Nuclear Power Plant, the quake occurred at a depth of about 40km, said USGS/EHP.

EQ Details

Magnitude: 5.1Mw
Event Time: 2015-03-12 at 11:02:40 (UTC)
Nearby Cities:

• 51km (32mi) ESE of Namie, Japan
• 67km (42mi) ENE of Iwaki, Japan
• 86km (53mi) E of Funehiki, Japan
• 94km (58mi) NE of Kitaibaraki, Japan
• 247km (153mi) NE of Tokyo, Japan

Related Seismicity
Magnitude: 5.2Mw
Location 13.104°N, 145.527°E; depth=42.8 km
Event Time: 2015-03-12 at 07:50:03(UTC)
Nearby Cities: 93km (58mi) ESE of Hagatna, Guam

FIRE-EARTH Earthquake Forecasts for California and Japan

FIRE-EARTH Science Team has suspended its research on California seismicity to protest Internet censorship, Google’s manipulation of information, theft of FIRE-EARTH intellectual property as well as other reasons that have previously been stated on this blog.

The Team has suspended its research also on Japan seismicity due to the resurgence of militarism in that country and other reasons, as listed earlier.

Related Links

• Another Strong Quake Strikes NE Coast of Honshu, Japan February 21, 2015
• Strong Earthquake Strikes East of Iwate, Japan February 20, 2015
• Powerful Earthquake Strikes East Coast of Japan February 17, 2015
• Strong Earthquake Strikes near Kuji, Japan February 17, 2015