6 new deep sea species
receiving children injured with the cluster bomb shrapnel. The hospital can do nothing. They are totally paralysed.”
Nick Finney, Save the Children’s NorthWest Syria director, said: “The children in East Aleppo are injured, distressed, malnourished and weak.
“They are hiding by day from the ongoing attacks and facing temperatures of -4°C at night with no fuel to keep warm. They must be evacuated today without any further delays to areas where we can reach them with aid and support.”
ADVANCE
The evacuation plan came after two weeks of rapid advances by the Syrian army and allies. Insurgents retreated to an eversmaller pocket of the city under intense air strikes and artillery fire. Rebels have been backed by the US, Turkey and Gulf monarchies, but that support has fallen far short of the direct military assistance given to Assad by Russia and Iran.
Moscow’s decision to deploy its air force to Syria 18 months ago turned the war in Assad’s favour after rebel advances across western Syria. The government and its allies have focused the bulk of their firepower on fighting rebels in western Syria rather than Islamic State. This week IS managed to take back the ancient city of Palmyra.
The ambassadors of Russia and Iran were yesterday summoned to the Foreign Office in London over the situation in Syria.
Carla del Ponte, a UN investigator and former prosecutor, said the Russian and Syrian bombing of homes, hospitals and schools amounted to war crimes. SIX new species have been discovered at a place called Dragon’s Breath in the depths of the Indian Ocean.
They were found at the Longqi hydrothermal vents, 2,000km south-east of Madagascar and 3km down.
The University of Southampton team said they were a species of hairy-chested Hoff crab and two types of snails and worms, plus a species of limpet.
Dr Jon Copley said in journal Scientific Reports: “Our results highlight the need to explore other vents in the Indian Ocean.”