Syrian refugees top 700,000, U.N. struggling to cope

Syrian refugees wait to receive aid at the Al Zaatri Syrian refugee camp in MafraqGENEVA (Reuters) – More than 700,000 Syrian refugees have fled to other countries in the region and aid workers are struggling to keep up with the exodus, the United Nations said on Tuesday. The number of refugees passed the 500,000 mark on Dec 11, meaning more than 200,000 have fled the war-torn country in the past seven weeks. "We have seen an unrelenting flow of refugees across all borders. We are running double shifts to register people," Sybella Wilkes, spokeswoman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), told Reuters in Geneva. …

Sharon’s brain scans show leaps in science of comas

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon looks on during meeting in JerusalemLONDON (Reuters) – The state-of-the-art brain scans that allowed doctors to look inside the head of former Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon show how advances in neuroscience are forcing a rethink of what it means to be in a long-term coma. Neurologists who performed the tests said they hinted that Sharon, who has been in a coma since suffering a stroke in 2006, may have a degree of consciousness and be able to hear sounds or make out pictures. …

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