The entire United Nations Security Council is doing something about the increasingly horrific situation in Syria. In a Thursday afternoon press release, the body of 15 countries demanded that Syria "allow immediate, full and unimpeded access of humanitarian personnel to all populations in need of assistance, in accordance with international law and guiding principles of humanitarian assistance." What makes this news especially important is the inclusion of Russia and China. As The Associated Press notes, the two countries had previously vetoed "two resolutions condemning the Syrian government's bloody crackdown and calling for President Bashar Assad to step down."

It's unclear if the two countries would now support the more aggressive intervention or if Syria will respond, but the United Nation's gesture is another hopeful sign that the world will no longer stand by idly as Assad's regime kills civilians and foreign journalists. In more positive news, French president Nicolas Sarkozy confirmed Thursday that injured journalists Edith Bouvier and William Daniels have safely made it to Lebanon.

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Adam Clark Estes