The United States (US) State Department said on Monday (Dec. 2) that it wanted to see a political process to end the civil war in Syria, which has been going on since 2012.

The United States (US) State Department said on Monday (Dec. 2) that it wanted to see a political process to end the civil war in Syria, which has been going on since 2012. Last week, rebel factions launched a large-scale surprise attack on areas controlled by President Bashar al-Assad's government and seized territory in the country's northwest region. The current offensive is being led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, known by its initials HTS. The US and the United Nations (UN) have designated the HTS as a terrorist organisation. '...want to end civil war once and for all' Addressing a routine press conference, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said, "In the immediate term, what we want to see are de-escalation and protection of civilians and minority groups. But our overall policy remains the same, is that we want to see a serious and credible political process to end this civil war once and for all, with a political settlement consistent with United Nations Security Council Resolution 2254." Also read | Kyiv blames Tehran, Moscow for Syria escalation as Islamists take on Assad "As you know, that resolution calls for a process facilitated by the United Nations where the Syrian regime and the opposition groups would negotiate a path forward for Syria. It's important that that path be Syrian-led and have a process that ultimately leads towards elections," Miller said. "That's what we want to see over the long term. But in the short term, we want to see a de-escalation of the situation and protection of civilians," he added. "Nothing has changed with respect to our policy. Assad is a brutal dictator with blood on his hands, the blood of innocent civilians inside Syria, blood of his own people on his hands. Ultimately, what we want to see is a political process forward, where the Syrian people get to determine who their leaders are," the State Department spokesperson further said. Over 400 killed in current offensive The rebel offensive, which began last week, has killed more than 400 people, including at least 72 civilians, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Nearly 50,000 people have fled their homes in recent days, the UN said Monday. The rebel factions seized large swathes of Syria, reversing years of gains by forces loyal to President Assad in the 12-year war. The HTS rules the country's last rebel bastion in the northwest. Last week, HTS and its rebel allies captured Syria's second city, Aleppo, and dozens of towns and villages from government control. (With inputs from agencies)

US says it wants to see 'political process' to end Syrian civil war following rebel offensive

Indian designer Ruchika Sachdeva won the womenswear 2017-2018 International Woolmark Prize held in Florence Wednesday.

She won the award for her label Bodice selected as the womenswear winner -- that addresses the issue of consumer waste in fashion with traditional techniques of recycling.

She has taken&nbsp;away the prize money of AU$200,000 (approximately Rs 1 crore) for her win.&nbsp;

After her victory, Ruchika said in a statement, &quot;This is a huge opportunity to expand on what I do and keep doing it and to get the chance to work with these retailers (like Harvey Nichols, Lane Crawford and mytheresa.com) is incredible.&quot;

Ruchika explained the conceptualisation of her brand by getting inspired by her grandmother&nbsp;who used to upcycle saris into quilts.

In the statement, Ruchika talks about her collaboration with hand weavers, how she encouraged them to take an unorthodox approach to traditional techniques, producing an elegant collection honouring Australian Merino wool and Indian artisans.&nbsp;

Ruchika for furthering her research in tackling consumer waste and finding appropriate recycling method, also worked with bio-dye&nbsp;in Sawantwadi, central India, which makes all its colours from natural sources.

In the statement, she explains how the colour palette of navy and forest green mixed with pink and green pastels contains natural dyes and are safe for the skin - a nod to the ancient practices of Ayurveda.

Completing the label&#39;s holistic approach, Bodice sourced buttons from renewable sources of coconut shell, seashell and wood.

The award was judged by a panel including Amber Valletta, Elizabeth Von Guttman, Emanuele Farneti, Julie Davies, Livia Firth, Liya Kebede, Miroslava Duma, Nonita Kalra, Phillip Lim, Riccardo Vannetti, Sarah Mower and Stuart McCullough along with representatives from the International Woolmark Prize retail partner network.

In the menswear category, Matthew Miller from the British Isles won, while the US-based DYNE was announced the winner of the inaugural Innovation Award.

Indian womenswear designer Ruchika Sachdeva of Bodice and British menswear designer Matthew Miller took home the International Woolmark Prize and AU$200,000 as prize money

Indian designer Ruchika Sachdeva won the womenswear 2017-2018 International Woolmark Prize held in Florence Wednesday. She won the award for her label Bodice selected as the womenswear winner -- that addresses the issue of consumer waste in fashion with traditional techniques of recycling. She has taken away the prize money of AU$200,000 (approximately Rs 1 crore) for her win. After her victory, Ruchika said in a statement, "This is a huge opportunity to expand on what I do and keep doing it and to get the chance to work with these retailers (like Harvey Nichols, Lane Crawford and mytheresa.com) is incredible." Ruchika explained the conceptualisation of her brand by getting inspired by her grandmother who used to upcycle saris into quilts. In the statement, Ruchika talks about her collaboration with hand weavers, how she encouraged them to take an unorthodox approach to traditional techniques, producing an elegant collection honouring Australian Merino wool and Indian artisans. Ruchika for furthering her research in tackling consumer waste and finding appropriate recycling method, also worked with bio-dye in Sawantwadi, central India, which makes all its colours from natural sources. In the statement, she explains how the colour palette of navy and forest green mixed with pink and green pastels contains natural dyes and are safe for the skin - a nod to the ancient practices of Ayurveda. Completing the label's holistic approach, Bodice sourced buttons from renewable sources of coconut shell, seashell and wood. The award was judged by a panel including Amber Valletta, Elizabeth Von Guttman, Emanuele Farneti, Julie Davies, Livia Firth, Liya Kebede, Miroslava Duma, Nonita Kalra, Phillip Lim, Riccardo Vannetti, Sarah Mower and Stuart McCullough along with representatives from the International Woolmark Prize retail partner network. In the menswear category, Matthew Miller from the British Isles won, while the US-based DYNE was announced the winner of the inaugural Innovation Award.

Designer Ruchika Sachdeva makes India proud, wins International Woolmark Prize

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US says it wants to see 'political process' to end Syrian civil war following rebel offensive

Designer Ruchika Sachdeva makes India proud, wins International Woolmark Prize