Gaza in the toss of man-made food crisis, 300,000 at risk of death, says UN-backed monitor
In all, 1.1 million Gazans, around half the population, were experiencing “catastrophic” shortages of food, the worst category, with around 300,000 in the areas now facing the prospect of famine-scale death rates.
Eight SADC peacekeepers wounded by M23 rebels in DR Congo’s war theatre in the east
Neither MONUSCO Head Bintou Keita nor the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General’s spokesman gave details of the wounded soldiers apart from saying they were deployed as part of Operation Springbok to protect civilians in North Kivu.
Counterterrorism: US plans in Sahel region in disarray after Niger ends military cooperation
Niger had been seen as one of the last nations in the restive region that Western nations could partner with to beat back growing jihadi insurgencies. The US and France had more than 2,500 military personnel in the region until recently, and together with other European countries had invested hundreds of millions of dollars in military assistance and training.
UNICEF estimates over 13,000 children have been killed in Gaza in Israel offensive
Israel’s military assault on Hamas-governed Gaza has displaced nearly its entire 2.3 million-person population, caused a starvation crisis, flattened most of the enclave, and killed over 31,000 people, according to Gaza’s health ministry. It has also led to accusations of genocide being probed in the World Court.
South Sudan shuts down schools as it prepares for an extreme heatwave that’ll last two weeks
The World Food Programme in its latest country brief said South Sudan “continues to face a dire humanitarian crisis” due to violence, economic instability, climate change and an influx of people fleeing the conflict in neighbouring Sudan. It also stated that 818,000 vulnerable people were given food and cash-based transfers in January.
Pharmacist says Covid vaccine trials were biased and Pfizer, Moderna efficacies were exaggerated
In winter-spring 2021, when vaccine uptake was robust but limited to the elderly, vaccinated people were as a group much older than the unvaccinated and were experiencing just half the younger generation’s infection rate. This would tend to make the vaccines appear more effective at preventing infection than they were.
Integrity issues emerge after billion-dollar Jewish Communal Fund bars donations to Jewish group
A donor-advised fund is a philanthropic innovation that provides donors with significant tax advantages relative to their charitable contributions. By giving to a donor-advised fund, someone can immediately write off the entire amount of their donation, even while the money sits in the fund. When the donor has identified an organisation they wish to support, the donor directs the fund to transfer the money, much as one would with a bank account.
Putin shocks world with landslide win in Russia poll West says was not free and fair
First official results indicated the polls were accurate. The United States, Germany, the United Kingdom and other nations have said the vote was neither free nor fair due to the imprisonment of political opponents and censorship.
African Development Bank chief Adesina criticises opaque loans tied to Africa’s natural resources
Akiwumi Adesina said loans secured with natural resources pose a challenge for development banks like his and the International Monetary Fund, which promote sustainable debt management. Countries may struggle to get or repay loans from these institutions because they have to use the income from their natural resources — typically crucial to their economies — to pay off resource-tied debts, he said.
Looming Armageddon: Putin warns America and allies Russia is ‘technically ready’ for nuclear war
Putin’s nuclear warning came alongside another offer for talks on Ukraine as part of a new post-Cold War demarcation of European security. The US says Putin is not ready for serious talks over Ukraine.
