North Korea’s Kim, Russia’s Putin reaffirm ties on Korean Liberation Day

-
By Hyeyoon Cho Reuters | Posted by TOE North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reaffirmed the deepening of ties with Russia in a message to President Vladimir ​Putin as Pyongyang marked the anniversary of independence from Japan’s ‌colonial rule, KCNA state news agency said on Sunday. Kim was replying to a message of congratulations from Putin marking Saturday’s 81st anniversary of Tokyo’s surrender in World War ​Two. The Russian leader said the bond was forged as ​Soviet soldiers fought against Japan and that cooperation would continue “in ⁠all the sectors”. The North Korean leader expressed hope for the future of ​ties that had “carried forward the history of common struggle for justice and ​precious traditions of friendship”. Pyongyang and Moscow have grown closer since the reclusive state began  deploying troops and weapons  to support Russia’s  war against Ukraine  in what has been Pyongyang’s most ​...
Post a Comment

650,000 refugees in South Sudan could lose food aid within weeks due to funding squeeze, say UN agencies

-

By Olivia Le Poidevin Reuters | Posted by TOE

More than 650,000 refugees ‌and asylum seekers in South Sudan risk losing food aid access within weeks due to a severe funding shortfall, potentially forcing some to return to war-torn Sudan in search of help, the U.N. warned on Friday.

South Sudan faces one of the ​world’s worst hunger crises, the World Food Programme and the U.N. refugee agency said. More than ​7.8 million people, over half the country’s population, are experiencing acute food insecurity, while ⁠2.2 million children are acutely malnourished.

It is also receiving about 3,000 refugees and returnees a week ​from neighbouring Sudan, where a conflict that erupted in 2023 has triggered one of the world’s largest displacement ​crises following mass killings, rape and deliberate starvation, according to the U.N.

The last food distributions for the most vulnerable 240,000 refugees in South Sudan — out of the 650,000 who had previously been receiving food support across the country — would be made ​in September unless new funding is secured urgently, the U.N. agencies said.

They are the last remaining refugee ​families receiving food support — which is already at half-rations — after WFP said it was forced to progressively scale back assistance ‌because ⁠of funding constraints.

“This is not a future scenario. It is sadly a reality that will hold within weeks,” Adham Effendi, WFP’s deputy country director in South Sudan, told reporters from Juba.

UNHCR Deputy Representative Mesfin Degefu said that if funding does not materialise, no refugees in South Sudan will be receiving food assistance from ​October.

Families are already reducing meals, ​selling belongings, withdrawing ⁠children from school and taking on debt to survive, Degefu said, while women and children face heightened risks of exploitation and abuse. Some refugees have already asked ​the agency to help facilitate returns, even though UNHCR does not consider conditions ​in Sudan ⁠safe for return.

Further cuts are expected unless it can bridge its $37 million funding gap for refugee operations between October and December. From October, food assistance for about 180,000 internally displaced people will cease, while by November some ⁠600,000 people ​living in famine-risk areas could lose life-saving support, Effendi said.

UNHCR, ​which has received only 28% of the $286 million it requires this year, said the funding squeeze also threatened efforts to help refugees ​become self-reliant through farming, vocational training and other livelihood programmes.



from The Times Of Earth https://ift.tt/oLGEUI0

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Myanmar earthquake death toll rises as fresh tremors further complicate rescue efforts

-
Image
A5.1-magnitude earthquake struck near Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, on Sunday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The tremor was part of a series of aftershocks following Friday’s devastating 7.7-magnitude earthquake, which resulted in the collapse of numerous buildings and significant infrastructure damage. The death toll has risen to over 1,600, with more than 3,400 individuals reported missing; these numbers are expected to increase as rescue operations continue. Foreign rescue teams and supplies arrived in Myanmar on Sunday to help the impoverished country cope with an earthquake that killed over 1,600 and left many near the epicentre scrambling for help without proper equipment. The 7.7-magnitude quake, one of Myanmar’s strongest in a century, jolted the Southeast Asian nation on Friday, leaving 1,644 people dead, 3,408 injured and 139 missing, the military government said. India, China and Thailand are among Myanmar’s neighbours that have sent relief ...
Read more

Israel says situation on Lebanon border ‘not sustainable’

-
By James Mackenzie Reuters  Israeli officials and media reacted with satisfaction on Monday after a  long-expected missile attack  by the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement appeared to have been largely thwarted by pre-emptive Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon. Both Hezbollah and Israel seemed content to let Sunday’s attack, in retaliation for the  killing of a senior Hezbollah commander  in Beirut last month, count as settled for the moment. Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer said Hezbollah had suffered a “crushing blow” from the Israeli strikes but that a longer lasting solution was still needed. “The current situation is not sustainable,” he told a briefing, referring to the tens of thousands evacuated from their homes in northern Israel, a situation mirrored on the other side of the border in southern Lebanon. “Israel will do its duty and return its population to our sovereign territory.” Hopes that children might return for the start of the ...
Read more