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☆ The Year in Pictures 2022
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( The New York Times | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +57 min

Every year, starting in early fall, photo editors at The New York Times begin sifting through the year’s work in an effort to pick out the most startling, most moving, most memorable pictures. But 2022 undoubtedly belongs to the war in Ukraine, a conflict now settling into a worryingly predictable rhythm. Erin Schaff/The New York Times “When you’re standing on the ground, you can’t visualize the scope of the destruction. Jim Huylebroek for The New York Times Kyiv, Ukraine, Feb. 25. We see the same images over and over, and it’s really hard to make anything different.” Kyiv, Ukraine, Feb 26.

MEXICO CITY, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Climate change will accelerate humanitarian crises around the world in 2023, adding to the issues created by armed conflict and economic downturns, according to a study by the NGO International Rescue Committee (IRC). Climate change is among the key factors accelerating humanitarian emergencies, the IRC noted, despite the fact that the 20 countries on its emergency watchlist - like Haiti and Afghanistan - contribute just 2% to global CO2 emissions. "2022 has shown that the role of climate change in accelerating the global humanitarian crisis is undeniable," the report noted. The IRC also flagged to need to more "proactively invest in climate change prevention and mitigation." In addition, the gap between humanitarian needs and its financing has grown to a global deficit of $27 billion as of November 2022.

☆ U.S. Builds New Firewall to Stop Spread of Militant Islamists
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Michael M. Phillips | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

OUALLAM, Niger—The front lines in the war between the West and militant Islamists have shifted to Africa, from Somalia on the continent’s eastern tip to the West African Sahel, a semidesert strip south of the Sahara. In the Sahel, the U.S. and its allies are betting that Niger, the worst-off country in the world by a U.N. measure, offers the best hope of stopping the seemingly inexorable spread of al Qaeda and Islamic State.

Leaders of Arab League states spanning the Gulf, Levant and Africa began arriving in Riyadh on Thursday when Xi received a lavish reception by Prince Mohammed and signed a China-Saudi partnership pact with King Salman, demonstrating deepening ties. Oil giant Saudi Arabia is a top supplier to China and the joint statement reaffirmed the importance of global market stability and energy collaboration, while striving to boost non-oil trade and enhance cooperation in peaceful nuclear power. Xi invited King Salman to visit China, Saudi state television reported. Diplomats said the Chinese delegation would sign agreements and memoranda of understanding with several states in addition to Saudi Arabia, which inked an MOU with Huawei on cloud computing and building high-tech complexes in Saudi cities. The Chinese tech giant has participated in building 5G networks in most Gulf states despite U.S. concerns over a possible security risk in using its technology.

☆ Remembering Gary Strieker, who helped establish CNN's presence in Africa
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( Tricia Escobedo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

CNN —Gary Strieker had every reason to be a pessimist. Gary Strieker, who passed away in July 2022, helped establish CNN's presence in Africa. Courtesy Strieker family Born in the tiny Illinois farm town of Breese in 1944, Gary Gerard Strieker moved to San Diego, California at a young age. Courtesy Strieker family Strieker is remembered by his family and colleagues as a quiet, humble man who never lost his optimistic spirit or tireless energy for making the world a better place. Courtesy Strieker family Strieker was the network's only correspondent on the African continent for some time, covering the AIDs epidemic in the 1980s and other major moments in history, including the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.

☆ Ukraine says ship with wheat for Ethiopia arrives, part of anti-famine push
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Dec 3 (Reuters) - A ship with Ukrainian wheat destined for Ethiopia arrived in port on Saturday, the first vessel to sail as part of a push to send food to countries most vulnerable to famine and drought, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said. Last Saturday, Ukraine and allied nations launched an initiative to export $150 million worth of grain to Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, Congo, Kenya, and Yemen. "We ship food. We ship hope," Zelenskiy said in a tweet accompanying a short clip of a vessel carrying 25,000 tonnes of wheat for Ethiopia that he said had arrived in the port of Doraleh, in neighboring Djibouti. Zelenskiy said on Friday that by early next year, a total of around 60 ships would have delivered cargoes.

☆ Analysis: Ghana overhaul a test for $1 billion World Bank-backed debt
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Jorgelina Do Rosario | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/3] A girl walks past a flag of Ghana outside the Cape Coast Castle, in Ghana, July 28, 2019. "If Ghana decides to use the guarantee, it has to pay back immediately to the World Bank," Mitu Gulati, a law professor at the University of Virginia and debt restructuring expert, said. "This is a highly protected instrument that was issued with the logic that Ghana would never default on the World Bank," Gulati said. Ghana 2030 bondIN OR OUT? Ghana has not yet said whether the 2030 issue will be part of its debt restructuring.

☆ From Ukraine to Yemen, UN seeks record $51.5 bln for 'shockingly high' aid needs
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Emma Farge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The appeal represents a 25% increase on 2022 and is more than five times the amount sought a decade ago. "Humanitarian needs are shockingly high, as this year's extreme events are spilling into 2023," said U.N. Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths, citing the war in Ukraine and drought in the Horn of Africa. But donor funding is already under strain with the multiple crises, forcing aid workers to make tough decisions on priorities. Unlike in other parts of the U.N. where fees depend on countries' economic size, humanitarian funding is voluntary and relies overwhelmingly on Western donations.

☆ -U.N. aid chief to ask for 25% more aid money globally in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

NEW YORK, Nov 30 (Reuters) - The United Nations will ask for 25% more money to fund humanitarian aid operations globally in 2023, U.N. aid chief Martin Griffiths told a Reuters NEXT event on Wednesday. He also said that he understands that a famine will not yet be declared in Somalia, but he warned: "We can assume that in Somalia and soon in Ethiopia, where the numbers will be much worse ... people are dying already of hunger and starvation." Reporting by Michelle NicholsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Somalia: Gunfire heard inside besieged hotel, parliament session delayed
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Reuters —Gunfire was heard on Monday from inside a besieged hotel in the Somali capital that was attacked on the weekend, a nearby resident and a police officer said, while parliament said it had postponed a scheduled session. “There is still heavy gunfire inside the hotel, and we hear explosions from time to time … we are still in our houses since last night, when the siege started,” Ismail Haaji, who lives near the hotel, told Reuters. “The fighters who launched the attack are still fighting inside the hotel, and they are fighting with the forces of Haramcad and Gaashaan, and security forces are trying to rescue the people trapped inside the hotel,” the officer added. Government officials in Mogadishu frequently use the Villa Rosa hotel for meetings. Somalia’s parliament said it had postponed a scheduled session for both of its houses.

☆ Militants attack hotel used by officials in Somalia's capital
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOGADISHU, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Islamist militants attacked a hotel used by government officials in Somalia's capital Mogadishu on Sunday evening, police and witnesses said. Al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab, which controls large swathes of the country, claimed responsibility for the attack, saying in a statement that it was targeting the nearby presidential palace. Security forces were responding to an attack by al Shabaab on a hotel in the capital's Bondhere district, state broadcaster SNTV said on Twitter. The assailants stormed the Villa Rose hotel, which is close to the presidential palace, two police officers told Reuters. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who was elected earlier this year, has been carrying out a military offensive against al Shabaab.

☆ Al-Shabaab terror attack targets Mogadishu hotel
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( Omar Nor | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Mogadishu CNN —The al Qaeda linked terror group al-Shabaab has carried out a suicide attack and stormed a central Mogadishu hotel frequented by Somalia’s ministers and members of parliament, Somali police said Sunday. Al-Shabaab stormed the Villa Rose hotel near Somalia’s presidential palace following a suicide bombing at the gate at 8 p.m. local time (noon ET), according to police. Bishar Ahmed confirmed to CNN that a major attack occurred at the hotel, which lies in a heavily protected zone in downtown Mogadishu, where the state house, ministries and a high-security intelligence prison are also located. In May, US President Joe Biden decided to redeploy troops to Somalia in support of the local government and to counter al-Shabaab. The move reversed a decision by former President Donald Trump to withdraw all US troops from the country.

☆ Zelenskyy vows to help feed Africa and boost global food security with Grain from Ukraine scheme
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-26 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy promised to help feed Africa's poorest countries with grain. The Ukrainian scheme is being organized by government entities, NGOs, and companies. The Ukrainian president announced the launch of a new scheme on the anniversary of his country's Holodomor famine, when millions of Ukrainians starved to death in 1932-33. The Grain from Ukraine scheme is being organized by government entities, NGOs, and companies. An UN-brokered grain export deal was extended last week, but Ukraine blamed Russia for taking too long to inspect the vessels.

☆ Analysis: Climate damage fund trumps 1.5C push as COP27 summit nears end
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( Megan Rowling | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

The focus on loss and damage certainly reflects that," said David Waskow, director of the international climate initiative at the U.S.-based World Resources Institute. Since COP26, only about 30 countries have strengthened their national plans to cut fossil fuel emissions. FOSSIL FUEL OMISSION? Progress toward reducing fossil fuel use - and the resulting climate-warming emissions - was less clear in the proposed deal. "Unabated" fuels are those whose emissions are not captured in some way to prevent them entering the atmosphere and adding to climate change.

☆ Gates Foundation pledges $7 billion for Africa as Ukraine war diverts donor cash
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation said on Thursday it was committing $7 billion to Africa over the next four years, as Bill Gates warned that the Ukraine crisis was reducing the amount of aid flowing to the continent. Humanitarian groups in Africa are grappling with the diversion of funding away towards Ukraine, and as Russia’s invasion increases goods prices globally, impacting aid operations. Drought, compounded by conflict and the COVID-19 pandemic, has pushed more than 10 million people in the region “to the very brink of a hunger crisis”, the U.S.-based Christian relief group World Vision said this week. Following a meeting with Kenyan President William Ruto, Gates said on Wednesday that the Foundation would establish a regional office in Nairobi. The Foundation in 2021 gave charitable support of $6.7 billion and last week pledged $1.4 billion to help the world’s smallholder farmers cope with climate change.

☆ Navy, Coast Guard intercept boat with 180 tons of Iranian explosive materials headed to Yemen
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Courtney-Kube-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Courtney Kube | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

The U.S. Navy and Coast Guard intercepted an enormous Iranian shipment of explosive materials headed to Yemen last week, according to a statement from U.S. Central Command. The USS The Sullivans transferred the four Yemeni crew to the Yemeni Coast Guard in the Gulf of Aden so they could be handed over to Yemeni civil authorities. The U.S. seized a ship with 180 tons of Iranian explosive material and spent days unloading the vessel before sinking it. The dhow also had more than 100 tons of urea fertilizer, which can be used as an explosive precursor. “This was a massive amount of explosive material, enough to fuel more than a dozen medium-range ballistic missiles, depending on the size,” according to Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, the commander of U.S.

☆ Climate disasters put plight of displaced in COP27 focus
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-13 | by ( Gloria Dickie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

There are some 22 million people like Hassan displaced every year in climate-fueled disasters, according to the U.N. International Organization for Migration (IOM). And with climate change fueling increasingly extreme weather worldwide, the number displaced is expected to grow to about 143 million by mid-century. Given the growing need, developing countries at the COP27 climate summit in Egypt this month are demanding that wealthy nations offer more in the way of help. "Each government impacted by climate change migrants can raise the subject" at the U.N. summit, said Caroline Dumas, the IOM's special envoy for migration and climate action. "I'm a refugee, former refugee," said Emtithal Mahmoud, a goodwill ambassador for the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR.

☆ Poorer countries suffering the worst effects of the climate crisis want rich nations to pay reparations for the chaos they've caused
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Climate reparations for poorer nations are on officially on the agenda at the UN climate summit. Developing countries with "loss and damage" from climate disasters want rich nations to pay up. The inclusion of so-called climate reparations sets up a debate over how to compensate poorer nations for the climate impacts they've already suffered but for which they bear little responsibility. They've repeatedly objected to discussing loss and damage during past UN climate negotiations over concern that such talks would result in enormous financial liabilities. More than a decade ago, rich nations promised to send $100 billion a year to poorer countries by 2020.

☆ A Core Question at COP27: Who Will Pay for Climate Change?
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-06 | by ( Elena Shao | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +10 min

When world leaders gather in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt, this week for the annual United Nations climate summit, the debate over who bears financial responsibility for climate change will be center stage. Most Vulnerable, but Least Responsible for Climate Change A vulnerability index developed by the University of Notre Dame measures countries’ exposure, sensitivity and capacity to adapt to the negative effects of climate change. 10 gigatons CO2 Climate change vulnerability index COUNTRY’s Total historical emissions 1 Somalia is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, but has contributed only a tiny fraction of global emissions. Pakistan experienced widespread and deadly flooding this summer that scientists linked to climate change. India 57.1 Gt CO2 0.5 Middle income countries China 249.4 Gt CO2 0.4 Russia 117.5 Gt CO2 Japan 66.7 Gt CO2 Higher income countries United States 421.7 Gt CO2 0.3 United Kingdom 74.9 Gt CO2 Germany 93.1 Gt CO2 Wealthy countries are responsible for half of the world’s emissions since 1850.

☆ Kenya drought: Hundreds of elephants, wildebeests and zebras reported dead
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-05 | by ( Idris Mukhtar | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Hundreds of elephants, wildebeests, and zebras have died across Kenya amid the nation’s longest drought in decades. “The Kenya Wildlife Service Rangers, Community Scouts, and Research Teams counted the deaths of 205 elephants, 512 wildebeests, 381 common zebras, 51 buffalos, 49 Grevy’s zebras, and 12 giraffes in the past nine months,” a report released Friday by the country’s Ministry of Tourism said. An elephant keeper rests next to a month-old calf at Reteti Elephant Sanctuary in Samburu, Kenya on October 12, 2022. Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images“The drought has caused mortality of wildlife, mostly herbivore species,” Malonza said. According to the ministry, Kenya had just 36,000 elephants left last year.

☆ Turkey's President Erdogan is emerging as a power player in Ukraine after brokering an abrupt reversal by Russia
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Kit Gillet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has become a key bridge between Russia and Ukraine. He was critical in efforts Wednesday to get Russia to abandon a threat to block grain exports. When Russia backed down earlier this week over its threats to block grain shipments out of Ukraine, it was Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan who was among the first to break the news. Speaking to Turkey's parliament, Erdogan said Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu had informed his Turkish counterpart that the deal would resume shortly. As Russia grows more isolated, both diplomatically and economically, Turkey's role is becoming increasingly important.

☆ Russia agrees to rejoin Ukraine grain deal
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Russia’s defense minister has told his Turkish counterpart that Moscow has agreed to return to a Turkish and U.N. brokered deal that allowed the shipment of millions of tons Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea, Turkey’s president says. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu informed Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar that the deal for a humanitarian grain corridor would “continue in the same way as before” as of noon Wednesday. The Russian Defense Ministry said Monday that ship traffic from ports in southern Ukraine was halted, calling the movement “unacceptable." Ships loaded with grain departed Ukraine on Tuesday despite Russia suspending its participation in the U.N.-brokered deal, which aimed to ensure safe passage of critical food supplies meant for parts of the world struggling with hunger. The United Nations and Turkey brokered separate deals with Russia and Ukraine in July to ensure Africa, the Middle East and parts of Asia would receive grain and other food from the Black Sea region during Russia’s war in Ukraine.

☆ Tragedy struck around the globe. Mass casualty events in South Korea, India, and Somalia left nearly 400 dead this past weekend.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Lauren Frias | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

In Seoul, South Korea, more than 150 people were killed in a crowd crush during Halloween festivities on Saturday. A woman pays tribute for the victims of the Halloween celebration stampede, on the street near the scene on October 31, 2022 in Seoul, South Korea. The tragedy marks one of the worst to happen in South Korea since the Sewol ferry sank off the country's southwestern coast in 2014, taking the lives of 250 South Korean students. South Korean officials said state authorities had no safety plans in place to deal with the mass crowds that gathered during Halloween weekend. "There have been no safety management guidelines or manuals for events without an organizer," said Kim Seong-ho, head of the disaster and safety management headquarters of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, local newspaper The Hankyoreh reported.

☆ Grain deal: Wheat and corn prices rise as Russia withdraws
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Ukraine and Russia together account for nearly a third of global wheat exports, according to Gro Intelligence, an agricultural data firm. Russia suspended its participation in the grain deal indefinitely on Saturday, after what it claimed was a drone attack by Ukrainian armed forces on its Black Sea fleet in the Crimean city of Sevastopol. After reaching a record high in March, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s global food price index has declined for seven months in a row. Russia’s decision to suspend its participation “is adding immense volatility to global grain prices,” said Tracey Allen, an agricultural commodities strategist at JPMorgan Chase. Twelve vessels left Ukraine’s Black Sea ports on Monday, Ukraine’s Minister of Infrastructure Oleksandr Kubrakov said on Twitter.

At least 100 people died when two car bombs tore through a busy Mogadishu intersection on Saturday, Somalia’s president said Sunday after visiting the site of the attack, the same place where the largest terrorist attack in the country’s history killed more than 500 people almost exactly five years ago. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said at least 300 people were hurt in Saturday’s twin bombings, which he blamed on the al Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab group that has been trying to overthrow Somalia’s U.S.-backed government for more than a decade and a half. He said the number of victims was likely to increase as rescue workers continued to sift through the rubble. Mogadishu hospitals urged the public to donate blood to help treat the injured, and anxious relatives were frantically searching for their missing loved ones.

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