DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ World Food Programme Pauses Distribution in North Yemen as Funds Limited
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Dec. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

RIYADH (Reuters) - The World Food Programme (WFP) said on Tuesday it had paused general food distribution in north Yemen due to limited funding and disagreement with local authorities over how to focus on the poorest there. The fighting has abated over the last two years, easing what the United Nations has described as the world's worst humanitarian crisis. The WFP had already reduced rations in Yemen since 2022 due to critical funding gaps and global inflation that followed Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The agency said it would continue other programmes, including nutrition and school feeding programmes to limit the impact of the decision. General food distribution would continue with a focus on the neediest in the areas controlled by the Saudi-backed government, it said.

Persons: Aziz El Yaakoubi, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Reuters, Food Programme, United Nations, WFP Locations: RIYADH, Yemen, Iran, Saudi, Aden, Ukraine

☆ ‘It’s chaos:’ Starving Gazans dig for food, supplies under the rubble
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | Abeer Salman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Jerusalem and Abu Dhabi CNN —One man carries six jars of cooking oil as he struggles to walk across the rubble. Since October 9, Israel has blocked access to water, food and electricity in the Strip that is home to more than 2 million Palestinians. “It’s chaos,” one resident told CNN Monday, standing behind a crowd of people scavenging for supplies under the damage. Displaced Palestinians queue for food donations in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah on November 30. A day after the IDF said it was expanding its ground operation, it said it struck about 200 Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip.

Persons: Baraka, Dier, Gazans, ” Thomas White, Kamil Al, ”, Mohammed Abed, Ibrahim Dabbour, ” Dabbour, Israel, Israel’s, Khan Younis, Bani Suheila, Abed Zagout, Critics, ” Sari Bashi, ” Bashi, Khalil Abu Marahil, “ It’s, “ We’ve, Sally Essam, Deir Organizations: Abu Dhabi CNN, CNN, Israeli Defense Forces, IDF, of Health, United Nations, UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, Food Programme, Getty, UN, Hamas, Human Rights Locations: Jerusalem, Abu Dhabi, Gazan, Deir, Israel, Gaza, Dier, East, Rafah, AFP, Beit Hanoun, United States, Khan, Southern Gaza, Khuza'a, Maan, Anadolu, Gaza City, “, Palestinian, Deir al

☆ Live updates: Israel-Hamas war, Gaza airstrikes, IDF offensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( Chris Lau | Andrew Raine | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Samir Hussein/WireImage/Getty ImagesAcclaimed artist Abel "The Weeknd" Tesfaye is providing four million meals to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to help people in Gaza, the UN's body has said. Tesfaye, who is a UN Goodwill Ambassador, has directed $2.5 million from his XO Humanitarian Fund towards WFP humanitarian efforts in Gaza, according to WFP's statement Friday. The WFP didn't indicate when the aid could reach Gaza. His XO Humanitarian Fund, which was established in partnership with WFP USA in 2022, has raised $5 million to date. The first $2.5 million of the fund went to support emergency food assistance to women and children in Ethiopia, and the rest will be allocated to the Gaza response, according to the statement.

Persons: Samir Hussein, Abel, Tesfaye, Corrine Fleisher, ” Organizations: United Nations, Food Programme, UN Goodwill, Fund, USA Locations: London, Gaza, Ethiopia

Israel's military, which has concentrated its assault on northern Gaza, said its troops and war planes were keeping up pressure on Friday. Overnight they took control of an Islamic Jihad commander's stronghold, it said, and also killed Hamas fighters inside a school where they found a large number of weapons. The army released a video it said showed a tunnel entrance in an outdoor area of Al Shifa hospital. Reuters journalists have been unable to reach anyone inside Shifa hospital for more than 24 hours. On Friday, the Israeli military said soldiers retrieved the body of a female soldier who had been held captive, in a building near Shifa.

Persons: WAFA, Al Jazeera, Israel, Alexander Ermochenko, Cindy McCain, Pedro Arrojo, Agudo, Al, Nidal al, Ari Rabinovitch, Angus MacSwan, Gareth Jones Organizations: Gaza, United Nations, Food Programme, Al, Hamas, Palestinian Health Ministry, Indonesian Hospital, Humanitarian Affairs, Palestinian, REUTERS, World Health Organization, Reuters, West Bank, Brigades, Thomson Locations: Gaza, GAZA, JERUSALEM, Rafah, Egypt, Al, Israel, Jihad, Al Shifa, North Gaza, Shifa, Jenin

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — The United States Agency for International Development will restart food aid deliveries across Ethiopia in December, five months after it halted its nationwide program over a massive corruption scheme by local officials. Political Cartoons View All 1247 ImagesUSAID officials said it could be the largest-ever theft of food aid. The suspension affects 20.1 million Ethiopians who rely on food aid because of conflict and drought. The U.S. aid agency did not say if Ethiopian officials are still involved in the delivery of food. The WFP also restarted aid to refugees in Ethiopia in October but is yet to resume food aid nationwide.

Persons: Jessica Jennings, ”, Jennings Organizations: United States Agency for International Development, USAID, Food, Associated Press, WFP Locations: ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, Tigray, The U.S

☆ Hit by floods and drought, quarter of Somali people at risk of 'crisis-level' hunger - WFP
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

GENEVA, Nov 14 (Reuters) - A quarter of Somalia's population is forecast to face "crisis-level hunger or worse" this year due to drought and floods caused by climate change, the World Food Programme (WFP) said on Tuesday. "Livelihoods and lives are at risk, 4.3 million people – a quarter of the population – are forecast to face crisis-level hunger or worse by the end of this year," said Petroc Wilton, WFP spokesperson for Somalia. "This bombardment of climate shocks, from drought to floods, will prolong the hunger crisis in Somalia. In Somalia's Dolow district, homes are abandoned and roads have turned into rivers. Farxhan Ali Abdulle, a shop owner in the town of Dolow on the border with Ethiopia, said no supplies were coming in.

Persons: Petroc Wilton, Farxhan Ali Abdulle, Feisal Omar, Timaade Hussein Abdi, Wilton, Muhidin Abdullahi, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Bhargav, Nick Macfie, Alex Richardson Organizations: Food Programme, United Nations, REUTERS, Humanitarian Affairs, Reuters, Thomson Locations: GENEVA, Somalia, East Africa, Dolow, Ethiopia, Juba, Gedo, Jubaland State, Luuq

For the first few weeks of the Israel-Gaza war, the Rafah crossing remained shut – leaving Palestinians with no way out of the enclave. Located in Egypt’s north Sinai, the Rafah crossing is the sole border crossing between Gaza and Egypt. That has left the Rafah crossing with Egypt as the territory’s only entrypoint to the outside world. How has Rafah crossing access changed over time? People enter the Rafah border crossing on Wednesday.

Persons: ’, Israel, Kerem Shalom, Mohammed Abed, Jason Shawa, Shawa, Abdel Fattah el, Sisi, ”, “, King Abdullah said Organizations: CNN, Food Programme, United Nations, Hamas ’, European Union, Getty, Travelers, UN Locations: Gaza, Rafah, Egypt, Qatar, Israel, United States, Egypt’s, Sinai, AFP, Palestinian American, Seattle, Gazans, Jordan

Pope Francis leads the Angelus prayer from his window at the Vatican, October 22, 2023. In his call with Pope Francis, Biden, who is a Catholic, condemned the attack by Hamas and affirmed the need to protect civilians in Gaza, the White House said. They also discussed Biden's recent visit to Israel and efforts for delivery of food, medicine, and other humanitarian assistance in Gaza, according to the White House. The pope has several times called for the release of hostages taken by Hamas during its Oct. 7 attack. "Brothers, stop," Pope Francis said.

Persons: Pope Francis, Joe Biden, Biden, Antony Blinken, Francis, Peter's, Pope Francis said, Kanishka Singh, Crispian Balmer, Andrea Ricci Organizations: Vatican, Handout, REUTERS Acquire, WASHINGTON, VATICAN CITY, Sunday, Hamas, White, United, Food Program, Thomson Locations: VATICAN, Israel, Palestinian, Gaza, St, Washington, Vatican City

An aerial view of residential buildings destroyed in Israeli airstrikes in Zahra City, Gaza, on October 21. Ronen Zvulun/Reuters A woman mourns over a dead man at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Gaza City on October 18. Yousef Masoud/The New York Times A morgue worker arranges body bags at al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City on October 12. Ramez Mahmoud/AP A plume of smoke rises in the sky over Gaza City during an Israeli airstrike on October 9. Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters Palestinian citizens inspect damage to their homes caused by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City on October 8.

Persons: CNN —, “, Daniel Hagari, ”, Jonathan Conricus, Ali Jadallah, Shadi Tabatibi, Alexi J . Rosenfeld, Belal al Sabbagh, Mohammed Saber, Khan, Rizek Abdeljawad, Ahmad Gharabli, Janis Laizans, Abed Khaled, Mohammed Dahman, Yoav Gallant, Gallant, Yasser Qudih, Ofir Libstein, Aza, Ronen Zvulun, Belal Khaled, Abed Rahim Khatib, Leon Neal, Hod, Ayal Margolin, Antony Blinken, Joe Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Brendan Smialowski, Biden, Netanyahu, Kenny Holston, Ariel Schalit, Mohammed Abed, Kfar Aza, Ilia Yefimovich, Mustafa Hassona, Mahmoud Khaled, Samar Abu, Fatima Shbair, Dor Reder, Violeta Santos Moura, Shir Torem, Wahaj Bani Moufleh, Antonio Macías, Macías, Francisco Seco, Eli Albag, Liri, Mohammed Talatene, Sergey Ponomarev, Hatem Ali, Dor Kedmi, Mahmud Hams, Saher, Hatem Moussa, Abraham Cohen, Valentin Ghnassia, Ghnassia, Yuri Cortez, Yousef Masoud, Ibrahim Hams, Bashar Taleb, Baz Ratner, Jack Guez, Yahya Hassouna, Mapal Adam, Abed Zagout, Tamir Kalifa, Agha, Ibraheem Abu Mustafa, Reuters Itzik, Miriam Shafir, Dor Shafir, Savion Kiper, Maya Alleruzzo, Mohammed Salem, CNN Sergey Ponomarev, Eden Guez, Atef Safadi, Ohad, Mohammed Soboh, Said, Noam Elimeleh Rothenberg, Amir Cohen, Ilai Bar Sade, Erik Marmor, Oren Ziv, Majdi, Ramez Mahmoud, Roi Levy, Alleruzzo, Tali Touito, Jalaa Marey, Oded, Khan Younis, Ahmad Hasballah, Mohammed Fayq Abu Mostafa, Tsafrir, Ilan Rosenberg, Eyad Baba, Itai Ron, Hadas Parush, Herzl Halevi, “ We’ll, We’ll, Halevi, Joe Biden “, Defense Lloyd Austin Organizations: CNN, West Bank, Palestinian, Israel Defense Forces, Sunday, Al, Islamic, Palestinian Ministry of Health, Getty, Reuters, Reuters Civil, AP Rockets, AP Israel's, Regional, Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, Israel's, Ahli Baptist Hospital, Israeli, Ben Gurion International, New York Times, Shifa, AP, Aris Messinis, Haim, Mount, Mount Herzl Military, Nova, Anadolu Agency, Nova Festival, Ben Gurion, Rockets, United Nations, Reuters Police, Reuters Rockets, Staff, Golani Brigade, Defense, Area Defense, Patriots, Hamas, IDF, Food Programme, WFP Locations: Gaza, Israel, Jenin, Toubas, Nablus, Gaza City, Anadolu, Zahra City, Europe, Tel Aviv, Egypt, Rafah, AFP, Khan Younis, Xinhua, East Jerusalem, Ras, Israel's, Yehuda, Aqsa, Hod HaSharon, Kiryat Shmona, Al, Ahli, Sderot, Gan, Kfar, North Sinai, Samar, Samar Abu Elouf, Beit Kama, Haifa, Cyprus, West, Lebanon, Kfar Saba, Israeli, Be'eri, Rehovot, Mount Herzl, Jerusalem, Kibbutz Be'eri, Modiin Maccabim, Kfar Aza, Ashkelon, Mount Herzel, Yassin, Palestinian, Beitar Ilit, Ramat Gan, Itai, Beit Hanun, Rishon Lezion, United States, Palestinian Territories, Arish

Summary LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:"Civilians of Gaza City, evacuate south for your own safety...and distance yourself from Hamas terrorists who are using you as human shields," Israeli military says. The Israeli military said it would operate "significantly" in Gaza City in coming days and civilians should only return when advised. "Civilians of Gaza City, evacuate south for your own safety and the safety of your families and distance yourself from Hamas terrorists who are using you as human shields," the military said. "Hamas terrorists are hiding in Gaza City inside tunnels underneath houses and inside buildings populated with innocent Gazan civilians." [1/16]Palestinians flee their homes amid Israeli strikes, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Gaza City, October 13, 2023.

Persons: Yoav Gallant, Gilad Erdan, Israel, Cross, Fabrizio Carboni, Antony Blinken, Mohammed Salem, Blinken, Jordan's King Abdullah, Mahmoud Abbas, Hassan Nassrallah, Lloyd Austin, Austin, Benjamin Netanyahu, Mount Herzl, Khan Younis, Ibrahim Hamdan, Henriette Chacar, Dedi, Maayan Lubell, Emily Rose, Michelle Nichols, Emma Farge, Jeff Mason, Humeyra Pamuk, Steve Gorman, Dan Whitcomb, Michael Martina, Michael Perry, Michael Georgy, Philippa Fletcher, Howard Goller, Diane Craft, Nick Macfie Organizations: Hamas, United Nations, Shifa, International Committee, Food Programme, ICRC, U.S, NATO, REUTERS, Palestinian Authority, West Bank, United Arab, U.S . Defense, Washington, United, Police, FBI, Mount, Thomson Locations: Gaza City, Gaza, JERUSALEM, TEL AVIV, Israel, Japan, United States, Palestinian, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Iran, Lebanon, Turkey, UAE, Turkish, U.S, Paris, Amsterdam, London, New York, Los Angeles, Jerusalem, Gazans, Geneva, Washington, Tel Aviv

Israel's military chief, Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, said lessons would be drawn from the security failures around Gaza that enabled the attack. The U.S. military is placing no conditions on its security assistance to Israel, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said, adding Washington expected Israel's military to "do the right things" in prosecuting its war against Hamas. Scores of Israeli and foreign hostages were taken back to Gaza; Israel said it had identified 97 of them. [1/4]Israeli soldiers hold an Israeli flag while in a tank near Israel's border with the Gaza Strip, in southern Israel, October 12, 2023. "This war is harsh beyond imagining," said Hamdan, who has worked through repeated wars since becoming a rescuer in 2007.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Blinken, King Abdullah, Mahmoud Abbas, America's, General Herzi Halevi, Lloyd Austin, Austin, Benjamin Netanyahu, East Jerusalem's, Kan, Ronen, Israel, Cross, Fabrizio Carboni, Los Angeles, Kathy Hochul, Mount Herzl, Khan Younis, Ibrahim Hamdan, Hamdan, Henriette Chacar, Dedi, Maayan Lubell, Emily Rose, Nidal, Emma Farge, Jeff Mason, Humeyra Pamuk, Steve Gorman, Dan Whitcomb, Michael Martina, Howard Goller, Diane Craft Organizations: Israel U.S, West Bank Security, Hamas, U.S, NATO, Palestinian, Palestinian Authority, West Bank, United Arab, U.S . Defense, Washington, Public, REUTERS, International Committee, United Nations, Food Programme, ICRC, New, FBI, Mount, Thomson Locations: East Jerusalem, Europe JERUSALEM, GAZA, TEL AVIV, Gaza, Israel, Jordan, U.S, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Iran, East, East Jerusalem's Al, Aqsa, Washington, Europe, Paris, Amsterdam, London, New York, Los, Jerusalem, Geneva, Tel Aviv, Los Angeles

☆ Afghanistan earthquakes a 'disaster on top of a disaster', World Food Programme says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

KARACHI, Pakistan, Oct 11 (Reuters) - The World Food Programme on Wednesday called the recent Afghanistan earthquakes a 'disaster on top of a disaster,' urging the international community to provide humanitarian aid to the war-torn nation. Limited aid makes relief work difficult after earthquakes and aftershocks since Saturday rattled the religiously conservative nation. "In Afghanistan, this is a disaster on top of a disaster, on top of a disaster, on top of a disaster," said Philippe Kropf, head of communications at the World Food Programme (WFP) Afghanistan, in an interview. "If we can help them prevent malnutrition, that's how we do it, because preventing malnutrition is much cheaper than treating malnutrition." Women and children make up two-thirds of the injured in Afghanistan, said Dr. Alaa AbouZeid, head of the World Health Organization's emergency response in the country, on Monday.

Persons: Philippe Kropf, Kropf, Zinda Jan, Ali Khara, Alaa AbouZeid, Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam, Ariba Shahid, Richard Chang Organizations: tremblors, Food Programme, REUTERS, Health, Soviet Union, United Nations, WFP, Thomson Locations: KARACHI, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkey, Syria, Herat, Afghan, Zinda, Karachi

The head of the Israeli military, Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, said lessons would be drawn from the security failures around Gaza that enabled the attack. Scores of Israeli and foreign hostages were taken back to Gaza; Israel says it has identified 97 of them. Amid international calls for a ceasefire to allow in aid, Israeli Energy Minister Israel Katz said there would be no halt to the siege without freedom for Israeli hostages. The Israeli military said it does not comment on such reports. The Israeli military says it has responded with artillery fire to launches coming from Lebanese territory.

Persons: Abbas, Antony Blinken, Blinken, General Herzi Halevi, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Kan, Cross, Fabrizio Carboni, Israel Katz, Khan Younis, Abu Mustafa, Najib Mikati, Jordan, King Abdullah, Mahmoud Abbas, Fatah, Jerusalem's Mount Herzl, Ibrahim Hamdan, Hamdan, Henriette Chacar, Dedi, Maayan Lubell, Emily Rose, Nidal, Emma Farge, Jeff Mason, Peter Graff, Alexandra Hudson, Alex Richardson, Nick Macfie, Toby Chopra, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: U.S, NATO, Public, International Committee, United Nations, Food Programme, ICRC, Israeli Energy, Israel, United Nations Security, Palestinian Authority, West Bank, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Washington, Egypt, Israel, JERUSALEM, GAZA, TEL AVIV, Gaza, Syria, Damascus, Aleppo, Iran, Lebanese, Jerusalem's Mount, Jerusalem, Geneva

☆ World Food Programme Calls for Humanitarian Corridors Into Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The United Nations World Food Programme said the sealing of Gaza's border with Israel and Egypt was exacerbating the crisis by preventing aid from entering the enclave, as it called for the establishment of humanitarian corridors. The WFP said it had launched an emergency operation to provide critical food assistance to more than 800,000 people in Gaza and the West Bank who lack access to food, water and other essentials. Israel has announced a total siege on Gaza, blocking deliveries and cutting power to the enclave.

Organizations: United Nations, Food, West Bank Locations: Israel, Egypt, Gaza

☆ U.N. agency says humanitarian access needed to get food to Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ROME, Oct 8 (Reuters) - The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) called on Sunday for the creation of humanitarian corridors to bring food into Gaza as Israeli air strikes pounded the Palestinian enclave following deadly Hamas attacks. "WFP urges safe and unimpeded humanitarian access to affected areas, calling on all parties to uphold the principles of humanitarian law ... including ensuring access to food." The U.N. agency provides direct food assistance to some 350,000 Palestinians monthly, while also offering aid to nearly 1 million Palestinians in cooperation with other humanitarian partners via cash transfers. WFP said it was ready to set up pre-positioned food stocks for people who had been displaced or were in shelters. "While most shops in the affected areas in Palestine currently maintain one month of food stocks, these risk being depleted swiftly as people buy up food in fear of a prolonged conflict," it said.

Persons: Israel, Crispian Balmer, Hugh Lawson Organizations: United Nations, Food Programme, WFP, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Rome, Palestine

JUBA, South Sudan (AP) — At least one in five children arriving in South Sudan from Sudan are malnourished and more than 90% of arrivals haven’t eaten in days, the U.N. food agency said Tuesday. The World Food Program said that nearly 300,000 people have arrived in South Sudan in the last five months — the majority of whom are South Sudanese. South Sudan plunged into civil war in 2013, forcing thousands of its citizens to flee to neighboring countries, including Sudan. “We are seeing families leave one disaster for another as they flee danger in Sudan only to find despair in South Sudan,” says Mary-Ellen McGroarty, WFP’s country director in South Sudan. The WFP is appealing for additional funding of more than $120 million to meet humanitarian needs at the border.

Persons: ”, Mary, Ellen McGroarty, Abdel Fattah Burhan, Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo Organizations: Food Program, South, Rapid Support Force Locations: JUBA, South Sudan, Sudan, South Sudanese, Sudan’s

☆ EU executive says aid payments for Somalia 'temporarily suspended'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Gabriela Baczynska | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Ayenat Mersie//File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsUNITED NATIONS, Sept 19 (Reuters) - The European Union's executive said on Tuesday that disbursements of humanitarian aid in Somalia were "temporarily suspended" after a U.N. probe found widespread theft and misuse of support meant to avert famine. Quoting senior EU officials, Reuters reported exclusively on Monday that the European Commission had temporarily suspended funding for the World Food Programme (WFP) in Somalia because of the U.N. findings. Donors boosted funding to Somalia last year as humanitarian officials warned of a looming famine due to the Horn of Africa's worst drought in decades. The U.N. humanitarian aid budget for Somalia is envisaged at 72 million euros ($77 million), of which 10 million euros ($10.68 million) are earmarked for the WFP. Three months ago the WFP and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) suspended food aid to neighboring Ethiopia in response to a widespread diversion of donations.

Persons: Ayenat, Balazs Ujvari, Gabriela Baczynska, Howard Goller Organizations: REUTERS, UNITED NATIONS, European, Reuters, European Commission, Food Programme, WFP, U.S . Agency for International Development, USAID, Thomson Locations: Dollow, Somalia, Muri, Mogadishu, United States, Ethiopia

The second senior EU official confirmed that. A third source, also an EU official, said the Commission was "cooperating actively with WFP to resolve systemic defects" but said no aid was suspended at this stage. Last year, it contributed more than half of the $2.2 billion of funding that went to the humanitarian response there. The U.N. report did not attempt to quantify the amount of aid that was diverted but said its findings "suggest that post-delivery aid diversion in Somalia is widespread and systemic". In all, investigators collected data from 55 IDP sites in Somalia and found aid diversion in all of them, the report said.

Persons: Ayenat, Balazs Ujvari, Antonio Guterres, Devex, Jessica Jennings, gatekeepers, Gabriela Baczynska, Michelle Nichols, Aaron Ross, Emma Farge, Daphne Psaledakis, Joe Bavier, Howard Goller Organizations: REUTERS, UNITED NATIONS, European Union, Food Programme, Reuters, European Commission, EU, WFP, U.N, U.S . Agency for International Development, USAID, European, Somali Disaster Management Office, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Dollow, Somalia, NAIROBI, GENEVA, Ethiopia, United States, Nairobi, Geneva

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — A global hunger crisis has left more than 700 million people not knowing when or if they will eat again, and demand for food is rising relentlessly while humanitarian funding is drying up, the head of the United Nations food agency said Thursday. According to WFP estimates from 79 countries where the Rome-based agency operates, up to 783 million people — one in 10 of the world’s population — still go to bed hungry every night. More than 345 million people are facing high levels of food insecurity this year, an increase of almost 200 million people from early 2021 before the COVID-19 pandemic, the agency said. A business can use its expertise, he said, to strengthen infrastructure, “innovate new approaches and deliver solutions at scale” to improve humanitarian operations. “The public sector must harness the expertise of the private sector and translate it into action.”

Persons: Cindy McCain, ”, John McCain, —, ” McCain, Michael Miebach, Miebach, Jared Cohen, Goldman Sachs, Cohen, Lana Nusseibeh, “, Nusseibeh, Linda Thomas, Greenfield, ” Thomas Organizations: UNITED NATIONS, United, Food Program, . Security, WFP, Mastercard, United Arab Emirates, U.S Locations: United Nations, U.S, Rome, Ukraine, UAE, Haiti, United States

☆ UN's World Food Programme forced to cut food assistance from 10 million people
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Hande Atay Alam | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —As of September, 10 million Afghans have lost assistance from the UN’s World Food Programme this year, the organization announced this week. They had to cut food assistance from 2 million people in Afghanistan this month. “Due to a massive funding shortfall, going forward WFP will only be able to provide emergency assistance to 3 million people per month,” the WFP statement said. “These cuts mean that 1.4 million new and expecting mothers and their children are no longer receiving specialized food designed to prevent malnutrition,” Lee said. WFP needs US$1 billion in the next 6 months to be able to feed 21 million people with lifesaving food, the statement said.

Persons: “, ”, Hsiao, Wei Lee, ” Lee, Lee Organizations: CNN, “ Locations: Afghanistan

Ruined rice crops in India's Haryana state. More than three billion people worldwide rely on rice as a staple food and India contributed to about 40% of global rice exports. India's rice stock is piling up as a result of the ban. Vijay Bedi/CNNAt one of New Delhi’s largest rice trading hubs, there are fears among traders that the export ban will cause catastrophic consequences. “The export ban has left traders with huge amounts of stock,” said rice trader Roopkaran Singh.

Persons: India CNN — Satish Kumar, “ I’ve, ”, Kumar, Vijay Bedi, Niño, ” Kumar, ” Satish Kumar, Ukraine —, ” Arif Husain, Pierre, Olivier Gourinchas, ” Husain, “, CNN Surjit Singh, Harayana, …, El Niño, Roopkaran Singh, Husain Organizations: India CNN, CNN, United Nations Food, Agriculture Organization, India wasn’t, United Nations, Food Programme, ” Workers, Thai Rice, Association, India’s Ministry of Agriculture, Monetary Fund, Farmers, Reuters, Meteorological Organization Locations: Harayana, India, India’s Haryana, “, India's Haryana, Ukraine, Global South, United States, Russia, Rice, New Delhi, CNN Nepal, Vietnam, Thailand, Thai, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, El, India’s, West Africa

☆ Storm Franklin hits Dominican Republic and Haiti, killing one
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Franklin, which brought stormy winds and rainfall across the Dominican Republic and neighboring Haiti, is forecast to gather strength over the Atlantic Ocean and could near hurricane force this weekend. "Franklin could be near hurricane strength over the southwestern Atlantic by Saturday," the NHC said, saying it expected the storm to gradually strengthen from its current maximum sustained winds near 40 mph. The head of the Dominican COE emergency services a man had been found dead earlier on Wednesday in San Cristobal province, after trying to swim through floodwaters. In a briefing with COE, Dominican President Luis Abinader said the government would attend to communities whose infrastructure was damaged by the storm and that schools and businesses would resume on Thursday. The storm also cut off access to six Dominican communities and damaged roads, water infrastructure and the electrical grid, emergency services said.

Persons: SANTO, Storm Franklin, Franklin, Luis Abinader, Paul Mathiasen, Harold Isaac, Sarah Morland, Harshit Verma, Ananya, Lincoln Organizations: PORT, U.S, National Hurricane Center, NHC, country's Hydro, Meteorological Unit, The United Nations, Food Programme, Thomson Locations: SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, Hispaniola, Haiti, Puerto Plata, Dominican, Atlantic, San Cristobal province, Sud, Santo Domingo, Port, Mexico City, Bengaluru

Trucks carrying aid from the UN World Food Programme (WFP), following a deadly earthquake, are parked at Bab al-Hawa crossing, Syria, February 20, 2023. Syria's mission to the United Nations in New York confirmed the extension. Following the earthquake, the United States and the European Union issued sanctions waivers to pave the way for more aid into Syria. U.S. authorizations facilitating the work of aid groups and the United Nations remain in effect, the spokesperson said. 'READY TO RESUME OPERATIONS'The United Nations had also been using the Bab al-Hawa crossing from Turkey to deliver aid to millions in northwest Syria since 2014 with authorization from the U.N. Security Council.

Persons: Mahmoud Hassano, Salam, Eri Kaneko, Emma Forster, U.N, Farhan Haq, Cross, Suhair Zakkout, Bashar al, Assad, Michelle Nichols, Jonathan Oatis 私 Organizations: UN, Food Programme, REUTERS, UNITED NATIONS, United Nations, Government, European Union, EU, U.S . Treasury, . Security, International Committee Locations: Bab, Syria, WASHINGTON, BEIRUT, U.S, Turkey, Damascus, Al Ra'ee, New York, United States, Norwegian, overcompliance, Moscow, Washington

☆ Haiti hospital cares for kids amid gang violence, hunger and scarce aid
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

After being turned away from Haiti's only general hospital, her daughter Myleisha was finally accepted at Fontaine Hospital, a UNICEF-sponsored facility in the capital Port au Prince - in an area the rest of her family considers too unsafe to visit. The Fontaine Hospital is located in the Cite Soleil neighborhood, where the G9 and G-Pep gangs have been fighting a vicious turf war. "We are in one of the poorest areas of the country, and also one of the most dangerous," said hospital founder Jose Ulysse. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) says nearly half of Haiti's population - some 4.9 million people - are going hungry. Without more UNICEF funding, hospital director Kareen Ulysse said she doubts the Fontaine can keep running for another year.

Persons: Pierre, Marie Michelle Joseph's, Moliere, Fontaine, Octavio, Myleisha, Joseph, Jose Ulysse, Celestin Fraceline, Kareen Ulysse, Haiti's, Octavio Jones, Harold Isaac, Sarah Morland, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Cite Soleil, REUTERS, Fontaine Hospital, UNICEF, au, United Nations, UN, Food Programme, Thomson Locations: Cite, Port, Prince, Haiti, Haiti's, au Prince, Kenya

CNN —Russia said Monday it was suspending its participation in a crucial deal that allowed the export of Ukrainian grain, once again raising fears over global food supplies and scuppering a rare diplomatic breakthrough to emerge from Moscow’s war in Ukraine. Peskov left the door open to reviving the deal in the future, saying that Russia will comply “as soon as the Russian part (of the deal) is completed.”A ship carries grain from Ukraine last week. Mehmet Emin Caliskan/ReutersUS Secretary of State Antony Blinken last week accused Russia of using the grain deal “as a weapon.”The deal allowed Ukraine to export grain from its Black Sea ports and and navigate safe passage through the waterway to Turkey’s Bosphorus Strait. It proved vital for stabilizing global food prices and bringing relief to the developing countries which rely on Ukrainian exports. There are alternative routes for Ukrainian grain and oilseed exports by rail through eastern Europe, but they can’t readily cope with the volume that Ukraine wants to export.

Persons: Dmitry Peskov, “, Peskov, ”, Vladimir Putin, Mehmet Emin Caliskan, Antony Blinken, Ukraine’s Organizations: CNN, United Nations, ”, Reuters, Food Programme, European Commission, Agriculture Organization, FAO, UN Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, Istanbul, Kyiv, Moscow, ” Russia, Russian, Crimea, Sevastopol, Europe

Search resuls for: "WFP"

25 mentions found