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☆ Meta to debut new Channels broadcasting tool for WhatsApp
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Jonathan Vanian | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Meta plans to debut a new broadcasting feature dubbed Channels for its WhatsApp messaging service. The Channels admins won't be allowed to add followers to their channels, which will store messages for 30 days before they are deleted. Unlike more conventional WhatsApp messages, Channels will not use end-to-end encryption so that they can "reach a wide audience," WhatsApp said in a blog post. WhatsApp users will eventually be able to find Channels they want to join in a searchable directory. WhatsApp plans to eventually let anyone create a WhatsApp channel, besides its current launch partners that also include the International Rescue Committee and the World Health Organization.

Persons: WhatsApp, Mark Zuckerberg, CNBC's Jim Cramer, Meta, monetize WhatsApp Organizations: Singapore Heart Foundation, International Rescue Committee, World Health Organization, Meta, Facebook, YouTube Locations: Singapore, Colombia

☆ Jimmy Carter's legacy: How he welcomed refugees
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-04 | by ( Catherine E. Shoichet | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

These steps Carter took during his presidency are still shaping the United States, decades after he left office. Because of Carter’s actions, hundreds of thousands of people fleeing persecution had a chance to come to the United States when he was commander-in-chief. A crisis that began before Carter took office was becoming increasingly dire by the day. That respect, Nguyen says, was earned by actions that Carter took that changed the course of her parents’ lives. “They were only able to do so because of the political courage exercised by President Carter,” she says.

Persons: Jimmy Carter’s, hasn’t, Carter, ”, Kai Bird, Jimmy Carter, Bird, Carter didn’t, Fred Ihrt, ” Carter, Bee Nguyen, it’s, Nguyen, ’, “, ” Nguyen, President Carter, AAPIHeritageMonth, –, ♥️, ince, ives, K unis,, inger, egina, sia, ould, ong, ake, ariel, haring, J, ross Organizations: CNN, CBS, The New York Times, White, ust, ashington Locations: United States, Southeast Asia, Vietnam, Saigon, Georgia, Thailand, Iowa, America, ife

☆ Sudan one month on: Why cease-fires are failing, and what global leaders are missing
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

KHARTOUM, Sudan - May 6, 2023: Sudanese Army sodliers walk near armoured vehicles stationed on a street in southern Khartoum, amid ongoing fighting against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. AFP via Getty ImagesOne month after fighting between Sudan's two military factions broke out in the capital, Khartoum, internationally-brokered peace talks in Saudi Arabia have yielded no solution. Almost a million people have fled their homes, both to locations within Sudan and across the border to neighboring countries. The World Bank and several global powers froze aid to the country after the military takeover, honoring calls from civilians not to legitimize its leadership. Targeted and collaborative efforts by the international community to exert pressure on the countries supporting Sudan's military factions were needed, Abdel-Magied said.

☆ Cyclone Mocha: Early reports of 'extensive damage' as storm hits the Myanmar coast
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Video from the conflict-racked Rakhine state showed powerful gusts of wind blowing trees to the ground. “But early reports suggest the damage is extensive and needs among already vulnerable communities, particularly displaced people, will be high. A resident drives his motorbike past fallen utility poles in Kyauktaw in Myanmar's Rakhine state on May 15, 2023, after Cyclone Mocha crashed ashore. However, torrential rain battered Rakhine state in western Myanmar, bringing threats of flooding and landslides. According to the United Nations, roughly 15,000 homes were destroyed in Rakhine state during the storm.

Drone footage shows clouds of black smoke over Bahri, also known as Khartoum North, Sudan, in this May 1, 2023 video obtained by REUTERSThe International Rescue Committee anticipates "a secondary humanitarian crisis" as refugees pour into neighboring countries escaping the escalating conflict in Sudan. Around 45 million people remain in Sudan, facing acute shortages of fuel, food, water and medical access. Multiple ceasefires have quickly dissolved into further violence, making it difficult for international bodies and NGOs to get humanitarian aid into the vast, sprawling country. According to the IRC, 30,000 refugees have crossed the border from the Darfur region in western Sudan into Chad since April 15. A further 15,000 have fled to South Sudan, many of whom are returnees that had previously fled their own country's conflict south of the border, while several thousand have also crossed into Ethiopia.

[1/5] A local resident leaves after a doctor's visit at a clinic in the liberated village of Vyshneva, near Kharkiv, in eastern Ukraine, April 21, 2023. He can be certain of one thing, however: many patients he meets will be suffering from high blood pressure after living for months under Russian occupation near the frontlines. "Patients who we chat to say there was a considerable number of deaths because of the lack of medical help." The World Health Organization estimates that the overall damage to the system could cost more than $15 billion to repair. But as more people return to liberated areas, a skeleton staff buttressed by volunteers will struggle to meet needs.

☆ International bodies push Sudan's two warring military factions to extend a fragile cease-fire
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Smoke is seen rise from buildings during clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum North, Sudan. Governments and international bodies are pushing Sudan's two warring military factions to extend a fragile cease-fire due to end Thursday night, with remaining civilians and foreign nationals being urged to flee. Despite this, many foreign nationals are still in Sudan, while civilians are struggling to access food, water and fuel. David Miliband, president and CEO of the International Rescue Committee (IRC), said a "rapid surge of humanitarian aid" would be needed to help the 47 million Sudanese remaining in the country. "The parties to the conflict must bring an end to this conflict immediately before the situation further escalates."

☆ Mexico's Haitian asylum seekers lack access to basic resources, says IRC
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Sarah Morland | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MEXICO CITY, April 27 (Reuters) - More than nine in 10 Haitians seeking asylum in Mexico lack the resources to cover basic necessities such as food, shelter and medical care, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) aid group said on Thursday. More than seven in 10 said they struggled to access reliable information in Haitian Creole, particularly about legal pathways to migration and their rights in Mexico. Language barriers, as discrimination and lack of space made accessing shelters difficult, the IRC said, causing many migrants to live on the streets or in makeshift camps. IRC Mexico director Rafael Velasquez noted that Mexico played a key role as migrants crossed the country in the hopes of reaching the United States. Although migrants generally consider areas in south and central Mexico relatively safe, this was not the case at the country's northern border, Velasquez added.

☆ A 'tinderbox' with no easy off-ramps: What the Sudan conflict means for the world
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

Smoke rises during clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Khartoum, Sudan on April 19, 2023. "We urge the Sudanese army to respect the ceasefire and its conditions to alleviate the suffering of innocent civilians. - | Afp | Getty ImagesNotorious Russian mercenary force Wagner Group has been linked to various commercial and military operations in Sudan. Italian citizens are boarded on an Italian Air Force C130 aircraft during their evacuation from Khartoum, Sudan, in this undated photo obtained by Reuters on April 24, 2023. "The RSF is likely to target oil infrastructure linking South Sudan with Khartoum and the export terminal at Port Sudan," Verisk Maplecroft's Hunter suggested.

☆ An economic crisis in Pakistan means many are going hungry during Ramadan
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Sophia Saifi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Javed IqbalIn Karachi, Pakistan’s financial center, 13 women and children died in March when hundreds of people caused a stampede in the rush for free food. Nine were killed in late March at separate government run flour distribution sites in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has expressed concern at what it called “mismanagement” that caused stampedes at wheat flour distribution centers set up by the government. Khan said a shortage of basic imports such as animal feed and other raw materials essential for food production contributed further to the food crisis and widespread hunger. Ramadan is a period of thanksgiving and shared meals, but the festivities have been overshadowed by the economic crisis.

☆ China Boosts Lending to Struggling Belt and Road Borrowers
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Jason Douglas | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

SINGAPORE—China’s emergency support for borrowers from its Belt and Road infrastructure program has ballooned as foreign governments struggle under heavy debts, highlighting the extent of Beijing’s bad loan problem as it works to overhaul its overseas lending strategy. The scale of China’s often-opaque assistance to borrowers in distress means Beijing has effectively established a new system for international rescue lending that exists alongside the International Monetary Fund and other Western institutions, according to new research published by the World Bank.

☆ Fleeing drought, Somalis face malnutrition and cholera in Kenya
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Ayenat Mersie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

In a ward for severely malnourished children, Ismael said her baby's condition had not improved since arriving at Dadaab. Severe malnourishment had made the baby's head swell with liquid - a common effect of malnutrition in children. In the past two years, the drought has displaced one million Somalis and about 100,000 have fled to Kenya, according to the United Nations. In the past year, 32 children have died of malnutrition in the section of the camp run by the IRC, Ngao said. "This was the worst drought I have ever seen," he said.

☆ How search and rescue teams pull survivors from rubble
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

The International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG), a network of countries and organisations under a U.N. umbrella, helps facilitate coordination between international search and rescue teams that deploy in such disasters. The survey helps to identify possible resources and hazards, as well as the main priorities for search and rescue teams. The disaster area is often then drawn into sectors to allocate command and to assign search teams. Often debris must be removed by hand to avoid crushing survivors by using heavy equipment.Below are some of the smaller types of rescue equipment that may be used by rescue teams. Search and rescue teams have worked day and night in cold, wet weather while also facing the threat of aftershocks.

☆ Search and rescue window to save quake victims drawing to a close: IRC
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailSearch and rescue window to save quake victims drawing to a close: International Rescue CommitteeMark Kaye, the International Rescue Committee's director of policy for the Middle East and North Africa, discusses rescue efforts in the aftermath of the earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria.

☆ More than 3,000 dead as two massive earthquakes rock Turkey and Syria
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Aina J. Khan | Mithil Aggarwal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Just hours later, a 7.5-magnitude quake hit the same area, raising the specter of a new humanitarian crisis in a region devastated by years of conflict. A massive 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit southern Turkey on Monday , killing more than 3,000 people in the country and neighboring Syria with scores more trapped in the rubble as another huge temblor hit the region. People search for survivors under the rubble following an earthquake in Diyarbakir, Turkey February 6, 2023. The quake hit an area of Syria's northwest that is divided between government-held territory and the country's last remaining rebel-controlled enclave. Turkey sits on top of major fault lines and is frequently shaken by earthquakes; 18,000 people were killed in powerful earthquakes that hit northwest Turkey in 1999.

☆ Some UN Afghan aid delivered by men only, donors voice alarm
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

PRECEDENT TO REGRETAny potential change to the U.N. approach to food aid following the ban has alarmed some donor nations and aid groups. Ambassador to the United Nations, Lisa Carty, said on Wednesday during a briefing by Griffiths to U.N. member states. Griffiths stressed that Afghan women need to work in food aid distribution to ensure supplies reached the most vulnerable - women and girls. The United Nations has appealed for $4.6 billion to fund the aid operation in Afghanistan in 2023. Griffiths and the heads of some international aid groups met Taliban officials last week to push for more, including in the areas of cash and food aid distribution.

☆ Aid groups resume some Afghan operations with female healthworkers
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Taliban administration last month ordered local and foreign aid organisations to stop letting female staff work until further notice. Many NGOs suspended operations in response, saying they needed female workers to reach women in the conservative country. "Last week, the Ministry of Public Health offered assurances that female health staff, and those working in office support roles, can resume working. A spokesperson the Afghan Ministry of Public Health told Reuters that they had not stopped any health-related activities. "Due to a misunderstanding they stopped their health services and now they have restarted their health services," he told Reuters.

☆ Russia’s war in Ukraine sparked a historic food crisis. It’s not over
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( Julia Horowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

“All the major causes of the food crisis are still with us — conflict, Covid, climate change, high fuel prices,” Cary Fowler, the US special envoy for global food security, told CNN. But high food prices mean that funding can’t go as far, and Russia’s war continues to generate volatility. “The Ukraine crisis has had this ongoing negative impact on world food prices and [added] even more volatility,” said Abby Maxman, CEO of Oxfam America. Russia “is not assisting in alleviating the food crisis in slowing down the grain inspections,” Fowler said. Oxfam’s Maxman, who traveled there in September, said disruptions to food supplies were obvious in markets.

Dec 27 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday left in place for now a pandemic-era policy allowing U.S. officials to rapidly expel migrants caught at the U.S.-Mexico border. The court said it would hear arguments on whether the states could intervene to defend Title 42 in its February session. Enrique Lucero, director of migration affairs in Tijuana, said it was "absurd" that Title 42 remained in place, noting the city had a large backlog of U.S. asylum seekers. It also failed to weigh the harm asylum seekers would face from Title 42, he said. When a federal appeals court on Dec. 16 declined to allow them to intervene and put Sullivan's order on hold, they took the matter to the Supreme Court.

☆ Major aid groups suspend work in Afghanistan AS Taliban bar women
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

KABUL, Afghanistan — Four major international aid groups on Sunday suspended their operations in Afghanistan following a decision by the country’s Taliban rulers to ban women from working at non-governmental organizations. Excluding women from schools and NGO work in Afghanistan “can and will lead to catastrophic humanitarian consequences in the short to long term,” the International Committee of the Red Cross warned. Half of Afghanistan’s population, or 24 million people, are in need of humanitarian aid, according to the group. The International Rescue Committee said it was dismayed by the Taliban decision, adding that more than 3,000 of its staff in Afghanistan are women. The Economy Ministry’s order comes days after the Taliban banned female students from attending universities across the country, triggering backlash overseas and demonstrations in major Afghan cities.

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.

☆ 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.

☆ Chase Pay Yourself Back gets you up to 50% more value when you redeem points for Airbnb, dining, phone, internet, and more — here's how it works
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Holly Johnson | Jasmin Baron | Freelance Writer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +17 min

You'll get 50% more value with the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, and 25% more with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card. Here's what to know about Pay Yourself Back to help you decide if you want to redeem your Chase Ultimate Rewards® points this way. Let's say for a moment that you have 50,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points in your Chase Sapphire Reserve® account. You'll also earn 10x points on Lyft rides with the Chase Sapphire Reserve® and 5x points on Lyft rides with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card through March 2025. Pair Chase cards for even more valueIf you have a Chase Sapphire Reserve® or Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, you should also consider applying for another Chase card that could help you maximize this benefit.

☆ Ethiopian army captures city from Tigray forces -sources
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Guterres told reporters the United Nations was ready to support the bloc in every possible way to end the Ethiopian people's "nightmare". The European Union said the joint offensive by Ethiopian and Eritrean forces should stop immediately and the Eritreans should withdraw from Ethiopian territory. It also urged Tigray forces to refrain from any further military operations. Spokespersons for the Ethiopian government and army, for the Eritrean government and for the Tigray forces did not respond to requests for comment on events in Shire. The Tigray authorities said on Sunday their forces would abide by an immediate truce and said a "humanitarian catastrophe" was unfolding.

☆ Aid worker killed in air strike in Ethiopia's Tigray region, IRC says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NAIROBI, Oct 15 (Reuters) - An aid worker was among three people killed during an air strike on the town of Shire in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region, the International Rescue Committee said on Saturday. The aid worker, who worked for IRC's health and nutrition team, died of injuries sustained while delivering assistance to women and children on Friday, IRC said in a statement. Another IRC staff member was injured in the attack, while two other civilians were killed and three wounded, the statement said. Ethiopian government spokesperson Legesse Tulu, military spokesperson Colonel Getnet Adane and the prime minister's spokesperson Billene Seyoum did not immediately respond to requests for comment about Friday's incident. Eritrean Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel and Getachew Reda, a spokesman for the Tigray forces, also did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

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