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CAIRO (AP) — The U.N. food agency said Friday it has received reports of people dying from starvation in Sudan, where raging fighting between rival generals is hampering the distribution of aid and food supplies to those most hungry. The conflict erupted last April in the capital, Khartoum, and quickly spread to other areas of the country, after months of simmering tensions between the two forces. World Food Program said that some 18 million people across Sudan currently face acute hunger, with the most desperate trapped behind the front lines of the conflict. Photos You Should See View All 45 Images"Life-saving assistance is not reaching those who need it the most, and we are already receiving reports of people dying of starvation,” said Eddie Rowe, WFP's director for Sudan. Burhan and Dagalo are yet to meet in person since the conflict began.

Persons: Abdel Fattah Burhan, Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, ”, Eddie Rowe, Burhan Organizations: Sudanese, Rapid Support Forces, Food Program, The United Nations Locations: CAIRO, Sudan, Africa, Khartoum, Darfur, Kordofan, Gezira, Sudan’s, Saudi Arabia, United States

☆ Don Murray, a Star in Films That Took on Social Issues, Dies at 94
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Robert D. Mcfadden | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Don Murray, the boy-next-door actor who made his film debut as Marilyn Monroe’s infatuated cowboy in “Bus Stop” in 1956 and played a priest, a drug addict, a gay senator and myriad other roles in movies, on television and onstage over six decades, has died at 94. His son Christopher confirmed the death but provided no other details. In the postwar 1950s, when being sensitive, responsible and a “nice guy” were important attributes in a young man, Mr. Murray was a churchgoing pacifist who became a conscientious objector during the Korean War. He fulfilled his service obligation by working for two and a half years in German and Italian refugee camps for $10 a month, assisting orphans, the injured and the displaced. Back from Europe in 1954, he settled on an acting career focused on socially responsible themes.

Persons: Don Murray, Marilyn Monroe’s, Christopher, Murray, ” Thornton, Helen Hayes, Mary Martin Locations: Europe

A senior Hamas official said Friday the group will respond “very soon” to a proposal that includes extended pauses in Gaza fighting and phased exchanges of Hamas-held hostages for Palestinians imprisoned in Israel. Over 27,000 people have been killed and 66,000 wounded by Israel's offensive against Hamas in Gaza, the territory's Health Ministry said Thursday. — Half of U.S. adults say Israel has gone too far in its war in Gaza, AP-NORC poll shows. Here's the latest:HAMAS EXPECTED TO RESPOND SOON TO PROPOSAL THAT INCLUDES RELEASE OF HOSTAGES AND CEASE-FIRESBEIRUT — A senior Hamas official says the group will respond “very soon” to a proposal that includes extended pauses in Gaza fighting and phased exchanges of Hamas-held hostages for Palestinians imprisoned in Israel. Israel has said it would not agree to end the war as a condition for hostage releases.

Persons: —, — Biden, ___, Samy Magdy, SANA, Bashar Assad’s Organizations: Hamas, territory's Health, Health Ministry, West Bank, —, Associated Press, Human Rights Locations: Israel, Gaza, —, U.S, Turkey, West, israel, BEIRUT, United States, Qatar, Egypt, Cairo, Mroue, Beirut, DAMASCUS, BEIRUT —, Damascus, Iran, State, Golan, Britain, Syria

☆ Opinion: UNWRA’s day of reckoning is near
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Opinion Michael Bociurkiw | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Editor’s Note: Michael Bociurkiw (@WorldAffairsPro) is a global affairs analyst and former UNICEF spokesperson for Gaza and the West Bank. But UNRWA funding differs from other UN agencies such as UNICEF, in that it’s mostly dependent on government funding. And that’s why countries pulling funding — as they have done this past week — is such a potentially fatal blow to its operations. Tiny Jordan already hosts at least 2 million Palestinians, including many from Gaza who arrived decades ago. Note: This op-ed has been updated to reflect the latest number of UNRWA employees Israel alleges were associated with Hamas’ October 7 attack.

Persons: Michael Bociurkiw, Read, Michael Bociurkiw Chrystia Chudczak, Khan Younis, Mohammed Talatene, Israel —, there’s, Abed Zagout, Tiny Jordan, Ashraf Amra Organizations: UNICEF, West Bank, CNN, United Nations, UNICEF —, Toyota, Cruisers, United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, Israel Defense Forces, UNRWA, West, UN, Assembly, Palestinian Authority, UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, Getty, World Health Organization Locations: Gaza, East, Children’s, West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Israel, Philadelphia, City, Canada, Germany, Rafa, Anadolu, Egypt, Qatar, Deir al Balah

☆ Grateful for E.U. Aid, Ukraine Now Waits for the United States
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Andrew E. Kramer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Ukrainian officials were quick to thank the European Union Thursday for approving an assistance package of about $54 billion, funds that will help alleviate a potentially severe financial crisis. The money will cover pensions, payments to people displaced by war and routine outlays such as salaries for teachers and doctors. But in thanking his European neighbors, Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, also alluded to uncertainty over future American support, which Ukraine also needs. A $60 billion aid package for Ukraine is currently languishing in the United States Congress. Europe’s commitment, Mr. Zelensky said, would “send a signal across the Atlantic.”“Europe sets the tone for global affairs,” he told the E.U.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, Zelensky, ” Organizations: United States Congress Locations: Ukraine, Europe

☆ Group of Palestinian-Americans skip Blinken meeting over Biden admin’s support for Israel’s offensive in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

More than 26,000 have been killed, hundreds of thousands have been displaced, and Gaza is on the brink of famine. ‘Soul-searching’One of the invitees to the roundtable, Dr. Tariq Haddad, said in an intensely personal, 12-page letter to Blinken that he initially intended to go to the meeting. “My family are subsisting on animal feed, Secretary Blinken, because of your policies,” he said. Public oppositionAnd while Blinken was quietly confronted behind closed doors about the administration’s policy toward Gaza on Thursday, members of the administration, including Blinken, have also faced public displays of opposition. “And we are working 24/7 to try to dramatically expand the flow of food, medicine, shelter – I mean, so much is needed.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Blinken, Joe, Biden, ”, “, Tariq Haddad, ” Haddad, Haddad, –, Matt Miller, ” Miller, Samantha Power, Power, doesn’t Organizations: CNN, Biden, Middle East, State Department, State, Palestinian, US Agency for International Development, USAID, Agency, USAID Missions Locations: Gaza, Israel, United States, Thursday’s, ”

☆ UNRWA Could Shut Down by End of February if Funding Does Not Resume
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

DOHA (Reuters) - The United Nations Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) said on Thursday that it will most likely be forced to shut down its operations in the Middle East, including in Gaza, by the end of the month if funding does not resume. A string of countries including the United States, Germany and Britain have paused their funding to the aid agency in the wake of allegations that some UNRWA staff were involved in Hamas' Oct. 7 attacks in southern Israel. "The agency remains the largest aid organization in one of the most severe and complex humanitarian crises in the world," UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said in a statement. "If the funding remains suspended, we will most likely be forced to shut down our operations by end of February not only in Gaza but also across the region." Israeli authorities have long called for the agency to be dismantled, arguing that its mission is obsolete and fosters anti-Israeli sentiment, something UNRWA has vigorously denied.

Persons: Philippe Lazzarini, defunding, Benjamin Netanyahu, Nidal Al, Jana Choukeir, Clauda Tanios, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Kevin Liffey Organizations: DOHA, Reuters, United Nations Palestinian, World Health Organization, WHO, UNRWA, United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, General, West Bank Locations: Gaza, United States, Germany, Britain, Israel

☆ Some Palestinian Americans Decline Invite to Meet Blinken
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Kanishka Singh and Humeyra PamukWASHINGTON (Reuters) - Some members of the Palestinian American community who received an invite to meet U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday declined the invitation over their frustration with Washington's policy toward the conflict and crisis in Gaza. "A meeting of this nature at this moment in time is insulting and performative," a group of Palestinian American community members said in a statement, adding they represented a majority of those invited. Israel launched its offensive in Hamas-governed Gaza following the Palestinian Islamist group's Oct. 7 attack on Israel that killed 1,200, according to Israeli tallies. We will not be attending this discussion which can only amount to a box-ticking exercise," the Palestinian American group said on Thursday, adding it saw Washington as complicit in Israeli actions. A U.S. State Department spokesperson on Thursday told reporters Blinken met with a "number of leaders" from the Palestinian American community, without specifying how many attended.

Persons: Kanishka Singh, Humeyra Pamuk, Antony Blinken, Israel, Joe Biden, Blinken, Stephen Coates Organizations: Palestinian American, U.S, United Nations, ., U.S . State, White, Biden Locations: Humeyra Pamuk WASHINGTON, Gaza, Palestinian, United States, Israel, Washington, U.S, New York City, Los Angeles, Michigan

☆ The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict and the Long Shadow of 1948
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Emily Bazelon | A Discussion Moderated Emily Bazelon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +18 min

In 1948, Jews realized their wildly improbable dream of a state, and Palestinians experienced the mass flight and expulsion called the Nakba, or catastrophe. It’s only in 1948 that the Arabs become Palestinians and the Jews become Israelis. Many Jews became lower-level officers during World War II, and they brought their new military expertise to the 1948 war. Zoltan Kluger/GPO, via Getty Images Palestinian bombers destroyed buildings on Ben Yehuda Street in Jerusalem in March 1948. Bettmann/Getty Images A Palestinian refugee cut off from her home by the border established after the 1948 war.

Persons: Matson, —, Khalil Raad, Yaakov Ben Dov Delegates, Haj Amin al, Husseini, ”, It’s, Avraham Avinu, David, Fox, King David Hotel, David Ben, Gurion, “, Hitler, Hans Pinn, Abd al, Qadir al, Chalil, Zoltan Kluger, Ben Yehuda, Hugo H, Mendelsohn, John Phillips, Palestine ”, UNSCOP, Bettmann, Ruth Orkin, David Seymour, Jordan, Israel, Abdullah, Nadim, Leena Dallasheh, Abigail Jacobson, Moshe Naor, ” Derek Penslar, ” Itamar Rabinovich, Salim Tamari, Emily Bazelon, Herzl, Faisal Al, Hashemi, James Russell &, Bain, Jabotinsky, Abraham Pisarek, Weizmann, Heinrich Hoffmann Organizations: Congress, Institute for Palestine, Palestinian, . Institute for Palestine, Matson, Palestine, Getty, of Congress British, Peel, Zionist, Jewish, British Armed Forces, Allied, King, of Congress Women, Hulton, Biltmore, British, Agence France, Getty Images, Refugees, West Bank, Shutterstock, United Nations, League of Nations, United, United Nations Jewish, Madver, The, Palestine Studies, Columbia University, Columbia University , New York University, Rice University, Islamic, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Center for Jewish Studies, Harvard University, Tel Aviv University, Birzeit University, Institute for Palestine Studies, The New York Times Magazine, James Russell & Sons, of Congress, Israel, Ben, General Photographic Agency, Society, International Affairs Locations: Palestine, City, Jerusalem, Canadian American, Israel, British, Jaffa, Damascus, Old City, Hebron, Safed, Europe, Arab, North Africa, New York City, Middle Eastern, Haifa, Cyprus, Jenin, U.S, United Nations, Iraq, Tel Aviv’s Lod, Lebanon, Eyal, el Bared, Egypt, Syria, Gaza, Tel Aviv, Ashdod, Palestinian, United States, Qatar, Iran, Columbia University ,, Nazareth, Israeli, Husseini

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) assists Palestinians in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and the West Bank, as well as in Gaza. Some $440 million of funding has been suspended, according to UNRWA, which has 13,000 staff in Gaza. The agency said the severe humanitarian needs of Palestinians in Gaza would likely deteriorate further if the funding is not restored. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday called for UNRWA to be dismantled and replaced by other aid groups. And we have discovered in the last few weeks that UNRWA officials were complicit in the massacre,” he said.

Persons: –, Philippe Lazzarini, Khan Younis, Thomas White, ” White, ”, Khaled Omar, Lazzarini, Benjamin Netanyahu, ” Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Israel, “, Yoav Hallant Organizations: CNN, United Nations, United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, West Bank, UNRWA Affairs, Training Center, UNRWA, Getty, ”, International Court of Justice, Israel, UN Locations: Gaza, Israel, East, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, United States, Rafah, Amman, Xinhua, South Africa, Israeli, The Hague

Washington CNN —President Joe Biden plans to issue an executive order targeting violent Israeli settlers in the West Bank whom he has said have undermined stability in the area, a US official and source familiar with the matter told CNN. Officials said they had compiled evidence they said offered proof of the individuals’ role in the West Bank violence that would withstand judicial review, including information from public reporting. The State Department can apply the policy to both Israelis and Palestinians who were responsible for attacks in the West Bank, Blinken said at the time. Dozens of Palestinians were killed in the West Bank in the weeks immediately following the Hamas attack as settler violence intensified. An estimated 700,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Antony Blinken, Blinken, Matt Miller, ”, ” Biden, “, “ we’re, Jennifer Hansler Organizations: Washington CNN, West Bank, CNN, Politico, White House, The State Department, ”, Bank Locations: United States, West, Gaza, Huwara, “, Israel, East, America

Israel and Hezbollah each have lessons from their last war, in 2006, a monthlong conflict that ended in a draw. A United Nations resolution ending the war called for withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon and a demilitarized zone on Lebanon's side of the border. Israeli political and military leaders have warned Hezbollah that war is increasingly probable unless the militants withdraw from the border. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah hasn't threatened to initiate war but warned of a fight “without limits” if Israel does. Costs would rise sharply if there's war with Lebanon.

Persons: They've, U.N, Antonio Guterres, Hassan Nasrallah hasn't, Andrea Tenenti, Lisa Abou Khaled, ”, Tal Beeri, there's, Israel's, Orna Mizrahi, Netanyahu, Dina Arakji, ___ Lidman Organizations: United States, United, U.S, Bank of Israel, Alma Research, Education Center, Israel Democracy Institute, Institute for National Security Studies, Gaza's Health Ministry, Lebanese Locations: BEIRUT, Israel, Gaza, United, Lebanon, United Nations, Europe, Iran, Israel's, “, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Beirut, ”, Tel Aviv

Export manufacturing and other mainstream business activities in Myanmar have suffered since the military takeover, wiping out jobs that millions relied on to get by. The economy is forecast to grow at a meager 1% pace this year and about half the population is estimated to be living in poverty. Fighting with pro-democracy guerrillas and ethnic minority armed groups has escalated in recent months, raising pressure on the military, which has suffered some key defeats. However, United Nations officials estimate that nearly 18 million of the country's nearly 57 million people are in need of humanitarian aid. The Myanmar military administration reported $602 million in foreign direct investment last year, mostly in the energy sector, with only $112 million invested in manufacturing.

Persons: Aung, kyat, ” Miemie Winn Byrd, Daniel K, Inouye, “, ” Jeremy Douglas, ” Organizations: —, vise, Export, United Nations, U.S ., Pacific Center for Security Studies, U.S . Trade, Drugs, Southeast Locations: BANGKOK, Thailand, — Myanmar, Southeast Asia, Myanmar, Yangon, Myanmar's, North Korea, Inouye Asia, Bangkok, “

☆ Ethnic Conflict Kills 11 People in Western Congo
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

KINSHASA (Reuters) - Fighting between ethnic communities left 11 people dead in western Congo on Tuesday, a local authority and civil society leader said after their bodies were collected on Wednesday. The conflict between Teke and Yaka communities that started in 2022 over a land dispute caused a deterioration in the humanitarian and security situation in several provinces near the capital Kinshasa. At least 3,000 people have been killed and more than 150,000 displaced by the conflict, according to the United Nations. The clashes in Mai-Ndombe province killed 10 Mobondo militants, allied with the Yaka community, and one soldier, village chief Stany Libie and civil society leader Martin Suta told Reuters. (Reporting by Ange Kasongo; Additional reporting by Sonia Rolley; Writing by Anait Miridzhanian and Portia Crowe; Editing by David Gregorio)

Persons: Stany Libie, Martin Suta, Libie, Ange Kasongo, Sonia Rolley, Anait Miridzhanian, Portia Crowe, David Gregorio Organizations: United Nations, Reuters Locations: KINSHASA, Congo, Kinshasa, Mai, Ndombe

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will visit the eastern Ohio community that was devastated by a fiery train derailment in February 2023 that displaced thousands of residents and left many fearing potential health effects from the toxic chemicals that spilled when a Norfolk Southern train went off the tracks. A White House official said Wednesday that Biden will visit East Palestine in February, a year after the derailment. The absence of a visit by Biden had become a subject of persistent questioning at the White House, as well as among residents in East Palestine. The Biden administration defended its response right after the toxic freight train derailment, even as local leaders and members of Congress demanded that more be done. Political Cartoons View All 253 ImagesAsked last week about a potential Biden visit to Ohio, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said she had nothing to announce.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, “, Biden didn't, Karine Jean, Pierre, ”, ” Jean Organizations: WASHINGTON, White, Democratic, Environmental Protection Agency, National Transportation Safety, Biden, Norfolk Southern, Federal Emergency Management Agency Locations: Ohio, Norfolk Southern, Palestine, Pennsylvania, East Palestine, Maui, Florida, East Palestine , Ohio

LUANG PRABANG, Laos (AP) — Landlocked Laos doesn't have the famous beaches of its neighbors to attract tourists, but instead relies on the pristine beauty of its mountains and rivers and historical sites to bring in visitors. The crown jewel is Luang Prabang, a UNESCO World Heritage Site where legend has it that Buddha once rested during his travels. Nestled among the mountains of northern Laos, Luang Prabang was the capital from the 14th to the 16th century before it was moved to Vientiane. “This dam won't generate a lot of power for Laos, it's going to power new shopping malls in Bangkok,” Eyler said of the Luang Prabang project. “In isolation, the potential transboundary harmful effects due to the Luang Prabang hydropower project may not be substantial," the river commission said.

Persons: Buddha, it's, ”, Brian Eyler, Stimson, Eyler, ” Eyler, Philip Hirsch, “, you've, ” Hirsch, Vietnam —, Barbara Curti Organizations: UNESCO, Asia Program, Sustainability, ” UNESCO, Associated Press, Ministry of Information, Foreign Ministry, Heritage, Monitor, Sydney University, CBA, Commission Locations: LUANG PRABANG, Laos, Prabang, Southeast Asia, Washington, Luang Prabang, Luang, Paris, New Delhi, Vientiane, Vietnam, China, Kunming, Thailand, Stimson, Bangkok, British, Cambodia, Asia, asia

☆ Gaza Ambulances Become Mobile Clinics as Fighting Blocks Way to Hospitals
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

The hospital, the largest still functioning in southern Gaza, is in an area of the city where intense fighting is taking place between Israeli forces and Hamas militants, making it too dangerous for patients or even ambulances to pass. "We now function as an ambulance field point in central Khan Younis," said paramedic Nassim Hassan, who heads the emergency unit at Nasser Hospital. With no immediate prospect of getting new supplies from any hospital storeroom, Hassan was concerned about running out of essentials. "This medical point was created after the siege of hospitals, including Nasser Hospital and Al-Amal Hospital, and the hard access to them under the current events," said Abu al-Kass. Hassan and his colleagues from ambulance crews acting as mobile clinics have carried patients into the tent, and dead bodies out.

Persons: Fadi Shana, Ibraheem Abu Mustafa KHAN YOUNIS, Khan Younis, Nassim Hassan, Hassan, Ibrahim Abu al, Kass, Abu, Estelle Shirbon, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: Nasser Hospital, Al, Amal Hospital Locations: Gaza, Khan, Israel, Rafah, Egypt

☆ Palestinians are eating grass and drinking polluted water as famine looms across Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Sana Noor Haq | Rosa Rahimi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

“They are weak now, they always have diarrhea, their faces are yellow,” El Jamara, whose family was displaced from northern Gaza, told CNN on January 9. “Unfortunately, many relatives and friends are still in the northern Gaza Strip, suffering a lot,” Hamouda, a father-of-three, told CNN. The first 1,000 days of a child’s life are “absolutely critical” for physical growth and cognitive development, Inglis told CNN. “It is not enough to meet my family’s needs at all,” the student, who is sheltering in a tent in Rafah, told CNN. “We simply don’t have enough, and we cannot keep up with the overwhelming needs of people on the ground,” she told CNN.

Persons: CNN — Hanadi Gamal Saed El Jamara, El Jamara, Arif Husain, Martin Griffiths, “, ”, El, Mohammed Hamouda, Odeh Al, Haw, Hamouda, Yahya Hassouna, Israel, ” Hamouda, Jabalya, Gihan, Baz, ” El Baz, Hoor, Hazem Saeed Al, Mohammed Hamouda Hamouda, Abu Youssef Al, Rebecca Inglis, Inglis, Shadi Bleha, Khan Younis, OCHA, Mohammed Hamouda Juliette Touma, Naizi Organizations: CNN, Food Programme, Integrated Food Security, UN, of Health, “, Getty, United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, UNRWA, Najjar Hospital, UNICEF, World Health Organization, United Nations Population Fund, WFP, OCHA, World, Al Locations: Rafah, Gaza, Israel, Egypt, “, Gaza City, AFP, East, Britain, Al, Territories, Deir al, Balah

☆ Analysis-West Africa's 'Brexit' Moment Spells Trouble for the Region
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +6 min

Ivory Coast alone is home to more than 5 million people from Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. Earlier this month, Russia and Niger, ruled by a junta since a coup last year, agreed to develop military ties. Russian military personnel flew into Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou last week to ensure the safety of the country's military leader. EMPTY THREATECOWAS has responded to a wave of coups in the region since 2020 with sanctions that the juntas have called "illegal and inhumane." "The departure from ECOWAS will have catastrophic consequences for the ability to respond to the many security challenges facing this region," said Abba.

Persons: Bate Felix, David Lewis, Giulia Paravicini, Seidik Abba, Russia's Wagner, Mucahid Durmaz, Verisk Maplecroft, Charlie Robertson, Kwesi Aning, Gilles Yabi, Adama Coulibaly, Nagnouma Keita, Abba, Tiemoko Diallo, Boureima, Silvia Aloisi, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: Giulia Paravicini DAKAR, West, West African States, Reuters, Islamic, FIM Partners, European Union, ECOWAS, CFA Locations: Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Russia, Ivory Coast, Niger . Niger, Nigeria, Paris, Ghana, Togo, Benin, France, United States, Burkina Faso's, Ouagadougou, West Africa, United, London, Bamako, Guinea, China

Local officials have previously reported starvation deaths in their districts, but Ethiopia’s federal government has insisted these reports are “completely wrong”. Only a small fraction of needy people in Tigray are receiving food aid, according to an aid memo seen by The Associated Press, more than one month after aid agencies resumed deliveries of grain following a lengthy pause over theft. Just 14% of 3.2 million people targeted for food aid by humanitarian agencies in Tigray this month had received it by Jan. 21, according to the memo by the Tigray Food Cluster, a group of aid agencies co-chaired by the U.N.’s World Food Program and Ethiopian officials. Aid agencies are also struggling with a lack of funds. A third aid worker said the food aid pause and the slow resumption meant some people in Tigray have not received food aid for over a year.

Persons: Jan, “, ”, Ethiopia’s, Getachew Reda Organizations: Associated Press, Food Program, Ethiopian, AP, WFP, Children's Locations: KAMPALA, Uganda, Tigray, Amhara, U.S, Ethiopia, Ethiopia’s Afar, Oromia

☆ Group of Democrats call on Blinken to provide answers on bypassing Congress to approve arms sales to Israel
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —A group of 19 predominantly Democratic lawmakers is calling on Secretary of State Antony Blinken to provide answers about why he bypassed Congress last month to approve arms sales to Israel. The top US diplomat made two emergency determinations in December to immediately approve the transfer hundreds of millions of dollars in military equipment to Israel. In their letter, the lawmakers noted the rarity of administrations using emergency declarations to immediately approve arms sales without congressional approval. “Use of a national emergency waiver does not exempt the U.S. government from assessing whether arms sales are consistent with” those standards, they wrote. I would say that the process that the secretary followed and the process that we follow here at the State Department is the process that the law actually prescribed,” Miller said at a State Department briefing.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Blinken, Joe Biden, Independent Sen, Bernie Sanders, Democratic Sens, Elizabeth Warren, Jeff Merkley, Peter Welch, James McGovern, Earl Blumenauer, Joaquin Castro, Judy Chu, Raúl, Pramila Jayapal, Barbara Lee, Betty McCollum, Chellie Pingree, Mark Pocan, Delia Ramirez, Jan Schakowsky, Jill Tokuda, Maxine Waters, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Leahy, credibly, “ Israel, ”, ’, “, Matt Miller, ” Miller Organizations: CNN, UN, Independent, Democratic, State Department, Leahy, ”, Department Locations: Israel, Gaza, Hamas

The Palestinian Health Ministry said Israeli forces opened fire inside the wards of the Ibn Sina Hospital in the town of Jenin. Most were killed in confrontations with Israeli forces during arrest raids or violent protests. The Israeli military says it has arrested nearly 3,000 Palestinians in the West Bank over the past four months. The military said Tuesday that forces killed Mohammed Jalamneh, 27, who it said was planning an imminent attack. Hospital spokesperson Tawfiq al-Shobaki said there was no exchange of fire and the three were killed by Israeli forces in a targeted killing.

Persons: Ibn, Mohammed Jalamneh, Basel, Mohammed Ghazawi, Jalamneh, Tawfiq, Shobaki, ”, Basel Ghazawi, Israel, Osama Hamdan, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, ___ Lidman Organizations: West Bank, —, Palestinian Health Ministry, Ibn Sina, Muslim, Israel, Health Ministry, Hamas, United Nations, Basel, hemiplegia, Palestinian Authority, Gaza, Atlantic Council, Palestinian Locations: JENIN, West, Gaza, Jenin, Israel, Jerusalem, Egypt, Qatar, United States, Beirut, Washington, Gaza City, israel

CNN —Israeli tanks fired live ammunition and smoke grenades after entering a hospital complex in southern Gaza where more than 8,000 people are sheltering, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said Tuesday. The tanks were “firing live ammunition and smoke grenades,” the aid agency said in a series of messages between 10 a.m. Earlier, Israeli forces asked people to “evacuate the building at gunpoint,” Muhammad Abu Musabih, director of Ambulance and Emergency Services at the hospital, told CNN in an audio message. The PRCS also reported fire from Israeli tanks in the area earlier Tuesday, which it said killed one displaced woman and injured nine others. Israeli forces “demolished the outer wall of the building and fired … smoke bombs at the displaced people and the association’s staff,” the organization said.

Persons: Al Amal, Khan Younis, ” Muhammad Abu Musabih, “ Organizations: CNN, Palestine Red Crescent Society, Israel Defense Forces, Ambulance, Emergency Services, Al Locations: Gaza, Palestine, Israel, gunpoint, United Nations

Here is what you need to know about the U.N. agency, the allegations against its workers and the fallout. While UNRWA does not resettle Palestinian refugees, it provides other services such as education and health care to refugees across five separate locations. The remaining approximately 2.5 million refugees are located in the enclaves of the Gaza Strip (nearly 1.6 million) and the West Bank (more than 900,000). As of Monday morning, the following 10 countries have announced they would at least pause UNRWA funding. “The Department of State has temporarily paused additional funding for UNRWA while we review these allegations and the steps the United Nations is taking to address them.”What Does the UNRWA Scandal Mean for Gazans?

Persons: Philippe Lazzarini, ”, ” Lazzarini, ’, “, – Jordan, Lazzarini Organizations: United, United Nations Relief, Works Agency, Hamas, The New York Times, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, UNRWA, Gaza, West Bank, European Union, U.S . State Department, Department of State, Nations Locations: United Nations, Israel, United States, Gaza, East, Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, U.S, Germany

☆ Why Domicide Should Be a Crime Against Humanity - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Balakrishnan Rajagopal | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +9 min

Opinion Domicide: The Mass Destruction of Homes Should Be a Crime Against HumanityThe widespread or systematic destruction of homes has long been a feature of modern warfare. We all understand that killing can be a murder, a war crime, a crime against humanity or an act of genocide, depending on the gravity and intention of the act. Indeed, what has happened to homes and lives in Gaza is a stand-alone crime: domicide. There is precedent for updating what we legally define as international crimes. Accountability for domicide in Gaza cannot stop with potential criminal prosecutions or declaratory judgments by courts someday in the future.

Persons: Yaqeen Baker, It’s, I’ve, Israel, Enshrining Organizations: West Bank, Israel, United, International Court of Justice, General Assembly, Marshall Locations: Jabalia, Gaza, Aleppo, Grozny, Myanmar, Canada, Syria, United Nations, Dresden, Rotterdam, Mariupol, Israel, Hiroshima, Geneva, Rome, domicide, United States

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