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☆ South Korea to help Africa cut dependence on rice imports - minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Soo-Hyang Choi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SEOUL, July 6 (Reuters) - South Korea is set to sign an agreement next week with eight African nations to help boost rice production and cut their dependence on imports, Agriculture Minister Chung Hwang-keun told Reuters, amid concerns over food security on the continent. The minister said during several visits to Africa starting late last year officials told him they desperately needed help. Rice prices had almost doubled due to supply chain disruptions," Chung said, noting how food imports had squeezed the countries' foreign exchange reserves. South Korea has been able to produce enough rice to meet more than 90% of local demand, though still depends heavily on some other food imports. "The K-Rice project will bring outstanding rice varieties and hope to the small farmers in Africa suffering from the climate crisis," Marian Sunhee Yun, the director of WFP Korea Office, said.

Persons: Chung Hwang, keun, Yoon Suk Yeol, Chung, Rice, Yoon Suk, Marian Sunhee Yun, 1,302.3500, Soo, hyang Choi, Ed Davies, Sonali Paul Organizations: Agriculture, Reuters, Economic, West African States, United Nations, Food, WFP Korea Office, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, South Korea, Ghana, Guinea, Bissau, Gambia, Senegal, Cameroon, Uganda, Kenya, Africa, West Africa, Seoul

☆ UN recruits robots in strive to meet global development goals
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Emma Farge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Set in 2015, the U.N.'s 17 Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs) aim to improve human life and the planet by 2030 but are now widely perceived as a long shot. The two-day event will culminate with a panel of robots taking questions from journalists on Friday in the world's first human-robot press conference. The World Health Organization is working on a benchmarking system to ensure the accuracy of AI disease diagnoses. The ITU brings together 193 countries and over 900 organisations including universities and companies like Huawei Technologies [RIC:RIC:HWT.UL] and Google (GOOGL.O). It allocates global radio spectrum and satellite orbits and is involved with setting standards for artificial intelligence.

Persons: Nadine, Frederic Werner, ChatGPT, it's, Doreen Bogdan, Martin, Emma Farge, Emelia Sithole Organizations: International Telecommunication Union, ITU Telecommunication Standardization, World Health Organization, Huawei Technologies, Thomson Locations: GENEVA, Switzerland, Geneva

[1/2] Hsiao-Wei Lee, Afghanistan country director for World Food Programme (WFP), speaks during an interview with Reuters in Kabul, Afghanistan, March 20, 2023. "It's five million people we are able to serve for another couple of months but then beyond that we don't have the resources," WFP Afghanistan Country Director Hsiao-Wei Lee told Reuters. Around 15 million Afghans in danger from lack of food are in need of assistance, according to WFP. WFP needs $1 billion in funding to provide food aid and carry out planned projects between now until March, Lee said. WFP would stay in Afghanistan and carry out its other work such as nutrition projects, Lee said, even if the projected cuts took place.

Persons: Hsiao, Wei Lee, Sayed, Lee, it's, Charlotte Greenfield, Andrew Mills, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Food Programme, Reuters, REUTERS, United Nations, WFP, Afghanistan, Thomson Locations: Afghanistan, Kabul, Islamabad, Doha

☆ Women’s World Cup teams permitted to wear armbands that highlight ‘social causes’
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Amanda Davies | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —World soccer governing body FIFA will allow a variety of different armbands that highlight “a range of social causes” to be worn at the upcoming Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, the organization said Friday. “FIFA, in partnership with several United Nations agencies, will use the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™ to highlight a range of social causes, selected following extensive consultation with stakeholders including players and the 32 participating member associations,” FIFA said in a statement. “But football does even more than that – it can shine the spotlight on very important causes in our society. Several European teams were set to participate in the “OneLove” campaign to promote inclusion and oppose discrimination, but those countries were prevented by FIFA from doing so. There is no explicit mention of LGBTQ rights in Women’s World Cup armbands, beyond the “themes” of “gender equality” and “inclusion.”The Women’s World Cup is scheduled to be played from July 20 to August 20 with the opening game taking place in Auckland when co-hosts New Zealand play Norway.

Persons: ”, “, Gianni Infantino, Hadja Lahbib, Nancy Faeser – Organizations: CNN, FIFA, “ FIFA, United Nations, ” FIFA, Football, Inclusion, UN Human, Indigenous Peoples, Equality, UN, Peace –, UNHCR, UN Refugee Agency, Education, –, Cultural Organization, UNESCO, UN Women, World Health Organization, WHO, Qatar –, Belgian Foreign Affairs, German, New Zealand Locations: Australia, New Zealand, Qatar, Infantino, Auckland, Norway

☆ Iraq plants mangrove forest to fight climate disaster
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Essam Al-Sudani | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BASRA, Iraq, June 29 (Reuters) - As Aymen al-Rubaye plants mangrove seedlings in the sprawling tidal flats of southern Iraq, the black smoke rising over the skyline behind him shows the ecological damage that he is toiling to undo. Rubaye, an agricultural engineer, is working for a project started by Iraqi government bodies and a United Nations agency to grow up to 4 million mangrove trees in the Khor al-Zubair mudflats region, located near major oil fields. The tidal flats south of Basra are a baking landscape of water, salt, mud and hazy sky, riven by channels that Rubaye and his team navigate by boat. [1/5]Engineer Ayman Al-Rubaie, 47, plants mangrove trees in the wooded areas of the Shatt Al-Arab River, in Basra, Iraq June 21, 2023. Mangrove plants "can resist these harsh conditions we are passing through" without needing irrigation water, Rubaye said.

Persons: pats, Ayman Al, Essam, Rubaye, Ahmed Albaaj, Angus McDowall, Peter Graff Organizations: United, World Bank, REUTERS, United Arab Emirates, Thomson Locations: BASRA, Iraq, United Nations, Khor, Basra, . Southern Iraq, Kuwait, United Arab

WASHINGTON, June 23 (Reuters) - The Biden administration will spend $2.3 billion on food purchases for schools and food banks as the end of pandemic-era aid leads to rising food insecurity, the Department of Agriculture said on Friday. Supplemental food aid for low-income families and schools tied to the COVID-19 pandemic has mostly expired. Food banks and other emergency food providers have reported near-record demand as food price inflation continues to strain household budgets. The USDA will provide nearly $1.3 billion to states and territories for additional food purchases for school meal programs, which the agency said is needed due to the expiration of a 2022 law that temporarily increased funding to those programs. It will also distribute nearly $1 billion to organizations like food banks and community kitchens for commodity purchases from U.S. farmers.

Persons: Biden, Tom Vilsack, Vilsack, Leah Douglas, Frances Kerry Organizations: Department of Agriculture, USDA, U.S . Census Bureau, USDA's Commodity Credit Corporation, U.S . Treasury, Thomson Locations: Ukraine

[1/2] Internally displaced Ethiopians queue to receive food aid in the Higlo camp for people displaced by drought in the town of Gode, Somali Region, Ethiopia, April 26, 2022. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri/File PhotoNAIROBI, June 19 (Reuters) - The U.N. World Food Programme hopes to resume some food aid distribution in Ethiopia as soon as next month once it has received greater control over how beneficiaries are selected, a senior WFP official said on Monday. It paused food aid to the northern Tigray region in May and then to all of Ethiopia this month in response to widespread theft of donations. The WFP has been providing emergency food assistance to nearly 6 million of them. Valerie Guarnieri, WFP assistant executive director for programme and policy development, said the agency wanted to reduce the authority of local and regional government officials to decide who qualified for food aid.

Persons: Valerie Guarnieri, Guarnieri, Aaron Ross, Alison Williams Organizations: REUTERS, Tiksa, WFP, Reuters, U.S . Agency for International Development, USAID, Ethiopian, Thomson Locations: Gode, Somali Region, Ethiopia, NAIROBI, Tigray, States

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with African leaders on June 17 in Russia. The Black Sea grain deal: Putin also claimed "the crisis on the global food market is not a consequence of conflict in Ukraine." “Ukrainian grain supply to the world’s markets doesn’t solve the problem of world hunger,” he said. “Countries in need should not suffer, so Moscow went to great lengths to ensure the supply of Ukrainian grain to African countries,” Putin said. Ramaphosa also pushed for "opening up of the movement of the grains across the Black Sea so whatever blockages there are should be released."

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Volodymyr Zelensky, ”, ” Putin, Cyril Ramaphosa, Ramaphosa, Maria Lvova Organizations: United Nations, “, Initiative, African Locations: Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, St . Petersburg, ”, Turkey, Africa, Russian

☆ Explainer: What is Russia's problem with the Black Sea grain deal?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Putin said he would discuss the future of the grain deal with visiting African leaders on Saturday. THE PACKAGE DEALThe United Nations and Turkey brokered the Black Sea Grain Initiative last July to help tackle a global food crisis worsened by Moscow's invasion of Ukraine and blockade of its Black Sea ports. Under the Black Sea grain deal, more than 625,000 tonnes of grain has so far been shipped by the WFP for aid operations in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Yemen. Until the ammonia pipeline is restarted, Moscow has said it will limit the number of vessels allowed to travel to Pivdennyi port under the Black Sea grain deal. RUSSIAN GRAIN, FERTILIZER EXPORTSWhile exports of Russian wheat and some fertilisers have risen since the war, exports of Russian ammonia and potassium-based fertilizers have plummeted.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Stephane Dujarric, Linda Thomas, Greenfield, JPM.N, Daniel Wallis Organizations: United, United Nations, Food Programme, The United Nations, Democratic, Agricultural Bank, European Union, EU, JPMorgan Chase, reassurances, U.S ., African Export, Import Bank, Reuters, U.S . Department of Agriculture, Thomson Locations: Russia, Moscow, United Nations, Turkey, Ukraine, Africa, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Kenya, United States, America, SWIFT, Russia's Togliatti, Ukraine's, Ukrainian, Ukraine's Kharkiv, East

☆ Many culprits stole food aid in north Ethiopia, investigation finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Giulia Paravicini | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NAIROBI, June 15 (Reuters) - Regional and federal government officials as well as Eritrean soldiers were involved in the theft of food aid in northern Ethiopia's Tigray region, the head of an investigation by the Tigrayan authorities said on Thursday. The U.N. World Food Programme and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) paused food distribution last month in war-scarred Tigray because they said significant amounts of aid had been stolen. The two agencies then suspended food aid across all of Ethiopia last week for the same reason. An internal humanitarian memo said USAID believes food has been diverted to Ethiopian military units as part of a scheme orchestrated by federal and regional government entities. Ethiopia's army has denied its forces benefited from any stolen food aid.

Persons: General Fiseha Kidanu, Tigrai, Giulia Paravicini, Aaron Ross, Alex Richardson Organizations: Food, U.S . Agency for International Development, USAID, Ethiopian, WFP, Thomson Locations: NAIROBI, Ethiopia's Tigray, Tigray, Ethiopia

☆ Syrians need 'way more' than pledged relief funds, ICRC says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Maya Gebeily | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A total of $5 billion was pledged in grants for 2023 and another $1 billion for 2024 and beyond. More than 6 million Syrians are displaced in their own country and 5.5 million Syrian refugees live in neighbouring Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq as well as Egypt. Donors scraped together an additional $1 billion in emergency relief funds following the devastating February earthquake that killed thousands in Syria. But trying to provide humanitarian help in Syria was "frustrating" without a political solution to resolve the protracted crisis. It's only politics, who can do that," Carboni said, adding: "we know that the solution is a political solution and that it's desperately needed."

Persons: Fabrizio Carboni, Carboni, Bashar al Assad's, it's, Maya Gebeily, Grant McCool Organizations: International Committee, Red, ICRC, Syrians, European Union, Thomson Locations: BEIRUT, Brussels, U.N, Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Egypt, Syria, United States, Russia, Iran

☆ US suspends food aid to Ethiopia, says it's not reaching needy
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Giulia Paravicini | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri/Pool/File PhotoNAIROBI, June 8 (Reuters) - The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) said on Thursday it was suspending food aid to Ethiopia because its donations were being diverted from people in need. The USAID spokesperson said the agency intended to resume food assistance as soon as it was confident in the integrity of the system. USAID and the U.N. World Food Programme (WFP) had already suspended food aid to the northern Ethiopian region of Tigray last month in response to information that large amounts of aid there were being diverted. In the 2022 fiscal year, USAID disbursed nearly $1.5 billion in humanitarian assistance to Ethiopia, most of it food aid. WFP is also investigating "systemic" food diversion across Ethiopia, according to an email sent last week by the agency's deputy director to staff in Ethiopia.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Sean Jones, Finance Ahmed Shide, Demeke Mekonnen, Blinken, Giulia Paravicini, Doina Chiacu, Christina Fincher, Mark Potter Organizations: Logistics Center, USAID, Ethiopian, Finance, REUTERS, Tiksa, U.S . Agency for International Development, Reuters, Resilience, Spokespeople, The State Department, Food Programme, WFP, Thomson Locations: Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, NAIROBI, United States, Tigray, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopian, Washington

☆ 4.9 magnitude quake strikes southern Haiti; 4 dead, dozens injured
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The town of Jeremie in Haiti's southwest region was struck by a moderate earthquake on Tuesday, June 6, 2023. (Patrick Farrell/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.9 struck southern Haiti early Tuesday, killing at least four people and injuring 36 others, authorities said. The quake struck before dawn near the southwestern coastal city of Jeremie at a depth of six miles (10 kilometers), according to the U.S. Geological Survey. "There were so many people out on the street, and a lot of panic," he recalled of the moments after the quake struck. The earthquake struck almost two years after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck southern Haiti and killed more than 2,200 people, with Les Cayes sustaining the most damage.

Persons: Patrick Farrell, Eric Mpitabakana, Les Cayes, Frankel Maginaire, Mpitabakana, Claude Prepetit, Paul Pierre, Pierre, Prince, Ariel Henry Organizations: Miami Herald, Tribune, Service, Getty, . Geological Survey, Food, Associated Press, Civil Protection Agency, Haiti's Civil Protection Agency, Haiti's, of Mines and Energy, Radio, AP Locations: Jeremie, Haiti's, Haiti, Port

CNN —Thousands of homes in Haiti have been flooded following heavy rains over the weekend, leaving at least 42 people dead and 85 injured, according to a statement released by the country’s Civil Protection Agency on Monday. The intense rainfall caused several rivers throughout Haiti to overflow, which in turn sparked flash floods, flooding, rockslides and landslides, according to a United Nations report. Richard Pierrin/AFP?Getty ImagesA view from the area after flooding in the Portail Leogane, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on June 4, 2023. People make their way through puddles while walking in the middle of a street littered with garbage following heavy rains in Port-au-Prince. Ariana Cubillos/APA view from the area after flooding in the Portail Leogane, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on June 4, 2023.

Persons: Ariel Henry, Richard Pierrin, Guerinault Louis, Prince, Ariana Cubillos Organizations: CNN, Civil Protection Agency, United, Haitian, Getty, Anadolu Agency, Food, UN, of Humanitarian Affairs, “ Locations: Haiti, United Nations, Nippes, South, East, North, Petit, Goâve, AFP, Port, Prince, Caribbean

☆ Sudanese forces clash in Khartoum after talks break down
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

AID SUPPLIES LOOTEDOutside Khartoum, the worst fighting has been in the Darfur region, where a civil war has simmered since 2003, killing around 300,000 people. The U.N.'s World Food Programme and its refugee agency UNHCR said continued looting was disrupting their efforts to help Sudanese, calling on all parties to respect humanitarian work. The UNHCR said two of its offices in Khartoum were pillaged and its warehouse in El Obeid was targeted on Thursday. With the ceasefire talks off, Khartoum residents are bracing for further problems. It's like they're alternating forms of torture," said Omer Ibrahim, who lives in a district of Omdurman that has seen little fighting.

Persons: Din Abdalrahman, Mohamed Abdallah Idris, Omar al, Bashir, Abdel, Fattah, Burhan, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, Hemdti, El Obeid, Omer Ibrahim, Nafisa Eltahir, Khalid Abdelaziz, Angus McDowall, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Rapid Support Forces, UNHCR, Thomson Locations: KHARTOUM, U.S, Khartoum, Omdurman, Sudan, The U.S, Saudi Arabia, Washington, Darfur, West Darfur, Chad, El, Cairo, Dubai

☆ US questions Sudan parties' commitment to truce as clashes continue
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Smoke rises above buildings after an aerial bombardment, during clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum North, Sudan, May 1, 2023. In El Obeid, a regional hub to the southwest of Khartoum that has seen clashes, the World Food Programme said food and assets were being looted. REGIONAL CLASHESOutside Khartoum, clashes have flared in major cities in the western region of Darfur. The calm Red Sea coast city Port Sudan has served as a base for the United Nations, aid groups, and diplomats as well as some government officials. "The army is carrying out strict security procedures in the city, in particular at night," said resident Salah Mohamed.

Persons: Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah, El, Cindy McCain, Nadir Ahmed, Salah Mohamed, Khalid Abdelaziz, Tala, Nafisa Eltahir, Daphne Psaledakis, Aidan Lewis, Christina Fincher Organizations: Rapid Support Forces, REUTERS, U.S, Food, U.S . State Department, UN, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Khartoum North, Sudan, KHARTOUM, Washington, Khartoum, Saudi Arabia, United States, El Obeid, Saudi, Jeddah, U.S, Bahri, Omdurman, Thawra, Darfur, El, Zalingei, Port Sudan, Dubai, Nafisa, Cairo

☆ US imposes sanctions on companies tied to Sudan forces as fighting rages
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/2] Smoke rises above buildings after an aerial bombardment, during clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum North, Sudan, May 1, 2023. Sudan's army and the RSF did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Saudi Arabia and the U.S. said late on Thursday they were suspending the talks, a day after Sudan's army announced it was halting its participation. They target Sudan's largest defence enterprise, Defence Industries System, which the Treasury said generates an estimated $2 billion in revenue and manufactures arms and other equipment for Sudan's army. The companies, all key to the business and procurement activities of both forces, could not immediately be reached for comment.

Persons: Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah, Nadir Ahmed, Joe Biden, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, Antony Blinken, Omar al, Bashir, El, Cindy McCain, Cameron Hudson, Hudson, Khalid Abdelaziz, Tala, Nafisa Eltahir, Simon Lewis, Rami Ayyub, Daphne Psaledakis, Gladwys, Aidan Lewis, Christina Fincher, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Rapid Support Forces, REUTERS, Darfur Saudi, U.S . Treasury Department, Residents, U.S, Defence Industries System, Treasury, Technology, United Nations, Food, Army, Centre, Strategic, International Studies, United Arab Emirates, Thomson Locations: Khartoum North, Sudan, Khartoum, Darfur, Jeddah, KHARTOUM, WASHINGTON, United States, U.S, Nile, Omdurman, Bahri, Thawra, Saudi Arabia, Washington, El, Zalingei, Port Sudan, El Obeid, Russia, Dubai, Nafisa, Cairo, Oslo

They are among 90,000 people who have escaped to Chad since fighting broke out in Sudan in mid-April - a major extra burden on one of the world's poorest countries. Even before this emergency, Chad was hosting 600,000 refugees from its war-torn neighbours and grappling with a fourth consecutive year of acute food shortages. Overall, around 2.3 million people are in urgent need of food aid, the World Food Programme warned earlier in May. Squeezed into the open-air compound, the women cook together over small braziers in the sand as children play around them. Hamit said she tried to help "even the refugees who have set up shelters nearby .... they come to us for water".

In a statement on Saturday, the RSF accused the army of violating the ceasefire and destroying the country's mint in an air strike. Those who remain in Khartoum are struggling with failures of services such as electricity, water and phone networks. On Saturday, Sudanese police said they were expanding deployment and also called in able retired officers to help. Services have collapsed and chaos has spread in Khartoum," said 52-year-old Ahmed Salih, a resident of the city. The RSF has denied reports that its soldiers are engaged in sexual assaults or looting.

☆ Black Sea grain deal: A crucial pact aimed at averting a global food crisis has been extended
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Sophie Tanno | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —A crucial deal aimed at averting a global food crisis following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been extended for two months. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday an agreement has been reached with Russia and Ukraine to extend the Black Sea grain deal. Murat Kula/Anadolu Agency/Getty ImagesWhat is the Black Sea grain deal and why is it important? The Black Sea grain deal was first reached in July 2022. The Black Sea grain deal was an agreement made between Russia and Ukraine – however, it was not a direct agreement.

☆ Last ship to leave Ukraine as fate of Black Sea grain deal in Russia's hands
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

UNITED NATIONS, May 17 (Reuters) - The last ship is due to leave a port in Ukraine on Wednesday under a deal allowing the safe Black Sea export of Ukraine grain, said a U.N. spokesperson, a day before Russia could quit the pact over obstacles to its grain and fertilizer exports. To convince Russia in July to allow Black Sea grain exports, the United Nations agreed at the same time to help Moscow with its own agricultural shipments for three years. Senior officials from Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the U.N. met in Istanbul last week to discuss the Black Sea pact. RISKSOfficials from Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the U.N. make up a Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) in Istanbul, which implements the Black Sea export deal. The United Nations, Turkey and Ukraine did continue the Black Sea agreement in October during a brief suspension by Russia of its participation.

☆ UN efforts to save Black Sea grain deal to continue in coming days
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The final two ships are due to leave Ukrainian ports on Tuesday under the Black Sea deal, said a U.N. spokesperson. "The (Black Sea) Initiative refers to the export of ammonia, but this has not yet been realized," Griffiths said. "While Russia keeps Ukrainian grain supplies from feeding the hungry, Russia is successfully exporting its own bumper crop of grain," Deputy U.S. 'CRUCIAL'Nebenzia again complained that not enough poor countries were benefiting from the Black Sea grain deal. Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered to deliver Russian grain and fertilizers free of charge to African countries.

☆ Cyclone Mocha heads to Bangladesh, Myanmar coasts as thousands flee
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Ruma Paul | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DHAKA, May 13 (Reuters) - A powerful storm packing winds of up to 175 kph (109 mph) barrelled towards the coasts of eastern Bangladesh and Myanmar on Saturday, threatening around a million Rohingya refugees and others living in low-lying areas. Thousands of people in both countries have already fled to safer areas ahead of the storm. Cyclone Mocha is likely to intensify further and make landfall on Sunday between Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh and Myanmar, the Bangladesh Meteorological Department said in a bulletin. Cox's Bazar, a southeastern border district, is where more than a million Rohingya refugees live, most of them having fled a military-led crackdown in Myanmar in 2017. At least 10,000 have left their homes in Myanmar's Rakhine state for safer areas, local media reported.

They have limited themselves to one meal a day, hoping their dwindling food supplies will last a month longer. "After that, we don't know what we'll do except survive off water and dates," he said by phone from Sudan's embattled capital. They face dwindling food supplies, power cuts, water shortages and patchy telecoms. He would have left Sudan but couldn't because he lost his passport before the fighting began. Life had come to a complete standstill, said Ahmed Khalid, 22, a college student still in Khartoum.

☆ Factbox: How big is the aid crisis caused by the Sudan fighting?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Emma Farge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

SUDAN* More than 330,000 people have been displaced in Sudan since April 15, according to the International Organization for Migration. An internal U.N. estimate obtained by Reuters shows this figure is expected to increase by 5 million, including 2.5 million children. * A $1.75 billion U.N. aid programme for Sudan in 2023 is 15% funded. SOUTH SUDAN* Some 240,000 people are expected to flee from Sudan to South Sudan, UNHCR says. * The country's $1.7 billion U.N. aid programme for the year is 26% funded.

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