Latest News

The latest news includes a variety of topics ranging from the food crisis in Ethiopia's Afar region to arrests in the Ivory Coast. There are even stories about the reopening of government schools in the Maoist-hit Bastar region, which was closed down 15 years ago. Other hot topics include the reopening of schools in the Tamil-speaking state of Chhattisgarh. In addition, this week's news includes Russia's tightening grip on the eastern Ukrainian city of Sievierodonetsk, as they have cut off the last route for evacuating citizens.

Food crisis in Ethiopia's Afar region

The United Nations has estimated that nearly 600,000 people in the Afar region need assistance with food. Only twenty percent of health facilities in the region are functioning. Some have been damaged, abandoned, or are not staffed with enough resources. In Afar, 80 percent of malnourished children who go to Dupti Hospital have never had health care. Because health facilities lack the resources and the infrastructure to provide basic care, people struggle to access food and medical supplies.

In the past four months, over 5,000 people in Tigray died of malnutrition. A health bureau in the region estimates that more than 1,000 people died due to disease and hunger during the blockade last year. But the situation is much worse than this. During the same period, a convoy of 20 trucks was permitted to travel into the Afar region. But that convoy did not start its journey until May. The government's stance to the TPLF's blockade has left the country's Afar region in dire straits.

Ivory Coast arrests

A Reuters correspondent in Abidjan has confirmed that the Ivory Coast authorities have arrested 15 people in connection with a deadly al-Qaeda attack in March. One of the suspects was the driver of the car that transported the weapons, and the man is being questioned in a police station. The public prosecutor confirmed that the suspect was present when the attack occurred, but did not give further details. He would not say what the suspect's nationality is or whether he is a citizen of the United States or Canada.

Throughout the investigation, police discovered that the suspects were hiding the ivory in hollowed-out logs filled with glue and wax. They had disguised their shipments as normal shipments, and shipped them to Asian destinations. They were later placed on the Belgium's most wanted list. But they managed to hide the ivory and continue their operations in Africa and elsewhere. While it is not clear how much more money the Ivory Coast police seized in the Ivorian investigation, it is clear that the suspects were involved in illegal smuggling of ivory.

Food crisis in Sri Lanka

One-third of the population of 22 million people in Sri Lanka faces severe food insecurity, a government agency said. The country is facing its worst economic crisis since 1948. The government has been unable to pay for imports of food, causing the price of staples to skyrocket. As of yesterday, a kilogram of rice was costing 500 rupees, while milk powder cost nearly a thousand. This has prompted some people to wait hours before buying food in the market.

In April, the country's inflation rate reached 29.8%, while food prices increased 46.6% compared to the previous year. Meanwhile, student protests erupted, demanding the removal of the prime minister and president. A number of factors have contributed to this economic crisis, including the COVID-19 pandemic that has ravaged the tourism-dependent economy. Rising oil prices and populist tax cuts by the Rajapaksa government have also exacerbated the situation. The government, meanwhile, blames the media for stoking fears about food shortages.

FATF keeps Pakistan on 'grey list'

Since June 2018, Pakistan has been on the 'grey list' of the Financial Action Task Force, a global body which monitors the financial sector. The FATF has been focused on terrorism financing and money laundering and has given Pakistan a plan of action to meet by October 2019. While the list's existence does not necessarily indicate that Pakistan is a corrupt nation, it is still a concern, and it must be resolved if it hopes to avoid being blacklisted.

In the recent report, FATF said that Pakistan's courts should give appropriate and proportionate punishment to the perpetrators of terrorism. The document stated that Pakistan must focus on targeting senior leaders of UN-designated terror groups and prosecute the top leaders of these organizations. Pakistan has failed to prosecute senior leaders of Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Hafiz Saeed case despite the existence of evidence that would show the jihadist group's members have been committing crimes.