Latest news with #RedCrescentSocieties
The Star
3 days ago
- Climate
- The Star
Cape Verde floods kill at least eight people
PRAIA (Reuters) -At least eight people were killed after flooding on Cape Verde's Sao Vicente island overwhelmed emergency services and cut key roads, a regional civil protection councillor said on Tuesday. On Monday morning torrential rains lashed the northern island in the Atlantic archipelago located off West Africa, swamping roads and sweeping away vehicles and people. Municipal councillor Jose Carlos da Luz told a state broadcaster seven people had died in floods and one person was electrocuted, adding that three others were still missing. In a report on Monday, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies put the death toll at nine and said 1,500 people had been displaced on Sao Vicente. Sao Vicente usually records 116 millimetres (mm) of rain in a year, according to Cape Verde's meteorology institute. But early on Monday 193 mm fell in just five hours, according to Ester Brito, an executive at the institute. "It is a rare situation because what was recorded is above our 30-year climatological average," she told Reuters, adding that in just two hours more rain fell than the island typically receives annually. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said on Monday that Tropical Storm Erin was located about 280 miles (455 km) west-northwest of Cape Verde and packing maximum sustained winds of 45 miles per hour (75 km/h). Interior Minister Palo Rocha said on Monday that floodwaters disrupted transport across Sao Vicente and severed the main road to Cesaria Evora International Airport, though the facility remained operational. Rockfalls also blocked traffic. "It was a difficult night marked by panic and despair," Rocha told public radio, adding that first responders were inundated with distress calls. Rescue and cleanup operations were ongoing, but Rocha said authorities were mobilising resources that would allow the island to quickly return to normal life. (Reporting by Julio Rodrigues; writing by Ayen Deng Bior; editing by Anait Miridzhanian and Mark Heinrich)
See - Sada Elbalad
5 days ago
- Politics
- See - Sada Elbalad
Aid Trucks Face Prolonged Congestion at Rafah as Israeli Restrictions Intensify
Ahmed Emam Long queues of aid trucks continue to build up at the Rafah crossing as Israeli authorities tighten restrictions on the flow of humanitarian supplies into the Gaza Strip, leaving critical relief stranded on the Egyptian side. Convoys carrying food, fuel, and medical aid remain active despite the bottlenecks at Kerem Shalom — the only crossing Israel permits for humanitarian deliveries. On Sunday, the 11th convoy left for the crossing, including fuel trucks vital for running hospitals and pumping water, along with hundreds of tons of food and medical supplies. Three trucks carrying hospital beds and medical equipment were turned back by Israeli forces without explanation. No official lists are provided to clarify such rejections, complicating aid coordination and prolonging shortages in Gaza, where a deepening humanitarian crisis has already left civilians struggling to access food, clean water, and medical care. Last Thursday, only 64 out of 170 trucks dispatched were granted entry. Many of the refused consignments — including medicines and infant formula — return daily to the Rafah crossing, adding to the congestion. Egyptian authorities, in coordination with the Egyptian and Palestinian Red Crescent Societies, continue to send hundreds of trucks daily in line with Gaza's urgent humanitarian needs. But aid agencies warn that persistent Israeli restrictions are blocking vital life-saving supplies from reaching civilians in the war-battered enclave. read more Gold prices rise, 21 Karat at EGP 3685 NATO's Role in Israeli-Palestinian Conflict US Expresses 'Strong Opposition' to New Turkish Military Operation in Syria Shoukry Meets Director-General of FAO Lavrov: confrontation bet. nuclear powers must be avoided News Iran Summons French Ambassador over Foreign Minister Remarks News Aboul Gheit Condemns Israeli Escalation in West Bank News Greek PM: Athens Plays Key Role in Improving Energy Security in Region News One Person Injured in Explosion at Ukrainian Embassy in Madrid News Israeli-Linked Hadassah Clinic in Moscow Treats Wounded Iranian IRGC Fighters Arts & Culture "Jurassic World Rebirth" Gets Streaming Date News China Launches Largest Ever Aircraft Carrier News Ayat Khaddoura's Final Video Captures Bombardment of Beit Lahia Business Egyptian Pound Undervalued by 30%, Says Goldman Sachs Videos & Features Tragedy Overshadows MC Alger Championship Celebration: One Fan Dead, 11 Injured After Stadium Fall Lifestyle Get to Know 2025 Eid Al Adha Prayer Times in Egypt Arts & Culture South Korean Actress Kang Seo-ha Dies at 31 after Cancer Battle Arts & Culture Lebanese Media: Fayrouz Collapses after Death of Ziad Rahbani Sports Get to Know 2025 WWE Evolution Results
The Sun
30-06-2025
- Health
- The Sun
Govt urged to steer Asean beyond economic output
PETALING JAYA: Renowned humanitarian and Mercy Malaysia founder Tan Sri Dr Jemilah Mahmood has urged Malaysia to use its Asean chairmanship as a turning point not just for the region's economic ambitions but to also redefine progress through the lens of genuine well-being and planetary health. Speaking on 'The Game of Impossible' podcast on Friday, Jemilah stressed that gross domestic product (GDP) alone is a flawed and outdated metric of development. She said high income does not always equate to happiness or safety. 'GDP alone is a bad measure of development. You have seen countries with high GDPs but very unhappy people, very unsafe. We need a well-being economics model in which everyone can live a good life with dignity and enough economic development,' she said. Jemilah, who founded Mercy Malaysia in 1999 after being moved by wartime footage from Kosovo, reflected on how humanitarian work has evolved from reactive disaster response to addressing the root causes of human vulnerability. She recounted a life-changing moment from 2000, when images of a Mozambican woman giving birth atop a mango tree during severe flooding left a lasting impression. Years later, while serving as Under Secretary-General of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, she visited Mozambique and discovered that the boy she was playing with was that very baby. 'That was my 'aha' moment,' she said. 'Have I been putting band-aids on gaping wounds? Until and unless we tackle the underlying drivers of why people are becoming so vulnerable, we can't keep (applying) aid as a cure.' That realisation drove her deeper into planetary health, a field linking the well-being of humanity to the state of the Earth's natural systems. Upon returning to Malaysia from Switzerland during the Covid-19 pandemic, Jemilah established the Sunway Centre for Planetary Health, envisioning it as a regional hub to address intertwined challenges such as climate change, social inequality and sustainable growth. 'Asia Pacific is the most vulnerable region in the world,' she warned, urging Malaysia to lead boldly during its Asean chairmanship with real commitments to decarbonisation, halting deforestation and driving behavioural change. She highlighted Costa Rica as an inspiring example, a country that abolished its military, invested in environmental conservation and built a thriving ecotourism sector while consistently ranking among the world's happiest nations. 'I would rather live well than be extremely wealthy. You may have wealth but no health. We need to find the balance between well-being and wealth,' she said. Reflecting on over two decades in humanitarian service, from conflict zones in Iraq and Afghanistan to the 2004 tsunami in Aceh, Jemilah shared searing memories, including an ambush in Iraq that claimed the lives of her colleagues and left her needing months of therapy. 'Humanitarian workers were no longer sacrosanct. International humanitarian law had been breached,' she said, describing how their clearly marked ambulance was deliberately targeted. Through it all, Jemilah emphasised the values of humility, persistence and gratitude. She said true leadership includes knowing when to step aside as she did by preparing a succession plan before stepping down from Mercy Malaysia.
India Today
10-06-2025
- Climate
- India Today
6 earthquakes rattle India-Myanmar border in last 36 hours
Six earthquakes with mild to moderate intensity were felt at the India-Myanmar border in the last nearly 36 temblors had intensities measured between 3.8 to 4.5 on the Richter last tremor was recorded at 11.21 am on Tuesday with a magnitude of 4.3 and was felt near Manipur. The India-Myanmar border is highly prone to earthquakes. This is due to the region's location within a complex tectonic zone characterised by the collision of the Indian and Eurasian active subduction zone in the Andaman-Nicobar Islands and the major Sagaing Fault in Myanmar both contribute to the region's seismic activity. On March 28, a powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar, killing more than 3,700 people, flattening communities and crippling infrastructure in the impoverished nation. The tremors were also felt in neighbouring 200,000 people remain displaced and live outdoors, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), even as parts of central Myanmar are jolted almost daily by aftershocks.(with inputs from Reuters)Must Watch IN THIS STORY#Earthquake#Manipur
Japan Today
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Japan Today
Myanmar junta airstrike kills 22 at school: witnesses
A Myanmar junta airstrike hit a school Monday killing 22 people, including 20 children, witnesses said, despite a purported humanitarian ceasefire called to help the Southeast Asian nation recover from a devastating earthquake. The strike hit a school in the village of Oe Htein Kwin -- around 100 kilometers northwest of the epicenter of the March 28 quake -- at about 10 a.m., locals said. UN chief Antonio Guterres is "deeply alarmed" by reports of the strike, his spokesman told reporters in New York, adding that "schools must remain areas in which children have a safe place to learn and not be bombed." The green school building was a shattered husk on Monday afternoon, its metal roof crumpled with gaping holes blasted through its brickwork walls. Over a dozen abandoned book bags were piled before a pole flying the Myanmar flag outside, as parents chiseled small graves out of the hard earth to bury the shrouded bodies of their children. "For now 22 people in total -- 20 children and two teachers -- have been killed," said a 34-year-old teacher at the school, asking to remain anonymous. "We tried to spread out the children, but the fighter was too fast and dropped its bombs," she added. "I haven't been able to collect all the casualty data as parents are in a rush." An education official from the area of the village in Sagaing region gave the same toll. The junta information team said reports of the strike were "fabricated news". "There was no airstrike on non-military targets," it said in a statement. Myanmar has been riven by civil war since the military deposed a civilian government in 2021, with the junta suffering stinging losses to a myriad of anti-coup guerrillas and long-active ethnic armed groups. But the military pledged a ceasefire throughout this month "to continue the rebuilding and rehabilitation process" after the magnitude 7.7 quake in Myanmar's central belt that killed nearly 3,800 people. Tens of thousands are still living outside after the catastrophic jolt demolished or badly damaged their homes, facing the prospect of the monsoon season starting in the coming weeks. "The needs are immense," Jagan Chapagain, secretary general of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, told AFP on Monday. "My worry is that time is not on our side." The United Nations and independent conflict monitors say the junta has continued its campaign of aerial bombardment despite the armistice meant to alleviate suffering. Last week, the UN said that since the earthquake more than 200 civilians had been killed in at least 243 military attacks, including 171 airstrikes. In its ceasefire declaration, the military warned it would take "necessary defensive measures" if pressed by its opponents. Numerous anti-coup and ethnic armed groups have made own pledges to pause hostilities. However during the truce some residents in eastern Myanmar said they have been displaced as anti-coup forces besieged junta-held towns on a lucrative trade route towards neighboring Thailand. The March earthquake saw the ground shear up to six meters in places, according to NASA analysis -- leveling apartments, opening yawning holes in roads and collapsing one major bridge. The relief response is also being hobbled by funding shortfalls after US President Donald Trump slashed Washington's international aid budget. © 2025 AFP
