439,000 people are at risk of famine, says Antonio Guterres British Prime Minster Theresa May and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called Thursday for more support for drought-stricken Somalia, with the U.N. chief requesting another $900 million in aid this year. They spoke at a high-level conference to address the Horn of Africa nation’s deepening humanitarian and security crisis. “Somalia now hangs in the balance between peril and potential,” Mr. Guterres said. “Here in London we can tip the scales from danger to safety.” Mr. Guterres said some 439,000 people are at risk of famine and more than 6 million are “severely food insecure.” Somalia is also facing new military interest from the United States, as President Donald Trump has approved expanded operations, including airstrikes, against the extremist group al-Shabab. Aid agencies have expressed concern that the military moves could endanger the hundreds of thousands of people displaced by the drought. Somalia also confronts the worst outbreak of cholera in five years, with almost 690 deaths so far this year and cases expected to reach 50,000 by the end of June, the World Health Organisation said in a statement Thursday. WHO added that if the current drought situation continues, “famine could soon be a reality.” Charities working to stave off famine in Somalia are urging that the African country’s debts be cancelled. Save the Children chief Keven Watkins said the African country “continues to drift toward an avoidable famine.” He called for “decisive action” including increased help from the World Bank. Post a Comment More In InternationalUnited Nations Somalia drought SPONSORED STORIES Can a long term investor improve their return by investing in mid/ small caps?hi
Winters are extremely hectic for Sushma Patel, a vegetable grower in Uttar Pradesh’s Chunar town. Her farm is in the fertile plains of Ganga where people grow three crops a year. But this is the only season when she can grow vegetables. And before that, she needs to manually dig out shreds of plastic and wrappers from her one-hectare (ha) farm. “This is all because of the nullah,” she says, pointing at an open drain that runs through her field, carrying sewage from the neighbourhood to the Ganga. “Every monsoon, the drain overflows and inundates the field with a thick, black sludge and plastic debris. We cannot even go near the field as the stench of sewage fills the air,” she says. But Patel has no one to complain to as this is the way of life for most people in this ancient town. About 70 per cent of the people in Chunar depend on toilets that have on-site sanitation, such as septic tanks and pits. In the absence of a proper disposal or management system, people simply dump the faec...
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