‘Many will die’: UN aid chief warns of fallout as humanitarian relief cut
Cuts to humanitarian relief could mean less help for people in Gaza, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine and more countries, UN aid chief said. Tom Fletcher, the head of the United Nations office for humanitarian affairs, has told reporters that with 300 million people in need of assistance, recent cuts to humanitarian aid funds are causing a “seismic shock” globally. “Many will die because that aid is drying up,” Fletcher, the UN’s under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, said at a news briefing at the UN headquarters in New York on Wednesday. “Across the humanitarian community, programmes are being stopped right now,” Fletcher said. “Staff are being let go right now. I think 10 percent of NGO colleagues were laid off in the course of February,” he said, referring to people working for nongovernment aid organisations. Fletcher also spoke specifically of his recent visit last month to Gaza, saying “supplies are clearly running out very, very fast” amid Israel’s renewed blockade on all food, medicine, fuel and other goods entering the strip. “The fact that we’re not getting fuel in means that incubators are being switched off, so this is real already, and will quickly become a humanitarian crisis again,” he said. Advertisement Describing his visit to Gaza last month, Fletcher said one of the “first shocking things I saw driving in is the dogs going through the rubble”. “I don’t think anything can prepare you for that,” he said, referring to the spectacle of stray dogs in Gaza looking for dead bodies of people trapped beneath bombed-out buildings. Tom Fletcher, the UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, attends a news conference in Geneva, Switzerland, December 3, 2024 [Denis Balibouse/Reuters] A ‘humanitarian superpower’ Fletcher’s news conference came just days after United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the US had concluded it would be cancelling 83 percent of US Agency for International Development (USAID) programmes worldwide. While the US cuts to aid have been the most drastic, Fletcher pointed out other countries have also been slashing their relief budgets. “It’s not just the American government. I’m spending a lot more of my time than I’d expected in other donor capitals trying to shore up the case for what we do,” he said. “What I can say is that over years, over decades now, the US has been a humanitarian superpower and that US funding has saved hundreds of millions of lives,” he added. Fletcher, a former British ambassador to Lebanon, did not elaborate on which countries had cut aid specifically, but at the end of February, the United Kingdom announced it was cutting its aid spending to increase spending on its military. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the government would “fully fund our increased investment in defence” by reducing aid spending from 0.5 percent of gross national income to 0.3 percent in 2027. According to The Guardian newspaper, the UK cuts amount to some six billion pounds ($7.7bn). Advertisement The change from aid to defence would see the UK spending 13.4 billion pounds ($17bn) more on the military every year from 2027, Starmer said. Several other countries have also cut back on aid spending, including the Netherlands’ right-wing government, which announced in November last year it would cut its foreign aid budget by about one billion euros ( $1.09bn) over a five-year period. Fletcher said the UN humanitarian agency’s response to its reduced funding prospects will be to focus on “utterly essential life-saving work, in the areas of direst need”, including Gaza. But several organisations are warning repercussions could be more widely felt. The World Health Organization last week warned US cuts could set back efforts to treat the world’s “deadliest infectious disease”, tuberculosis. Ebola surveillance work in Africa is also under threat as NGOs that used to be funded through USAID have been forced to stop their work. Health experts and aid organisations have also warned that US funding cuts to HIV/AIDS programmes in many African countries could lead to hundreds of thousands of deaths on the continent. Adblock test (Why?)
US public souring on Trump’s handling of economy, polls show
Majority of Americans disapprove of Trump’s economic management amid stock market turmoil, polls show. United States President Donald Trump’s handling of the economy is facing growing pushback from Americans amid wild swings in the stock market and growing fears of a recession, new polling shows. In a CNN/SSRS poll released on Wednesday, 56 percent of respondents said they disapproved of Trump’s economic management – higher than at any point during his first term in office. The poll had better news for Trump on his other signature issue of immigration, with 51 percent of respondents expressing support for his strict enforcement policies. A Reuters/Ipsos poll also released on Wednesday found that 57 percent of Americans believe Trump’s economic policies have been too “erratic”. Trump’s overall approval rating in the CNN and Reuters polls was 45 percent and 44 percent, respectively. The results come as Trump’s back-and-forth announcements on tariffs have roiled markets and stoked tensions with trading partners, including key US allies. The benchmark S&P 500 has lost more than $3 trillion since its February peak as investors struggle to make sense of the US president’s “America First” economic agenda. Advertisement On Wednesday, the Trump administration imposed 25 percent tariffs on all steel and aluminium imports, prompting retaliatory duties from Canada and the European Union. The latest tariffs came after Trump a day earlier threatened Canada with a 50 percent duty on steel and aluminium before reversing course after the province of Ontario agreed to suspend a surcharge on electricity exports to some US states. Trump, who earlier this week declined to rule out the possibility of a recession this year, and his aides have played down the stock market turmoil as a temporary blip on the road to a stronger economy. “I think this country is going to boom. But as I said, I can do it the easy way or the hard way,” Trump told reporters on Tuesday. “The hard way to do it is exactly what I am doing, but the results are going to be 20 times greater.” Adblock test (Why?)
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,113
These are the key developments on day 1,113 of Russia’s war on Ukraine. Here is the situation on Thursday, March 13: Fighting Ukrainian officials say Russia fired a slew of missiles and drones overnight, with one attack on Kryvyi Rih killing a 47-year-old woman and injuring nine others, while an attack on Odesa killed four. Russia has claimed major gains in the Kursk region with Russia’s Ministry of Defence reporting the capture of five more villages, and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying that “the dynamics are good”. Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov said that Russian forces had retaken about 1,100sq km (386sq miles) of territory in the Kursk border region, including 24 settlements over the past five days. Russian President Vladimir Putin said in televised remarks while visiting troops in Kursk that the “region will soon be completely liberated from the enemy”. It was Putin’s first visit to the region since Ukraine launched its major incursion there in August of last year. Putin also said that any Ukrainian fighters captured in the Kursk region would be treated as “terrorists” and would not be protected under the Geneva Convention’s provisions for prisoners of war, Russia’s state-run RIA Novosti news agency reported. Military bloggers on both sides said Kyiv’s forces have begun withdrawing from Kursk, losing their hard-won foothold inside the Russian region. Advertisement Ceasefire talks Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he expects “strong steps” from the United States against Russia if Moscow does not accept the 30-day ceasefire proposal, which Ukraine agreed to in talks with US officials in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. US President Donald Trump said that reaching a truce is now “up to Russia”. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US was hoping for a positive response from Russia, and that if the answer was “no”, then it would tell Washington a lot about the Kremlin’s true intentions. “Here’s what we’d like the world to look like in a few days: Neither side is shooting at each other, not rockets, not missiles, not bullets, nothing … and the talking starts,” Rubio told reporters. Russia has reportedly presented Washington with a list of demands for a deal to end the Ukraine war and reset relations with the US. The Reuters news agency quoted sources saying the demands were similar to previous Kremlin terms for ending its war, including no NATO membership for Kyiv, recognition of Russia’s claim to annexed Crimea and four Ukrainian provinces, and an agreement that no foreign troops would be deployed in Ukraine. Politics and diplomacy A “very broad consensus” is emerging among European nations on boosting Ukraine’s long-term security through the Ukrainian armed forces, French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu said after a meeting with the defence ministers of Britain, Germany, Italy and Poland. Polish Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz also welcomed a “real unity of the continent”, referring to the threat from Russia. United Kingdom Defence Secretary John Healey said Britain and its allies knew that “we must step up” and re-arm. “We are looking to build a coalition,” he said. “We are accelerating this work.” US State Secretary Rubio said that an expected minerals deal with Ukraine would give the US a “vested interest” in Ukraine’s security, although, he said, “I wouldn’t couch it as a security guarantee”. The Polish foreign minister confirmed that US weapons are flowing back to Ukraine through Poland after the US lifted its pause on military aid to Kyiv. Advertisement Adblock test (Why?)
Service Online RTPS Bihar Portal: A Complete Guide
The RTPS Bihar Portal is a crucial step toward digital governance, making government services more accessible to the public. With its user-friendly interface and multiple service offerings, Bihar residents can now easily obtain essential certificates and track their applications online.
Texas Tech University closes Lubbock campus after fires, power outages cause evacuations
No injuries were reported after an explosion from a manhole caused campus power outages.
Palestinian survivor of Israeli sexual abuse testifies at UN
NewsFeed The United Nations has heard testimony from Palestinians who detailed beatings, torture and sexual abuse they suffered at the hands of Israeli settlers and security agents. Mohamed Matar told the UN’s independent Commission of Inquiry on the occupied West Bank, that the abuse left him traumatised for months. Published On 12 Mar 202512 Mar 2025 Adblock test (Why?)
Russia claims more gains in Kursk as Ukraine hints at pullback
Putin hails advances in Kursk during a rare visit, promising to fully liberate the region from Ukrainian forces soon. Ukrainian troops appear on the point of losing their hard-won foothold inside Russia’s Kursk region as Moscow claims further advances there and military bloggers on both sides say Kyiv’s forces are withdrawing. Ukraine sprang one of the biggest shocks of the war on August 6 last year by storming across the border and seizing territory inside Russia, boosting citizens’ morale and gaining a potential bargaining chip. But after clinging for more than seven months to a gradually shrinking area, Ukraine has seen its position worsen sharply in the past week. Russia’s Ministry of Defence on Wednesday reported the capture of five more villages, and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that “the dynamics are good”. A video published by Russian bloggers and state media showed troops standing with a Russian tricolour flag on a square in the centre of Sudzha, a town near the Ukrainian border on a highway used by Ukraine as a supply route. In his first visit to the region since Ukraine launched its shock counteroffensive, Russian President Vladimir Putin, dressed in army camouflage, hailed the recent gains and urged his troops on. Advertisement “I am counting on the fact that all the combat tasks facing our units will be fulfilled, and the territory of the Kursk region will soon be completely liberated from the enemy,” he said. Minutes after footage of Putin’s remarks aired on Russian state TV, Ukraine’s army commander hinted his troops were pulling back to minimise losses. “In the most difficult situation, my priority has been and remains saving the lives of Ukrainian soldiers. To this end, the units of the defence forces, if necessary, manoeuvre to more favourable positions,” commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskii said in a Facebook post, in language typically used to describe a withdrawal. He added, however: “Despite the increased pressure from the Russian/North Korean army, we will hold the defence in the Kursk region as long as it is appropriate and necessary.” Active fighting continued in the outskirts of the town of Sudzha and around it, according to Syrskii. The Russian advance on the battlefield comes as the United States says it wants Russia to agree “unconditionally” to a complete 30-day ceasefire – a plan Kyiv has endorsed. The Kremlin said it was examining the US ceasefire proposal, but Putin has previously said he is not interested in a temporary truce and would rather have a full stop. Adblock test (Why?)
DRC and M23 rebels to begin direct talks next week, mediator Angola says
A spokesperson for DRC’s President Felix Tshisekedi told the Reuters news agency that they had received an invitation from Angola for the talks. The government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels will hold talks next week, mediator Angola has announced. A statement from President Joao Lourenco’s office on Wednesday said the two parties would begin “direct peace negotiations” in the Angolan capital Luanda on March 18. Angola has previously acted as a mediator in the eastern DRC conflict that escalated in late January when the M23 took control of the strategic eastern Congo city of Goma. In February, M23 seized Bukavu, eastern Congo’s second-biggest city. Rwanda denies backing the M23 armed group in the conflict, which is rooted in the spread of Rwanda’s 1994 genocide into DRC, and the struggle for control of DRC’s vast mineral resources. DRC President Felix Tshisekedi was in Angola on Tuesday to discuss the possibility of talks and his spokesperson Tina Salama told the Reuters news agency on Wednesday that the government had received an invitation from Angola but did not say whether it would participate in the talks. Advertisement M23 leader Bertrand Bisimwa wrote on X that the rebels had forced Tshisekedi to the negotiating table, calling it “the only civilized option to resolve the current crisis that has lasted for decades.” The government has said at least 7,000 people have died in the conflict since January. Last week, the United Nations refugee agency reported that nearly 80,000 people have fled the country due to the armed conflict. Since January, 61,000 have arrived in neighbouring Burundi, the agency’s deputy director of international protection, Patrick Eba, said. M23 is one of about 100 armed groups vying to control resources in eastern Congo, home to vast reserves of strategic minerals such as coltan, cobalt, copper and lithium. DRC’s neighbours, including South Africa, Burundi, and Uganda, have troops stationed in east Congo, increasing fears of an all-out regional war that could resemble the Congo wars of the 1990s and early 2000s that killed millions of people. Adblock test (Why?)
Shillong Teer Lottery Results TODAY March 13, 2025 LIVE Updates: Check winning numbers for 1st, 2nd-round lucky draw
Shillong Teer Lottery Results TODAY March 13, 2025 LIVE Updates: The game is a source of entertainment and provides economic opportunities for many locals. It has become a significant part of Shillong’s culture, drawing crowds and fostering community engagement.
Robert Morris, Texas megachurch pastor and former Trump adviser, indicted for child sex crimes
Morris is a former spiritual adviser to President Donald Trump, and Gateway — one of the nation’s largest megachurches — has been particularly active in Dallas-area GOP politics.