live U.S. launches 'defensive' strikes against Iran as peace talks continue
The U.S. military has said it carried out defensive strikes in southern Iran after boats were seen laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, U...
Afghanistan has received a new $31.34 million disaster preparedness package and 320 tonnes of food aid from Uzbekistan ahead of Eid al-Adha.
A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Afghanistan’s Disaster Management and Preparedness Agency and the Aga Khan Foundation, according to a statement from the agency.
The agreement, valued at $31,334,320, will cover 80 districts across 11 provinces, including Kabul, Parwan, Maidan Wardak, Ghazni, Logar, Herat, Kunduz, Takhar, Badakhshan, Kunar and Nuristan.
The agency said the programme will include disaster management teams, rapid response units, public awareness campaigns, early warning systems and the stockpiling of emergency supplies.
Nooruddin Turabi, head of the Disaster Management and Preparedness Agency, thanked the Aga Khan Foundation for its cooperation.
The agency said Turabi told the meeting that, “in addition to humanitarian assistance through existing programmes, the agency’s focus is largely on implementing infrastructure and preventive projects and equipping necessary sectors to reduce the level of vulnerability of people against natural disasters.”
The Aga Khan Agency for Habitat also said it would continue its work in coordination with the agency.
It said, “one of the foundational principles of this foundation is rapid response during disasters and full preparedness against emergency situations.”
In a separate aid delivery, the media office of the Balkh Governor’s Office said Uzbekistan handed 320 tonnes of humanitarian assistance to local authorities at Hairatan Port on Monday.
The shipment included 96 tonnes of flour, 22 tonnes of rice, 10,000 cans of beef, 15,000 litres of sunflower oil, 22 tonnes of macaroni, 22 tonnes of sugar, 22 tonnes of chickpeas and biscuits.
The statement said, “On the occasion of the blessed Eid al-Adha, a 320-ton shipment of humanitarian aid from the Republic of Uzbekistan was handed over to the local authorities of Balkh Province at the Hairatan Port.”
The ceremony was attended by Noor-ul-Hadi Abu Idris, Deputy Governor of Balkh, Ismatulla Irgashev, Special Representative of the President of Uzbekistan for Afghanistan, and Ulugbek Qosimov, Governor of Uzbekistan’s Surxondaryo region.
According to the Balkh Governor’s Office, Irgashev said the aid was sent under the directive of Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
The announcements come as Afghanistan continues to face major humanitarian challenges.
The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says 21.9 million people in Afghanistan are projected to require humanitarian assistance in 2026, while 17.4 million are expected to face acute food insecurity.
A peace agreement between Washington and Tehran is yet to materialise, with U.S. President Donald Trump saying that negotiations are incomplete and an Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman saying that a deal isn't imminent.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for 25th May, covering the latest developments you need to know.
The World Health Organization warned on Monday that the fast-moving Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda was outpacing response efforts, with 220 suspected deaths reported so far.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for 26 May, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Shortly after nine o’clock on Tuesday morning (26 May), a sleek white train eased into Tbilisi’s central railway station, a couple of minutes behind schedule, carrying passengers from Baku for the first time since 2020.
Japan and the United Nations Development Programme are launching a $3 million environmental project in Kazakhstan to support the Caspian Sea and improve water monitoring, amid growing concern over falling sea levels and risks to regional trade routes.
A Palestinian shepherd says her family’s Eid al-Adha preparations were destroyed after dozens of sheep were allegedly stolen in a pre-dawn raid in the West Bank, leaving her without both a religious sacrifice and her family’s main source of income.
Armenia’s upcoming elections are emerging as a defining geopolitical test, amid growing debate over the country’s future direction between Russia and the West, rising regional pressure, energy dependence concerns and shifting security alliances.
Shortly after nine o’clock on Tuesday morning (26 May), a sleek white train eased into Tbilisi’s central railway station, a couple of minutes behind schedule, carrying passengers from Baku for the first time since 2020.
A Turkish court ruling reinstating former CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu triggered fresh unrest on Sunday (24 May), as riot police stormed the opposition party’s Ankara headquarters amid an escalating political crisis that critics say threatens democratic norms in Türkiye.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment