Red Cross faces funding shortage in Myanmar earthquake relief
The IFRC has received only 10% of its $122 million emergency appeal for Myanmar’s earthquake recovery, raising alarm as thousands remain homeless and vulnerable ahead of monsoon season.
The death toll from Myanmar’s devastating earthquake has risen to 3,354, with 4,850 injured and 220 missing, according to state media. The grim figures emerge as the country struggles to cope with the aftermath of the quake amid a prolonged civil conflict.
Myanmar’s military ruler, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, returned to the capital after a rare trip to Bangkok, where he attended a summit with South and Southeast Asian leaders. In separate meetings, he also met with officials from Thailand, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and India. State media reported that during his visit, Min Aung Hlaing reaffirmed to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi the junta’s plans to hold “free and fair” elections in December. Modi, meanwhile, called for a permanent post-quake ceasefire and stressed that the elections must be “inclusive and credible,” though critics have dismissed the planned elections as a sham intended to perpetuate military control.
Since the 2021 coup that ousted the elected government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar has been mired in conflict. The ongoing civil war has displaced more than 3 million people, left basic services in tatters, and plunged a significant portion of the population into humanitarian distress—a situation further exacerbated by the March 28 quake.
United Nations aid chief Tom Fletcher, who spent Friday night in Mandalay near the quake’s epicenter, praised local humanitarian and community groups for their efforts. “Many themselves lost everything, and yet kept heading out to support survivors,” he said on social media, highlighting the grassroots response amid challenges posed by restricted access to aid.
The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights reported that the junta has been limiting aid supplies in quake-hit areas where communities oppose its rule, and it is investigating 53 reported attacks by the military—including 16 incidents that occurred after a ceasefire was declared on Wednesday.
As Myanmar confronts the dual challenges of natural disaster and political turmoil, international attention remains focused on the humanitarian crisis and the prospects for a genuine path toward stability and peace.
Iran launched 18 ballistic missiles late Sunday targeting the U.S. military’s Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest American installation in the Middle East.
Iranian missiles struck multiple locations across Israel and neighbouring regions early Friday morning, including a Microsoft office complex, according to emergency responders and local media reports.
A high-speed tram derailment in central Gothenburg, Sweden, has left at least eight people injured late on Thursday (19 June), after the vehicle slammed into a snack bar on Avenyn Avenue.
China has unveiled a mosquito-sized bionic drone designed for covert military operations and battlefield reconnaissance, marking a major advance in micro-robotics and stealth technology as part of the country’s growing focus on next-generation warfare capabilities.
Wizz Air has suspended all flights to and from Tel Aviv, Israel, and its European services to Amman, Jordan, effective immediately until 15 September due to escalating situation in the Middle East. Also, the air carrier temporarily suspended its flights between Astana, Kazakhstan, and Abu Dhabi.
A new MIT study has found that regular use of Artificial Intelligence tools such ChatGPT, may lower brain activity and diminish critical thinking, raising concerns about their growing role in education and professional life.
Floods triggered by relentless monsoon rains have forced people to evacuate across China's Guizhou province, with cities urging residents to flee rising waters as infrastructure collapses and warnings of more extreme weather loom.
A deadly weekend attack on a hospital in Sudan claimed the lives of more than 40 people, including children and healthcare workers, drawing international condemnation.
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov welcomed the Israel–Iran ceasefire on Tuesday but warned it was too early to say if the truce would hold.
Canada and the European Union signed a new Security and Defence Partnership on Monday in Brussels, marking a major step toward deepening transatlantic cooperation in military and security affairs.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment