China Spring Festival travel rush: 362 mln trips recorded on final holiday day
Chinese travellers made an estimated 362.58 million cross-regional passenger trips on Monday, the final day of the Spring Festival holiday, according ...
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 International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said on Thursday that it has received only a small portion of its emergency appeal for 100 million Swiss francs ($122.4 million) to support recovery efforts following last month’s devastating earthquake in Myanmar.
The 7.7-magnitude quake, which struck on March 28 and is among the strongest to hit Myanmar in a century, killed over 3,600 people, destroyed entire communities, and left thousands without access to basic necessities such as food, water, and shelter.
“Only 10% of our appeal has been funded—far less than we anticipated. It’s nowhere near enough,” said Alexander Matheou, IFRC’s regional director, speaking to Reuters via video link from Mandalay.
The organization attributed the shortfall to a general decline in international aid, compounded by reduced U.S. funding under President Donald Trump’s administration.
“We now have around 200,000 people living on the streets because it’s unsafe to return to their homes. They urgently need shelter, food, clean water, and sanitation,” Matheou explained.
He also noted extensive destruction, including to homes, entire streets, and important cultural sites such as temples, mosques, and churches.
The IFRC reported more than 400 aftershocks in the 10 days following the quake, forcing thousands to sleep outdoors out of fear that damaged buildings could collapse. The looming monsoon season is expected to worsen conditions further.
The earthquake hit at a particularly fragile time for Myanmar, already reeling from four years of military rule and ongoing civil conflict that have severely weakened infrastructure and displaced millions.
According to the country’s military, 3,645 people were killed, 5,017 injured, and 148 remain missing. Nearly 49,000 homes and over 2,100 government buildings were destroyed.
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Pakistan said it carried out cross-border strikes on militant targets inside Afghanistan after blaming a series of recent suicide bombings, including attacks during the holy month of Ramadan, on fighters it said were operating from Afghan territory.
Italy said a fond farewell to the Winter Olympics on Sunday with an open-air ceremony in the ancient Verona Arena that celebrated art and sporting achievement at a Games lauded as a model for how to stage such events.
The United States and Iran will hold a new round of nuclear negotiations in Geneva on Thursday as part of renewed diplomatic efforts to reach a potential agreement, Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi announced on Sunday.
Islamic State claimed two attacks on Syrian army personnel on Saturday (22 February), saying they marked the start of a new phase of operations against the country’s leadership under President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
Chinese travellers made an estimated 362.58 million cross-regional passenger trips on Monday, the final day of the Spring Festival holiday, according to official data.
Thousands of people gathered across Europe and beyond over the weekend in solidarity with Ukraine, as the war with Russia entered its fifth year.
A powerful winter storm has brought large parts of the U.S. Northeast to a standstill, dumping more than a foot of snow across several states and severely disrupting transport and daily life.
The United Nations mission in Afghanistan said on Monday it had received “credible reports” that at least 13 civilians were killed and seven others injured in overnight Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan.
The former British ambassador to the U.S. Peter Mandelson has been arrested by police in London on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
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