AMMAN– “The fast pace of the cholera outbreak in Syria and Lebanon is alarming and the risks of the disease further spreading to other countries in the region call for immediate action. Urgent support is needed to respond and contain the spread of the disease. “The acute epidemic in Syria has left over 20,000 suspected cases with acute watery diarrhoea

ROME – As world leaders gather at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Egypt next month, WFP highlights the urgent need for climate adaptation solutions to stem the tide of growing hunger. The unfolding global food crisis cannot be stopped until we support communities and nations to manage the risks associated with a changing climate. Extreme climate impacts like

The World Health Organization says hundreds of thousands of people in drought-stricken Somalia may die unless the international community acts urgently to prevent the country from falling into famine. The U.N. health agency says every single person in Somalia is facing hunger on a scale not seen since the famine in 2011, which killed more than a quarter million people,

The World Health Organization warns Africa’s COVID-19 vaccination coverage has stagnated, putting the continent’s 1.2 billion people at higher risk for this ever-evolving virus. New numbers from the WHO show a significant decline in new vaccinations, with immunization rates dropping by more than half between July and September. At this rate, WHO officials say most countries in Africa will miss

GENEVA— The World Health Organization (WHO) said that COVID-19 is still a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), the WHO’s highest alert level. The announcement came although the number of weekly deaths is almost at its lowest level since the pandemic began. The WHO’s International Health Regulations Emergency Committee said after its quarterly assessment meeting last week that despite

At least 21 people were killed in two separate bombings in the central Hirshabelle state of Somalia, officials said. A powerful car bomb exploded in Jalalaqsi town when soldiers operating a security checkpoint intercepted a vehicle. The checkpoint is near local government buildings and a military base belonging to African Union peacekeepers from Djibouti. “At around 2:30 p.m., a vehicle

ADDIS ABABA— The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) warned over the spread of the cholera outbreak in the southeastern part of Ethiopia amid growing cases. The UNOCHA said as of Oct 10, some 191 cholera cases were reported in three districts of the Bale zone, including Harana Buluk, Berbere, and Delo Mena. Four associated deaths

Basketball Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo is undergoing treatment in Atlanta for a brain tumor, the NBA announced Saturday. Mutombo has been one of the NBA’s global ambassadors for years, and recently appeared at Hall of Fame enshrinement events in Springfield, Massachusetts, and a pair of preseason games in Saitama, Japan. He also appeared with U.S. Secretary of State Antony

ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA — The International Rescue Committee said Saturday one of its workers was killed in an attack in Ethiopia’s embattled Tigray region. The IRC worker was “delivering lifesaving humanitarian aid to women and children” at the time of the explosion in the town of Shire on Friday, the aid group said in a statement. Another worker was wounded

Heatwaves already kill thousands of people every year and they risk overwhelming the world’s aid response, unless action is taken to mitigate climate change, the UN’s emergency relief chief said on Monday. Without immediate financial help for the most vulnerable communities, the world faces a future of “ever larger and deadlier heat disasters”, Martin Griffiths told journalists in Geneva. “The