Red Cross elects US humanitarian to lead network after rocky meeting
Geneva, SwiterzlandReuters The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies elected a US candidate on Monday as its new president after an acrimonious meeting that nearly saw the vote postponed amid a controversy involving a rival candidate. Kate Forbes, an existing IFRC board member, became the second woman to ever hold the top […]
Heavy gunfire quickly shatters Sudan truce pushed by US
Khartoum, SudanReuters Heavy gunfire shattered a 24-hour truce in Sudan on Tuesday shortly after it was due to take effect under US pressure on warring military factions to halt fighting that has touched off a humanitarian crisis. Loud shooting reverberated in the background of live feeds by Arab television news channels in the Khartoum capital […]
All countries “dangerously unprepared” for future pandemics, says IFRC
Geneva, SwitzerlandReuters The world is “dangerously unprepared” for future pandemics, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies say in a report published on Monday, calling on countries to update their preparedness plans by year-end. In its World Disasters Report 2022, the IFRC said “all countries remain dangerously unprepared for future outbreaks” […]
Wildfires: “a new part of our reality” in warming Europe
Thomson Reuters Foundation Wildfires are burning across southern Europe, a new fact of life in fast-warming Europe, with eight dead in Turkey, 100-plus fires in Greece and mass evacuations across Italy. For the woman leading the Red Cross in Europe, which has been spearheading rescue efforts, the spate of summer wildfires – as well as floods […]
Hard hit by COVID-19, migrants seen facing “invisible wall”
Bogota, ColombiaThomson Reuters Foundation From Australia to Egypt, migrants and refugees have been especially hard hit by job losses and economic pain during the coronavirus pandemic, with many struggling to access healthcare and state aid, a survey showed on Tuesday. The survey, published in a report by the Red Cross Red Crescent Global Migration Lab, […]
Record climate disasters in Asia-Pacific push millions to “breaking point”
Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaThomson Reuters Foundation Asia-Pacific has faced a record number of climate-related disasters in 2020, affecting tens of millions of vulnerable people already hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Red Cross said on Wednesday. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said it had responded to 24 climate-linked crises this […]
Airbnb non-profit to focus on finding housing for disaster, pandemic workers
Washington DC, USThomson Reuters Foundation Home-sharing giant Airbnb will enlist its global network of millions of participants to help house aid workers and health care staff working to fight COVID-19, it said on Monday, aiming to fill a gap in shelter options amid the pandemic. Its planned program will find housing for workers who before […]
Funding for climate disasters is “failing” those most vulnerable, says IFRC
Geneva, SwitzerlandReuters The number of disasters caused by extreme weather and climate-related events is surging, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said in a report on Tuesday, but funding is not getting to where it is needed most. Cases of floods, storms and heatwaves per decade have increased by nearly 35 […]
Twin ‘crises’ of climate and COVID hammering millions, Red Cross says
Barcelona, SpainThomson Reuters Foundation Weather disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic have simultaneously hit tens of millions of people worldwide this year, making them more vulnerable to both threats and hampering emergency response, the Red Cross said on Wednesday. In a new analysis, the international humanitarian agency said about 70 per cent of the 132 disasters linked […]
Burundian YouTube child star’s death spotlights malaria epidemic
Nairobi, KenyaThomson Reuters Foundation The death of a six-year-old YouTube star from a malaria epidemic in Burundi has spotlighted the growing challenge of combating malaria in a warmer world, health experts said on Tuesday. Darcy Irakoze – known as Kacaman – who was popular for his comedy performances on YouTube and in local theatres, died […]