What's happening in the world:
Kenya: At least 300 families in Kenya's Homa Bay County and 50 additional families in Kisumu displaced by ongoing flooding
At least 300 families in Kenya's Homa Bay County and 50 additional families in Kisumu displaced by ongoing flooding; several villages in Karachuonyo affected Displaced By Floods: 300 families displaced by floods in Homa Bay County Nyasanja Village and Bala in Karachuonyo affected Governor Wanga seeks national government support 50 families displaced by floods in Kapuothe, Kisumu
Snowstorm causes massive power cuts across Ukraine
Snowstorms and strong winds have left more than 2,000 towns and villages without power across many regions of Ukraine, local officials say. They say 48 people, including children, have been evacuated from trapped vehicles in the worst-affected Odesa region in the south-west. At least six people have suffered from hypothermia. Traffic is currently blocked on 14 motorways. The storm is also battering Moldova, Russia, Georgia and Bulgaria. In a statement on Monday morning, Ukraine's emergencies service said the bad weather left 2,019 settlements without power in 16 regions of the country. It said 840 vehicles had to be towed away amid snow drifts reaching more than two metres (6.6ft) in some places. At least 1,370 cargo lorries are currently stuck. The southern Mykolaiv region is also badly hit. More than 1,500 rescuers are now deployed across the country in a massive clean-up operation. They are being helped by police, border guards and National Guard members. In the capital Kyiv, the country's largest flag - measuring 16x24m - had to be taken down from a 90m pole after it was damaged by fierce winds. City officials said the flag would be replaced and raised again. In Ukraine's southern Crimea peninsula - illegally annexed by Russia in 2014 - Moscow-installed officials reported flooding in coastal areas. Fallen trees and other debris were seen on the streets of several towns. About 800 exotic fish died when a historic museum-aquarium was destroyed by sea flooding in the port of Sevastopol, the museum director was quoted as saying by a local media outlet. A state of emergency is now in place in several municipalities in Crimea. Anton Herashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine's interior ministry, said the storm "washed away trenches in occupied Crimea that Russian army dug out on the beaches". Russia's military has not commented on the claim. In Russia's Black Sea city of Sochi, footage has emerged purportedly showing a three-storey building collapsing. No injuries were reported. Near the town of Anapa, also on the Russian Black Sea coast, a cargo vessel with 21 crew ran aground.
Ukraine: Russia continues to pummel Avdiivka; four killed in southern shelling
Russian forces continued to bombard the eastern Ukrainian city of Avdiivka on Thursday night while shelling killed four in the southern region of Kherson, according to local officials. Since mid-October, Russia has been trying to encircle and capture the town of Avdiivka, home to a massive coking plant and close to the Russian-held regional hub of Donetsk. The head of Avdiivka’s military administration, Vitaliy Barabash, told Ukraine’s Channel 24 on Thursday that Russian forces had launched their “fiercest” attacks yet on the embattled down. According to Reuters, Barabash said Russia was unleashing up to 18 air attacks per day, sometimes more. In the southern region of Kherson, prosecutors said Russian shelling had killed three men and a woman, according to Reuters, as Ukrainian forces continue to mount a counteroffensive in the east and south of the country. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s comments on Wednesday — in which he blamed Ukraine for the lack of peace talks and claimed Russia was ready for discussions to resume — were designed to pile pressure on the West to push Ukraine back to the negotiating table, analysts said. They noted that Putin and other Russian officials have routinely claimed the Kremlin is ready to negotiate to end the war while signaling that the Kremlin maintains its key objectives, including territorial claims and regime change in Ukraine.
Ethiopia drought: Fifty die of hunger in Tigray and Amhara amid aid freeze
More than 50 people have died in Ethiopia's northern Tigray and Amhara regions amid drought and an aid freeze, local officials have told the BBC. The Horn of Africa has had five failed rainy seasons since 2019, according to the UN. The US and UN suspended aid earlier this year after allegations of theft, worsening the humanitarian crisis. Tigray is recovering from a two-year civil war which ended a year ago, while a conflict has erupted in Amhara. About 46 people died in the town of Yechila in Tigray, while six died in the neighbouring Amhara region of Wag Hemra, because of food shortages, the officials said. Over 4,000 cattle have died because of severe drought.
Myanmar: Myanmar fighting at its worst since 2021 coup, says UN
Myanmar is gripped by the worst escalation in violence since the military seized power in a coup almost three years ago, the UN has said, with intense clashes taking place across a number of states and regions. The UN said an escalation in the fighting that began late in October was “the largest in scale and most extensive geographically” since the military coup, and has affected swathes of the country. The military, which seized power in February 2021, has struggled to control widespread opposition to its rule, including an armed resistance formed of pro-democracy activists. However, an operation launched recently in northern Shan state by an alliance of powerful ethnic armed groups, in coordination with newer anti-junta groups, has posed the greatest military challenge yet to its rule – and has galvanised opponents elsewhere. The operation, led by a grouping known as the Brotherhood Alliance, made dramatic progress when it was launched on 27 October, seizing dozens of outposts and several towns along the Chinese border. Myint Swe, Myanmar’s junta-appointed president, warned the country was at risk of breaking apart after the attacks, saying it was necessary to “carefully control this issue”. Elsewhere in Myanmar, groups have sought to exploit the military’s vulnerability. In Rakhine state, in the west, where a ceasefire has been in place for a year, the Arakan Army opened a new front on 13 November, with fierce fighting continuing over the past week. Operations by opponents of the military have also escalated in Sagaing region, as well as Chin state, bordering India, and Kayah state along the Thai border, where anti-coup fighters are battling for control of the state capital, Loikaw. Khun Bedu, the chair of the Karenni Nationalities Defence Force, told AFP on Tuesday that the group, and the ethnic minority Karenni Army, were engaged in “very intense fighting” in the town. The groups, as well as newer anti-coup groups, were “in control in many areas”, he said, without giving details. The UN has evacuated most of its staff from Loikaw owing to “aerial bombardment of the town and active fighting in urban areas”, a spokesperson told AFP. Figures in the pro-democracy movement say the developments can be exploited by people’s defence forces, which were formed after the 2021 coup by pro-democracy activists to fight against the military. These groups have received support from more experienced ethnic armed groups, including those that make up the Brotherhood Alliance, which have greater resources and have fought against the military for decades. Analysts say it is unclear if military opponents will be able to hold on to territory taken. Since the coup, the military has relied on indiscriminate air attacks and scorched earth tactics to suppress opposition, with UN-appointed independent human rights investigators in September reporting increased “frequency and intensity of war crimes and crimes against humanity”. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said the armed clashes “have expanded into more areas, including densely populated urban centres” in recent weeks. More than 286,000 people have been displaced as a result of the recent surge in violence, it said, while 187 civilians have reportedly died and 246 have been injured. More than 2 million people have been internally displaced across Myanmar, according to the UN.
Guardian News Article based on UN report
Indonesia: Some 200 Rohingya refugees land in Indonesia, weekly arrivals pass 1,000
Over 200 Rohingya refugees landed on a remote Indonesian island after weeks at sea, facing rejection from locals who threatened to send them back. The refugees were part of a larger group of over 1,000 Rohingya who have arrived in Aceh province, risking their lives to reach Malaysia or Indonesia from Bangladesh. The local authorities agreed to relocate the refugees to a temporary shelter in Lhokseumawe, coordinated with the UNHCR, after initially rejecting them.
Iran: More than 70 people injured following overnight magnitude 4.6 earthquake
The number of people injured in the Zahedan earthquake increased to 71 Director General of Crisis Management of Sistan and Baluchistan Governorate: Following the 4.7 magnitude earthquake in Zahedan last night, 71 injured patients were referred to the hospital. Most of the injured suffered superficial injuries due to falling from the bed or going down the stairs, and some of these people also suffered stress and mental pressure.
This news is gathered from a Telegram Channel. Original announcement translated from Persian.
Somalia: More than 600,00 displaced by floods in Somalia
The number of displaced people by the rains in Somalia has gone up by 100,000 in just one week, bringing the number to close to 650,000 people. The heavy rains that started in October have killed over 100 people in the Horn of Africa. Entire towns have also been cut off in parts of Kenya and Ethiopia. The areas affected had barely recovered from the worst drought to hit the region in four decades. As more rains are forecast, people are abandoning their homes and moving to dry land as governments and aid agencies try to reach those affected.
Brazil: Death Toll Rises to six in Brazil due to flooding.
Six people died in the states of Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina in the destruction of Chuva forces affecting the Sul Region, the AFP agency reported this Sunday afternoon (19), citing authorities. Three deaths were recorded both in Rio Grande do Sul and in Santa Catarina. In Rio Grande do Sul, 31 thousand people have been affected by the Chuvas and more than 1,600 have left their homes. The governor of Santa Catarina declared an emergency situation in 64 municipalities. The El Niño phenomenon contributed to an increase in precipitation in the southern region of Brazil. This occurs due to a large movement of winds that influences the dynamics of other air currents, resulting in the retention of cold fronts in Brazilian territory. Consequently, these cold fronts remain for longer periods in the South, as explained by Inmet. Scientists warn of an aggravation of two climatic extremes in Brazil. We expect that, during the months of October, November and December, the trend of chuvas higher than normal in the region will continue.
Translation of Original Story.
Kenya: Hundreds displaced as heavy rains pound Kenya's Coast region
One person has been confirmed dead in Kilifi County, as hundreds have been displaced and roads cut off in different parts of Kenya's coastal region due to ongoing rains. In the Majajani area in Kilifi County, one person died after he was covered by debris from his house which collapsed while he was asleep on Thursday night. A relative said the deceased had earlier been warned against sleeping in the house which had developed cracks as a result of ongoing rains. In different parts of Mombasa, Kwale, Kilifi and Tana River counties, hundreds of people have been displaced by floods following heavy downpour in the last three days.