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Monday, 12 July 2021 4:29 PM [ Last Update: Monday, 12 July 2021 4:29 PM ]

Afghanistan displaced people

Afghan officials say thousands of people have been displaced amid raging clashes between government and Taliban forces in Kunduz province. The families displaced by the conflict in Kunduz city say they are in dire need of food and other aid supplies. Taliban militants have already seized control of most districts in Kunduz province, but are facing resistance from government forces and armed civilians in and around the provincial capital. The militants have made a fresh push to gain more territory in recent weeks. The group says they are currently in control of over 85 percent of the Afghan soil. The government, however, denies the claim as propaganda.

COVID-19 pandemic triggers hunger

The United Nations says world hunger and malnutrition levels increased drastically in 2020 mainly due to the coronavirus pandemic. In a report, the UN noted that COVID restrictions and their economic fallouts contributed to an estimated 18 percent rise in the number of people facing hunger, one of the largest increases in decades. It said the number of undernourished people rose to around 768 million last year, over 6 times higher than the figure recorded in 2019. The annual report was compiled by several UN agencies, including the World Health Organization and the World Food Program. It said the number of people unable to access adequate food rose to 2.37 billion last year, a rise equal to those of the preceding five years combined.

COVID-19 surge in Thailand

In Thailand, fresh coronavirus restrictions have come into effect in the capital and its surrounding provinces to contain a new surge of the pandemic. More than 10 million people have been placed under a curfew in Bangkok, the epicenter of the outbreak. The two-week restrictions, toughest in more than a year, also include mall closures and a 5-person limit on gatherings. Authorities have also set up 145 checkpoints in high-risk provinces, with 88 of them only in Bangkok, to curb non-essential regional travel. Meanwhile, authorities have reported more than 8600 new daily cases and 80 deaths. Thailand has been grappling with a new wave of the pandemic blamed on highly contagious strains of the virus and a slow vaccination drive.

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