Iran FM in New Delhi
In the hours ahead, Iran’s Foreign Minister, who is in New Delhi on an official visit, will hold a series of diplomatic meetings with Indian officials. Upon arrival early today, Hossein Amir Abdollahian said joint efforts to lay out a long-term roadmap for cooperation will be the prime goal of his visit. The Iranian minister believes the current level of bilateral ties is satisfactory, but the two sides need to work closely together to go beyond that level. Meantime, a tweet by the Indian Foreign Ministry says the top Iranian diplomat has arrived to a warm welcome, adding the visit will boost the deep historical bonds. Meetings have been scheduled with India’s Prime Minister and Minister of External Affairs, as well as religious scholars, and Iranian expatriates. He will next travel to the cities of Mumbai and Hyderabad.
Yemen humanitarian disaster
New reports are indicating that the humanitarian crisis in the war-torn Yemen is worsening. According to a report by the UN children's agency, UNICEF, the number of people in need of humanitarian assistance has risen to more than 23 million over the past year. The report also says the number of Yemenis requiring food assistance has jumped to over 17 million. It has cited the ongoing war, continuing economic shocks and decreasing aid as the reasons. Another report by the International Monetary Fund says that rising food prices and inflation worldwide amid the Ukraine war have deteriorated the crisis in Yemen. Saudi Arabia, along with some of its allies launched a war on Yemen in 2015. It has directly or indirectly claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of Yemenis. The UN has already described Yemen as the world's worst humanitarian disaster.
Battle for Severodonetsk
Russian and Ukrainian forces remain engaged in fierce fighting in Severodonetsk, a key city in eastern Luhansk province. Now, the provincial governor says that Ukrainian troops may have to retreat to stronger positions in the city. Serhiy Gaidai says Russia is expected to step up its attacks on Severodonetsk, which has turned into a key battleground. However, he stressed that the Ukrainian military will not give up. On Tuesday, the Russian Defense Minister claimed his troops have been in full control of residential areas in Severodonetsk. Sergei Shoigu’s remarks came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that his forces were outnumbered by more powerful Russian forces, but they still had a chance to fight back. Zelensky also said that Ukraine will continue the fight until it takes back all its territory and that stalemate is not an option.