WORLD BRIEFING: March 19, 2024
U.S. State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel called a UN-backed report saying that northern Gaza will face famine in May "alarming and heart-wrenching." He said it's why the U.S. "believes so strongly that everything must be done to scale up the delivery of humanitarian assistance. We believe sustained humanitarian assistance is required. Unhindered land convoys, we think, are irreplaceable when it comes to the ability to reach people wherever they are across Gaza, in addition to the additive and supplemental efforts of delivery of food via maritime routes and airdrops." - Haaretz
The UN warns that the situation in Gaza is catastrophic, with northern Gaza facing imminent famine and the rest of the Strip at risk as well. WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: "…People are dying, and many more are sick. Over a million people are expected to face catastrophic hunger unless significantly more food is allowed to enter Gaza." Before the recent months’ hostilities, 0.8% of children under 5 years of age were acutely malnourished. As of February in the northern governorates, that figure is as high as 16.5%. Without a significant and immediate increase in deliveries of food, water and other essential supplies, conditions will continue deteriorating. Virtually all households are already skipping meals every day and adults are reducing their meals so that children can eat. The long-term effects of malnutrition, low consumption of nutrient-rich foods, repeated infections, and lack of hygiene and sanitation services slow children’s overall growth. This compromises the health and well-being of an entire future generation, WHO said.
Vladimir Putin said he is open to French President Emmanuel Macron's plan to propose a ceasefire during this summer's Paris Olympics. Macron said in an interview from Paris shown on Ukrainian television that Russia would be asked to observe a ceasefire, in line with the customary host country's appeal for peace. Putin said Russia's interests would always take precedence, but he would consider the request - Euronews
Unicef's executive director, Catherine Russell, has called the situation in Haiti "horrific" and likened the lawlessness to the post-apocalyptic film, Mad Max. The UN has also estimated, because of the closure of so many hospitals in the capital, some 3,000 pregnant women were at risk of having to give birth with no maternity care, BBC reported
The European Council has approved the creation of the Ukraine Assistance Fund (UAF) and earmarked 5 billion euros ($5.4 billion) for it as Kyiv struggles to battle invading Russian forces. "With the fund, we will continue to support Ukraine defend itself from Russia’s war of aggression with whatever it takes and for as long as we need to," the EU's top diplomat, Josep Borrell said in a statement on March 18. The funds will be used for the provision of both "lethal and nonlethal military equipment and training," it said. - RFE/RL
President Maia Sandu launched a campaign to promote an upcoming referendum on Moldova's push to join the European Union on Monday, calling on civil leaders to rally support for the country's accession to the 27-member bloc. Moldova, a former Soviet republic of 2.6 million led by a pro-European government, applied for EU membership in 2022 and received a draft framework for accession negotiations in March, along with neighbouring Ukraine. The country's relations with Russia have become strained since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, which Chisinau has staunchly condemned. Sandu announced plans in December to hold a referendum later this year on whether to join the EU. The president, who will seek a second term at elections in late 2024, told a news conference that Moldova had a historic opportunity to mount an accession push. The referendum would vote on enshrining Moldova's EU ambitions in the constitution ensuring that the bid is not derailed by future governments. "Member states of the European Union are more open than ever, we have the necessary political will for this step, and our citizens want to be part of the EU," she said. The referendum would prevent Moldova's pro-Europe drive stalling or reversing after a change of power, she said - Reuters
China’s bid to hit a growth target of around 5 per cent in 2024 is off to an uneven start, with a strong rebound in factory output and investment but a slowdown in consumption growth in January and February. Its keenly watched property slump also continued in February, with sharp declines in real estate investment, new home sales and construction starts, according to data released on March 18. Analysts warned that the deepening real estate slide in the world’s second-largest economy might overshadow the gradual pick-up in other sectors. - Straits Times
A federal appeals court may not overturn her 20-year sentence for pimping girls for Jeffrey Epstein - but at least Ghislaine Maxwell has escaped a violence-plagued prison wing nicknamed the 'snake pit'. Bosses at FCI Tallahassee agreed to transfer the notorious madam out of the jail's squalid B South unit where 120 inmates are crammed into tiny cubicles of four bunks, the Daily Mail reported. Insiders say fights and bullying are routine as convicts squabble over what to watch on TV and face long lines to use phones and computers. But Maxwell's cushy new digs in D South – the so-called 'honor dorm' – are reserved for 30 to 40 of the low-security Florida lockup's best-behaved prisoners. There are two bunks per cell but so few occupants that the disgraced British socialite, 62, is almost guaranteed to have her own room as well as four times the storage.
