Horn of Africa, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan.
Today's three stories you should know.
Horn of Africa
Twenty million people are at risk of starving in Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya unless nearly $500 million in aid money can be found, the UN said today. The Horn of Africa is in the grip of one of its worst droughts in years, but drought is rarely the sole reason that hunger crises get this bad. War and politics are almost always lurking in the background. In this case, the situation has been exacerbated by the war in Ukraine leading to soaring food prices and snarl-ups in the global supply chain. Ethiopia’s conflict has made the situation worse there. And Somalia has been unstable for most of the last three decades. A previous UN appeal in February raised less than four percent of the funds it asked for. Some 260,000 people – half of them children under the age of six - died in a criminally under-reported famine in Somalia in 2011.
More from Al Jazeera here.
Sri Lanka
As mentioned in several previous newsletters, Sri Lanka is going through its worst financial crisis since achieving independence in 1948. Furious protests erupted in the streets weeks ago and, today, security forces fired on demonstrators for the first time. One man was reported killed and 13 wounded at a protest over fuel prices. Police confirmed that they opened fire and accused the protesters of throwing rocks.
More from AP here.
Afghanistan
At least six people - including pupils - were killed in Afghanistan’s capital Kabul today when two bombs targeted a school and an educational center. Though no group has yet claimed responsibility, the finger has been pointed at the ISIS affiliate in the country. The schools were in a Shia neighborhood and ISIS regards Shias as heretics.
More from the Guardian here.