Lebanon
Lebanon is headed for a disastrous shortage of essential medicines as imported supplies run out, according to a local association of medicine importers. "Imports have almost completely ground to a halt," the association of pharmaceuticals importers said today. Lebanon has been in the grip of a desperate financial crisis for 18 months now.
More from the Daily Star Lebanon here.
Ethiopia
It’s still hard to believe that Ethiopia isn’t leading international headlines everywhere. The TPLF group, now in control of the conflict-hit Tigray region’s capital Mekelle, today issued a list of conditions necessary for it to accept a ceasefire with the Ethiopian government and pledged it would address the humanitarian needs of the region’s population. For now, though, the situation remains critical. The UN says 400,000 people are living in famine conditions with a further 1.8 million on the brink. The US puts the number living in famine conditions at 900,000.
More from Al Jazeera here. And the Washington Post today published a powerful editorial accusing the Ethiopian government of using hunger as a weapon.
Afghanistan
The Taliban continues its staggering advance in Afghanistan and is now in control of about a third of the country’s 421 districts. More than 300 Afghan government soldiers today fled over the border into Tajikistan in the face of a Taliban advance today. The US yesterday withdrew from its main military base in the country.
More from the Associated Press here.