Dear subscribers - Proximities celebrated its first anniversary today. It’s been really great to chat to so many of you over the last year and to hear you find the newsletter useful. Looking forward to another year and thanks again for being here. PS: An anniversary is as good an excuse as any to recommend Proximities to your friends or on your social platform of choice!
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Somalia
More than 200,000 people could starve to death in Somalia amid a crippling drought and spiralling food costs due to the war in Ukraine, the UN said today. A further 7.1 million Somalis - nearly half the population - face acute levels of food insecurity, which means they may struggle to find enough food without selling assets. Four UN agencies issued a joint statement calling on the international community to intervene and avert disaster. Such a warning should not be taken lightly. A quarter of a million people died during the country’s 2011 famine, half of them children.
More from Al Jazeera here.
India
Muslim nations are reacting with fury after two top ruling party officials in India made comments seen as insulting to Islam and the Prophet Muhammad. At least five Arab nations summoned Indian ambassadors to lodge official complaints, and Pakistan and Afghanistan also spoke out. The row comes against a backdrop of increasing attacks on Muslims carried out by Hindu nationalists. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been accused of turning a blind eye to such incidents since coming to power in 2014. Muslims make up about 14 percent of India’s population.
More from Middle East Eye here.
Nigeria
A manhunt is underway in Nigeria for gunmen who killed at least 50 people at a catholic church on Sunday, officials said today. Police and witnesses confirmed the attackers escaped despite being pursued by security forces. No group has claimed responsibility and no fully credible accusation has been levelled yet. Nigeria is beset by several different security crises, from burgeoning rebel groups to rampant kidnap gangs, and pressure is growing on President Muhammadu Buhari. Ondo state, where the attack took place, was considered one of the safest parts of the country.
More from AP here.