Yemen, Zambia, China.
Today's three stories you should know.
Yemen
The US today re-designated Yemen’s Houthis as “global terrorists” after the group’s attacks on commercial shipping vessels in the Red Sea. The US, which along with the UK launched air raids on Yemen last week, said the Houthis "fit the textbook definition of terrorism". But what does a terrorist designation actually mean for the Houthis - and for Yemen, which, after years of war, has been going through one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world? Al Jazeera today published an explainer.
More from Al Jazeera here.
Zambia
Zambia’s worst cholera outbreak in 20 years has killed more than 400 people and infected about 10,000 forcing the government to shutter schools. A football stadium in the capital Lusaka has been turned into a makeshift treatment center. The UN children’s agency, UNICEF, said the fatality rate is running at four percent, calling it “a devastating number.” When treated, the disease has a fatality rate of one percent.
More from AP here.
China
China’s population has declined for the second year running - a trend experts say could have a profound effect on the future potential of its powerhouse economy. The National Bureau of Statistics said the number of people living in China dropped by 2.08 million in 2023, or 0.15%, to 1.409 billion. It fell by 850,000 in 2022, which was its first drop since 1961 during a famine. China, long the world’s most populous country, dropped to second place behind India in 2023, according to UN statistics.
More from BBC here.