UN raises $331m aid appeal for Zimbabwe

Afp, Harare

The UN food agency on Tuesday launched a $331-million appeal for aid donations to feed millions of people in crisis-hit Zimbabwe, which is reeling from a drought and the high cost of food. Around five million people, or a third of the 16 million Zimbabweans, are in need of aid and at least half of them are on the cusp of “starvation”, according to the World Food Programme (WFP). Speaking at the launch of the appeal, WFP executive director David Beasley said 2.5 million Zimbabweans were “in crisis emergency mode... marching towards starvation”.

US warns off Venezuela allies China and Russia

Afp, Lima

Washington warned China and Russia to avoid doing business with the Venezuelan regime of Nicolas Maduro, as delegates from some 60 countries discussed ways of ending the crisis in the South American nation. The admonition Tuesday came a day after President Donald Trump ordered a freeze on all Venezuelan government assets in the United States and barred transactions with its authorities. But Russia’s foreign ministry said there was “no legal basis” to freeze Venezuelan assets.

Violent blast rocks Danish tax office

Afp, Stockholm

Danish police said yesterday foul play was involved in a powerful explosion that rocked the national tax agency in Copenhagen, causing severe damage to the building’s exterior but no serious injuries. The cause of the blast, which occurred Tuesday around 10:00 pm at the agency’s headquarters in Osterbro, was not immediately known. Investigators were treating the incident as a criminal act.