Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Gaza
Today's three stories you should know
Afghanistan
Aid shortages in Afghanistan are forcing health workers to turn away millions of children and mothers despite a surge in child malnutrition rates, according to the U.N. food agency. It amounts to six out of seven of those in need, the World Food Programme said. Child wasting, the deadliest form of malnutrition, is reported to have reached “critical” levels in three provinces. Afghanistan suffered massive cuts to its foreign aid after the Taliban returned to power in 2021. The situation has deteriorated since U.S. President Donald Trump slashed aid funding and ordered the effective closure of the U.S. government development agency.
More from Reuters here.
Episode 10 of The Proximities Podcast is now live. This week, we were joined from the epicenter of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo by Dr. Abdou Sebushishe of the International Medical Corps. Dr. Abdou gave us an update from the frontlines, told us personal stories of people who have contracted the virus and reflected on his experiences as a Congolese doctor facing down an outbreak in his own community.
Our conversation is on Apple Podcasts here, Spotify here and YouTube here.
Bangladesh
India has denied it is involved in a heavily anticipated speech from toppled Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is living in exile in New Delhi. Bangladesh summoned the Indian ambassador in its capital, Dhaka, and told him Hasina should not be allowed to make political statements on Indian soil. Hasina was overthrown by a youth-led street uprising in 2024, fleeing to India as protesters closed in on her official residence. In June, the 78-year-old vowed to return to Bangladesh this year despite being sentenced to death in absentia.
More from Anadolu here.
Gaza
A mass funeral has been held in Gaza for 112 people whose bodies have just been recovered from the rubble of an Israeli airstrike on an apartment building in 2023. The residential block in Gaza City’s Sabra neighborhood was completely destroyed by Israeli warplanes, killing more than 300 people. At least 7,400 people have been reported by relatives as missing under the rubble of flattened buildings, but the true number is likely much greater as entire families were killed in a large number of attacks. “The only crime of these martyrs was that they remained steadfast and resilient in their homes, believing that these homes would protect them,” one relative, Taysir al-Hassayna, told AP after the funeral.
More from AP here.