“No forgetting”: Turks lament reconstruction delays two years after deadly quake
Ankara, Turkey Reuters Two years after the deadliest and most destructive earthquake in modern Turkish history, hundreds of thousands of people remain displaced, with many still living in temporary housing, as rebuilding efforts lag behind initial targets. Residents of Antakya, the city hardest hit, gathered at 4:17am (0117 GMT) on Thursday with laurel branches and […]
Multiple climate disasters trigger first ever Red Cross disaster insurance pay-out
Geneva, Switzerland Reuters The world was hit by so many floods and landslides in 2024 that it triggered the aid sector’s first multi-disaster insurance pay-out, the Red Cross told Reuters, signalling both the scale of the problem and the need for new financing solutions. The International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies […]
Red Cross appeals for more attention on deaths of local aid workers
United Nations Reuters Killings of local humanitarian workers in conflicts around the world must provoke the same outrage as international aid workers harmed in conflict, the head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said on Tuesday. Members of the Red Crescent walk at the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and […]
Tropical Storm Beryl spares top Mexican beaches after furious Caribbean trek
Cancun/Tulum, Mexico Reuters Tropical Storm Beryl passed over Mexico’s top beach destinations on Friday, bringing strong winds and heavy rain but without leaving major damage, after forging a deadly trail of destruction across the Caribbean. The core of the storm, downgraded from a hurricane, crossed the Yucatan Peninsula by Friday afternoon, as its maximum wind […]
World’s largest humanitarian network calls for Gaza ceasefire
Manila, The Philippines Reuters The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) called on Wednesday for a ceasefire and unimpeded humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip, where millions of people face worsening hunger. The war-torn enclave is suffering from a humanitarian catastrophe nearly seven months after Israel launched a devastating offensive in […]
Red Cross elects US humanitarian to lead network after rocky meeting
Geneva, Switerzland Reuters The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies elected a US candidate on Monday as its new president after an acrimonious meeting that nearly saw the vote postponed amid a controversy involving a rival candidate. Kate Forbes, an existing IFRC board member, became the second woman to ever hold the […]
Heavy gunfire quickly shatters Sudan truce pushed by US
Khartoum, Sudan Reuters Heavy gunfire shattered a 24-hour truce in Sudan on Tuesday shortly after it was due to take effect under US pressure on warring military factions to halt fighting that has touched off a humanitarian crisis. Loud shooting reverberated in the background of live feeds by Arab television news channels in the Khartoum […]
All countries “dangerously unprepared” for future pandemics, says IFRC
Geneva, Switzerland Reuters The world is “dangerously unprepared” for future pandemics, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies say in a report published on Monday, calling on countries to update their preparedness plans by year-end. In its World Disasters Report 2022, the IFRC said “all countries remain dangerously unprepared for future […]
Wildfires: “a new part of our reality” in warming Europe
Thomson Reuters Foundation Wildfires are burning across southern Europe, a new fact of life in fast-warming Europe, with eight dead in Turkey, 100-plus fires in Greece and mass evacuations across Italy. For the woman leading the Red Cross in Europe, which has been spearheading rescue efforts, the spate of summer wildfires – as well as floods […]
Hard hit by COVID-19, migrants seen facing “invisible wall”
Bogota, Colombia Thomson Reuters Foundation From Australia to Egypt, migrants and refugees have been especially hard hit by job losses and economic pain during the coronavirus pandemic, with many struggling to access healthcare and state aid, a survey showed on Tuesday. The survey, published in a report by the Red Cross Red Crescent Global Migration […]