International
Mozambique President Says Death Toll of Cyclone Could Pass 1,000
A tropical cyclone hit Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Malawi, with a death toll that stands at well over 100 people. The president of Mozambique believes that in just his country alone, the death toll will exceed 1,000. Right now, major areas are completely flooded, and people are without power or any form of telecommunication. Tropical Cyclone […]
Published
3 years agoon

- A tropical cyclone hit Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Malawi, with a death toll that stands at well over 100 people.
- The president of Mozambique believes that in just his country alone, the death toll will exceed 1,000.
- Right now, major areas are completely flooded, and people are without power or any form of telecommunication.
Tropical Cyclone Idai Hits Mozambique, Zimbabwe & Malawi
The President of Mozambique said Monday that the death toll of Tropical Cyclone Idai could reach 1,000 people.
The cyclone first hit the city of Beira in Mozambique on Thursday, and rain continues to fall in the area. The storm reached a Category 3 and had over 1.5 million people in its direct path. It also stuck Zimbabwe and Malawi, where the death tolls are currently at 98 and 56 people respectively.
Currently, the death count in Mozambique is at 84 people, but on Monday, President Filipe Nyusi said he believes it could double ten times over.
“Everything indicates that we can have a record of more than 1,000 dead,” he said during a radio announcement.
"This is a real humanitarian disaster. More than 100,000 people are in danger" – Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi
— AFP news agency (@AFP) March 19, 2019
More than 1,000 feared killed by Cyclone Idai in Mozambique https://t.co/QEWoATgiV4 @AFPgraphics pic.twitter.com/Nk1oJIkkz5
While officials do believe the death toll will increase significantly, they cannot confirm if it will reach the number Nyusi suggested.
Between Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Malawi, thousands of homes and buildings have been destroyed due to the severe floods. Officials are saying it is the worst storm to hit the region in two decades.
Damage in Beira and Buzi
The damage is reportedly most severe in Beira, where Idai hit the hardest. The city has a population of over 500,000, and winds reached speeds over 100 miles per hour.
According to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, or IFRC, the damage caused is “horrifying” and impacted the majority of the city.
“The scale of damage caused by cyclone Idai that hit the Mozambican city of Beira is massive and horrifying,” their statement read. “It seems that 90 per cent of the area is completely destroyed.”
The scale of #CycloneIdai in Beira, Mozambique, is truly heartbreaking. Initial assessments from @ifrc estimate at least 90% of the area is completely destroyed. Read what IFRC aid workers are witnessing in the area: https://t.co/reDWmHKw2W ? @IFRCAfrica pic.twitter.com/25l3kM2vl3
— American Red Cross (@RedCross) March 18, 2019
The city lies north of the Pungwe River, which has flooded over. A major dam also collapsed on Sunday, flooding all roads in the city, and cutting it off from surrounding areas. Beira is currently without power or any form of telecommunication. The city’s main hospital is also severely damaged, further complicating rescue efforts for those who are injured.
Just south of this is Buzi town, which lies on the Buzi river and has also overflowed. Right now, 50 kilometers of land is submerged underwater. Save the Children, a crisis response organization, said that whole town, “could be under water within 24 hours.”
Michael Pouw, a response leader for Save the Children, called the scenes of the damage, and those waiting for help “chilling.”
“The assessment emerging from Mozambique today is chilling,” Pouw said in a press release. “Thousands of children lived in areas completely engulfed by water. In many places, no roofs or tree tops are even visible above the floods. In other areas, people are clinging to rooftops desperately waiting to be rescued.”
Rescue Efforts
Rescue efforts are currently underway, with the airport in Beira being the center for operations, as it is one of the few areas not underwater.
The United Nations estimates that 2.5 million people are in immediate need of aid. The U.N. World Food Programme is currently airdropping food, clean water, and blankets to those who are stranded on roofs. The World Health Organization is also working to send health, emergency, trauma, and cholera kits to affected areas.
The IRFC says it has already released 340,000 Swiss francs from its Disaster Relief Emergency Fund and says that it will go “towards an initial response effort for about 7,500 people.”
Fans of the game APEX Legends have also rallied to support the victims of the cyclone. A weapon in the game is named “Mozambique,” which is what draws the two together.
One fan posted on the Apex Legends subreddit calling for people who play the game to donate. In that subreddit, there are several links to organizations taking donations.
If you are looking to donate to those affected by Tropical Cyclone Idai, Save the Children and UNICEF are both taking donations specifically for the cause.
See what others are saying: (The Weather Channel) (Al Jazeera) (BBC)
International
Russia Takes Over 900 Azovstal Fighters Prisoner as Mariupol Surrenders
Published
5 days agoon
May 18, 2022By
Chris Tolve
Ukraine said the soldiers successfully completed their mission, but the fall of Mariupol represents a strategic win for Putin.
Azovstal Waves the White Flag
Russia’s foreign ministry announced on Wednesday that it had captured 959 Ukrainians from the Azovstal steelworks, where besieged soldiers have maintained the last pocket of resistance in Mariupol for weeks.
A ministry spokesperson said in a statement that 51 were being treated for injuries, and the rest were sent to a former prison colony in the town of Olenivka in a Russian-controlled area of Donetsk.
The defense ministry released videos of what it claimed were Ukrainian fighters receiving care at a hospital in the Russian-controlled town of Novoazovsk. In one, a soldier tells the camera he is being treated “normally” and that he is not being psychologically pressured, though it is unclear whether he is speaking freely.
It was unclear if any Ukrainians remained in Azovstal, but Denis Pushilin, the head of the self-proclaimed republic of Donetsk, said in a statement Wednesday that the “commanders of the highest level” were still hiding in the plant.
Previously, estimates put the number of soldiers inside Azovstal around 1,000.
Ukraine officially gave up Mariupol on Monday, when the first Azovstal fighters began surrendering.
Reuters filmed dozens of wounded Ukrainians being driven away in buses marked with the Russian pro-war “Z” symbol.
Ukraine’s deputy defense minister said in a Tuesday statement that the Ukrainian prisoners would be swapped in an exchange for captured Russians. But numerous Russian officials have signaled that the Ukrainian soldiers should be tried.
Mariupol Falls into Russian Hands
After nearly three months of bombardment that left Mariupol in ruins, Russia’s combat mission in the city has ended.
The sprawling complex of underground tunnels, caverns, and bunkers beneath Azovstal provided a defensible position for the Ukrainians there, and they came to represent the country’s resolve in the face of Russian aggression for many spectators.
Earlier this month, women, children, and the elderly were evacuated from the plant.
The definitive capture of Mariupol, a strategic port city, is a loss for Ukraine and a boon for Russia, which can now establish a land bridge between Crimea and parts of Eastern Ukraine controlled by Russian separatists. The development could also free up Russian troops around Mariupol to advance on the East, while additional reinforcements near Kharkiv descend from the north, potentially cutting off Ukrainian forces from the rest of the country.
The Ukrainian military has framed events in Mariupol as at least a partial success, arguing that the defenders of Azovstal completed their mission by tying down Russian troops and resources in the city and giving Ukrainians elsewhere more breathing room.
It claimed that doing so prevented Russia from rapidly capturing the city of Zaporizhzhia further to the west.
See what others are saying: (The Guardian) (BBC) (BBC)
International
Convoy of Up to 1,000 Vehicles Evacuates Refugees From Mariupol as Russian War Effort Stalls
Published
7 days agoon
May 16, 2022By
Chris Tolve
Russia may have lost a third of its ground invasion force since the war began, according to British military intelligence.
Hundreds Make It Out Alive
A convoy of between 500 and 1,000 vehicles evacuating refugees from the southern port city of Mariupol arrived safely in the Ukrainian-controlled city of Zaporizhzhia on Saturday.
People have been trickling out of Mariupol for over two months, but the recent evacuation was the single biggest out of the city thus far. Russian troops, who control most of the city, did not allow the convoy to leave for days, but eventually, they relented.
The convoy first traveled to Berbyansky some 80 kilometers to the west, then stopped at other settlements before driving 200 kilometers northwest to Zaporizhzhia. Many refugees told reporters they took “secret detours” to avoid Russian checkpoints and feared every moment of the journey.
Nikolai Pavlov, a 74-year-old retiree, told Reuters he had lived in a basement for a month after his apartment was destroyed.
“We barely made it,” he said. “There were lots of elderly people among us… the trip was devastating. But it was worth it.”
63-year-old Iryna Petrenko also said she had stayed in Mariupol initially to take care of her 92-year-old mother, who subsequently died.
“We buried her next to her house, because there was nowhere to bury anyone,” she said.
Putin’s Plans Go Poorly
In Mariupol, Ukrainian fighters continue to hold the Azovstal steelworks, the only part of the city still under Ukrainian control.
On Sunday, a video emerged appearing to show a hail of projectiles bursting into white, brightly burning munitions over the factory.
The pro-Russian separatist who posted it on Telegram wrote, “If you didn’t know what it is and for what purpose – you could say that it’s even beautiful.”
Turkey is trying to negotiate an evacuation of wounded Ukrainians from the factory, but neither Russia nor Ukraine have agreed to any plan.
After nearly three months of war, Mariupol has been left in ruins, with thousands of civilians reportedly dead.
“In less than 3 month, Mariupol, one of Ukraine’s fastest developing & comfortable cities, was reduced into a heap of charred ruins smelling death, with thousands of people standing in long breadlines and selling their properties out to buy some food. Less than three months,” Illia Ponomarenko, a reporter for The Kyiv Independent, tweeted.
In less than 3 month, Mariupol, one of Ukraine’s fastest developing & comfortable cities, was reduced into a heap of charred ruins smelling death, with thousands of people standing in long breadlines and selling their properties out to buy some food.
— Illia Ponomarenko 🇺🇦 (@IAPonomarenko) May 15, 2022
Less than 3 months.
On Sunday, the United Kingdom’s defense ministry estimated that Russia has likely lost a third of its ground invasion forces since the war began.
Moscow is believed to have deployed as many as 150,000 troops in Ukraine.
The ministry added that Russian forces in Eastern Ukraine have “lost momentum” and are “significantly behind schedule.” Moreover, it said Russia failed to achieve substantial territorial gains over the last month while sustaining “consistently high levels of attrition.”
“Under the current conditions, Russia is unlikely to dramatically accelerate its rate of advance over the next 30 days,” the ministry concluded.
Sweden also signaled on Sunday that it will join Finland in applying for NATO membership.
See what others are saying: (The Daily Beast) (U.S. News and World Report) (The Hill)
International
Israel Moves to Build Over 4,000 West Bank Settlements as Palestinian Homes Demolished
Published
2 weeks agoon
May 12, 2022By
Chris Tolve
The Israeli military is proceeding with a plan to evict at least 1,000 Palestinians from the West Bank.
Settlers Get Ready to Move in
On Thursday, a military planning body in the Israeli-occupied West Bank approved the construction of 4,427 housing units, according to the watchdog group Peace Now.
“The State of Israel took another stumble toward the abyss and further deepened the occupation,” Hagit Ofran, an expert at Peace Now, said via the Associated Press.
The plan is the largest advancement of settlement projects since President Joe Biden took office in the United States.
The U.S. opposes settlement expansion and said as much when the plan was first announced last week, but critics say Washington has done little to pressure Israel to stop.
In a statement, U.N. Mideast envoy Tor Wennesland called the settlements a “major obstacle to peace.”
“Continued settlement expansion further entrenches the occupation, encroaches upon Palestinian land and natural resources, and hampers the free movement of the Palestinian population,” he said.
In October, Israel approved some 3,000 settlement homes despite a U.S. rebuke. There are currently over 130 Israeli settlements in the West Bank harboring almost 500,000 settlers, in addition to the nearly three million Palestinians living in the territory.
Palestinians Pushed Off Their Land
On Wednesday, the same day Israeli soldiers allegedly shot and killed Al-Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, the military demolished at least 18 buildings in the West Bank, including 12 residential ones.
Israel’s supreme court has also ruled that eight Palestinian hamlets can be expelled, potentially leaving at least 1,000 Palestinians homeless.
The area targeted is known as the Masafer Yatta, and its residents say they have been herding animals and practicing traditional desert agriculture there for decades, long before Israel took over the West Bank in 1967. Israel, however, claims there were no permanent structures there before the military designated it a firing zone in the 1980s
“What’s happening now is ethnic cleansing,” Sami Huraini, an activist and a resident of the area, told the Associated Press. “The people are staying on their land and have already started to rebuild.”
See what others are saying: (Associated Press) (Peace Now) (Associated Press)

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