Heavy rain, floods kill 45, displace thousands in Yemen – Newstrends
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Heavy rain, floods kill 45, displace thousands in Yemen

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Vehicles drive through flood water following heavy rains in the province of Hajjah, Yemen August 7, 2024. (REUTERS)

Heavy rain, floods kill 45, displace thousands in Yemen

AL-MUKALLA: Yemen’s National Center of Meteorology issued an orange notice on Thursday warning that further extreme weather is coming, after seven days of torrential rain and flash floods that have killed at least 45 people and displaced thousands across the nation.

The center cautioned people in the central highlands and along western and southern coasts not to drive through or remain in watercourses or valleys.

Officials in the western province of Hodeidah said on Wednesday that at least 30 people died and thousands had to leave their homes as a result of heavy rainfall and flash flooding in most districts in recent days.

Mohammed Guhim, the Houthi governor of Hodeidah, told Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV that five people were missing and the rains and flooding had affected thousands of residents in about 500 properties.

On Thursday, pro-government militia the Giants Brigades reported that one of its soldiers was killed and two were missing after flash floods carried them away while they were driving in the Hays area of Hodeidah.

Images and videos shared on social media showed severe rains hammering most of Hodeidah’s provincial districts, resulting in flash floods that inundated houses, cut many others off and washed away roads, residences, cars and farm crops. Bodies of flood victims were being found across Hodeidah and residents issued urgent pleas for help.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs confirmed on Wednesday that the rains had significantly affected thousands of people in Hodeidah province, leaving dozens dead, missing or injured, and severely damaging houses and infrastructure.

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It said 15 people were killed by severe flooding in the Maqbanah District of Taiz on Aug. 2, which also displaced 10,000, buried at least 80 wells, swept away fields of crops, and wrecked and damaged houses and infrastructure. Heavy rains and flash floods also claimed lives and damaged property in the provinces of Hajjah, Mahweet and Raymah.

The UN Population Fund’s office in Yemen told Arab News on Thursday that they have distributed emergency relief to 6,797 people in Hodeidah, 3,976 in Hajjah, and 665 in Al-Mahweet and Raymah. It said many people were in desperate need of aid, including relief items, cash assistance, additional food assistance, and non-food items such as clothing.

“The challenges are enormous, including difficult access to affected populations because floods ruin roads and water is everywhere, as well as a shortage of supply to meet all the increasing needs,” the fund said.

In Hodeidah, residents described as “unprecedented” the heavy rain and flash floods that raged across villages and towns. A Yemeni government soldier in the Hays District of Hodeidah, who gave his name as Ali, told Arab News that military barricades, trenches, ammunition, water tanks and other equipment was washed away in the maelstrom, along with mango and banana trees.

“We haven’t witnessed severe rains and violent floods on such a large scale in 20 years,” he said, adding that the flooding had also unearthed land mines planted by the Houthis.

The devastating damage cause by the floods prompted Yemen’s internationally recognized government to issue an urgent request for assistance from foreign donors.

“The grave situation … necessitates immediate and thorough action to tackle the consequences and relieve the pain of affected individuals, provide them with required alternatives in the most impacted locations, and conduct urgent flood-draining measures,” the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation said in a statement reported by the official Yemen News Agency.

Heavy rain, floods kill 45, displace thousands in Yemen

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Over 2,000 Russian troops killed in last 24hrs – Ukraine’s military

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Over 2,000 Russian troops killed in last 24hrs – Ukraine’s military

In a significant escalation, Ukraine’s military reported that Russia lost over 2,000 troops in the past 24 hours, marking the highest daily toll since the conflict began.

According to Reuters, Ukraine’s General Staff disclosed these figures during its regular morning update on Friday, noting that over 300 pieces of Russian weaponry and military equipment were also destroyed. However, the numbers have not been independently verified.

The announcement comes as Russian forces push to capture as much Ukrainian territory as possible ahead of the anticipated return of Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency, with both sides expecting Washington to advocate for ceasefire discussions in early 2025.

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Despite suffering significant casualties, Russia’s military has made substantial territorial gains over the past month, advancing westward at a pace not seen since the initial stages of the 2022 invasion. The area taken during this period is said to be half the size of London.

The General Staff’s report stated that it could not independently verify the loss figures, as assessing battlefield casualties remains notoriously challenging. This number surpasses the 1,950 Russian troops reported by Ukraine on November 12.

Meanwhile, Russia’s eastern offensive continues, with over 100 attacks launched against critical positions in Pokrovsk and Kurakhove. In response to Ukraine’s use of Western long-range missiles on Russian territory, Moscow has intensified its air strikes. Ukraine reported successfully downing 88 out of 132 drones launched by Russia overnight.

On Thursday, Moscow also launched a significant attack targeting Ukraine’s power infrastructure, leading to widespread blackouts across the nation.

Over 2,000 Russian troops killed in last 24hrs – Ukraine’s military

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Australia bans under-16 from social media platforms

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Australia bans under-16 from social media platforms

Australia yesterday announced a ban on children aged 16 and below from social media use.

The country’s parliament passed world’s first law banning under-16s despite safety concerns.

The bill was passed amid warning that the process had been rushed and that a ban could push teenagers towards the dark web or into isolation.

Australia’s parliament passed a law that will aim to do what no other government has and many parents have tried to stop children from using social media.

The new law was drafted in response to what the Labor Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, described as a “clear, causal link between the rise of social media and the harm [to] the mental health of young Australians”.

Yesterday, the parliament’s upper house – Senate, passed a Bill by 34 votes to 19 banning children under 16 from social media platforms.

But academics, politicians and advocacy groups warned that the ban – as envisioned by the government – could backfire, driving teenagers to the dark web, or making them feel more isolated.

There have been questions about how the ban will be effective.

Many worry that the process has been too rushed, and that, if users are asked to prove their age, it could lead to social media companies being handed valuable personal data. Even Elon Musk has weighed in.

The online safety amendment (social media minimum age) bill bans social media platforms from allowing users under 16 to access their services, threatening companies with fines of up to AU$50m (US$32m) if they fail to comply.

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However, it contains no details about how it will work, only that the companies will be expected to take reasonable steps to ensure users are aged 16 or over. The detail will come later, through the completion of a trial of age-assurance technology in mid-2025.

The bill will not come into force for another 12 months.

It was also silent on which companies the legislation would apply, though Communications Minister, Michelle Rowland, said that Snapchat, TikTok, X, Instagram, Reddit and Facebook are likely to be part of the ban.

YouTube will not be included because of its “significant” educational purpose, she said.

The bill was introduced to parliament last week, with just three sitting days left on the parliamentary calendar. It received 15,000 submissions in a day.

Among these was one from Amnesty International recommending that the bill not be passed because a “ban that isolates young people will not meet the government’s objective of improving young people’s lives”.

The number of responses increased dramatically, the Australian broadcaster ABC reported, after X owner Musk reposted a tweet by Albanese announcing that the bill would be introduced that day, writing, “Seems like a backdoor way to control access to the internet by all Australians.”

Most of the submissions were a form response, the ABC reported, with fewer than 100 submissions made by interest groups.

 

Australia bans under-16 from social media platforms

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Finnish court fixes May 2025 for Simon Ekpa’s trial

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Simon Ekpa

Finnish court fixes May 2025 for Simon Ekpa’s trial

Pro-Biafran separatist leader Simon Ekpa is set to stand trial in Finland by May 2025, Finnish authorities have announced.

Ekpa, who was arrested alongside four others on suspicion of terrorism-related activities, remains in custody at the Päijät-Häme District Court.

Senior Detective Superintendent Mikko Laaksonen of Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation confirmed the trial timeline.

“The date for bringing up possible charges by the prosecution was set by the district court to May 2025,” he said, according to Punch.

Laaksonen added that both Ekpa and Finnish authorities could request a re-evaluation of the case in two weeks if necessary.

A Finnish citizen of Nigerian descent, Ekpa faces serious allegations, including incitement to violence, terrorism financing, and public incitement to commit crimes with terrorist intent.

Finnish police allege that Ekpa used social media to incite violence in Nigeria’s South-East region, targeting civilians and authorities.

His activities reportedly contributed to economic losses exceeding ₦4 trillion due to enforced sit-at-home orders and growing insecurity in the region.

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The arrests were part of a broader investigation requiring international cooperation.

While Finnish authorities have not disclosed further details about cross-border efforts, Ekpa’s arrest has drawn attention due to his influence on the ongoing unrest in Nigeria.

Self-proclaimed “Prime Minister” of the Biafra Republic Government-in-Exile, Ekpa gained notoriety for his calls to boycott Nigeria’s 2023 general elections, which led to violence and unrest.

Finnish court fixes May 2025 for Simon Ekpa’s trial

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