Yemen is now facing the worst cholera outbreak anywhere in the world, the United Nations has warned. A statement by Unicef and the World Health Organization says the number of suspected cholera cases in the war-torn country has exceeded 200,000. So far more than 1,300 people have died – one-quarter of them children – with the death toll expected to rise. The two UN agencies say they are doing everything they can to stop the outbreak from accelerating. “We are now facing the worst cholera outbreak in the world,” the statement says. “In just two months, cholera has spread to almost every governorate of this war-torn country,” it says, with an estimated 5,000 new cases every day. (BBC http://bbc.in/2taPYTQ)
UN to send human rights investigators to Kasai…The United Nations will send international experts to investigate reports that civilians are being butchered by pro-government forces and insurgents in the Democratic Republic of Congo. By consensus, the United Nations’ main human rights body, the Human Rights Council, on Friday approved a resolution to send a team of international experts “to establish the truth” about events in Congo’s central Kasaï region, where an upsurge in violence in August last year has resulted in thousands of deaths and the destruction of entire villages. Congo’s government has resisted an independent investigation of the events. (NY Times http://nyti.ms/2taCMhT)
Bending the rules…Multinational corporations are lobbying the U.N. behind closed doors to keep tax avoidance off the list of targets in the Sustainable Development Goals, say advocates of global tax reform. (Humanosphere http://bit.ly/2rR95Oq)
Top Stories
Israel attacked a Syrian army units in the northern Golan Heights on Sunday after errant fire from the Syrian side spilled over into Israeli territory, the second cross-border flare-up in two days. (Haaretz http://bit.ly/2tb4kU5)
More than 200 migrants found drifting in six dinghies off Spain’s southern coast were rescued on Saturday, the maritime rescue service said. (Reuters http://bit.ly/2tJN3OX)
Final results released Sunday from Cambodia’s local elections this month confirmed the dominance of Prime Minister Hun Sen’s ruling party, but a strong showing by the opposition saw its prospects boosted for next year’s general election. (VOA http://bit.ly/2t9YZMg)
Nearly four years after withdrawing its teams from Somalia, Doctors Without Borders has started treating patients again in the country. (MSF http://bit.ly/2tawMW4)
Honduras promised to turn a new page in human rights — protecting everyone from indigenous activists to gay rights campaigners — in a declaration of intent backed with the creation of the country’s first dedicated rights minister. (Reuters http://bit.ly/2t9XopW)
A ‘Solidarity Summit’ for refugees hosted by Uganda has raised some $358 million in pledges, the United Nations announced, well short of the $2 billion goal. (UN News Service http://bit.ly/2t9YEJG)
As politicians plan a radical shift in how land for Brazil’s 900,000 aboriginal people is demarcated where territory is formally owned by indigenous communities, represent the best chance to save endangered forests. (VOA http://bit.ly/2tagNaJ)
Women working in Cambodian factories supplying some of the world’s best-known sportswear brands are suffering from repeated mass faintings linked to conditions. (Guardian http://bit.ly/2tacQlN)
More than 80,000 people have fled their homes in Pool province surrounding Congo Republic’s capital since the government began a military operation there last year, a joint U.N. and government statement said. (Reuters http://bit.ly/2tanIR6)
Central Africa could see more corruption and violence as a result of a recent decision by a key U.S. regulator to stop enforcing rules requiring companies to avoid the use of conflict minerals in their products, according to some members of the U.S. senate and activists. (VOA http://bit.ly/2tJVN7D)
South America is a hotbed of potential viruses that could be the next major threat to the world’s health, according to “danger maps.” (BBC http://bbc.in/2taQwJx)
Opinion/Blogs
Refugees who have fled the carnage in Afghanistan are being deported in record numbers (UN Dispatch http://bit.ly/2tJAgMh)
Trump’s Cuba Policy and the Return of the American Boogeyman (Foreign Policy http://atfp.co/2t9VN3j)
Tracing conflict gold in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (GlobalPost http://bit.ly/2t9NEMe)
Nobel Peace Prize Winner’s Message To America: ‘All Children Are Our Children’ (NPR Goats and Soda http://n.pr/2rQJ3uv)
In a world ruled by rumour, it is vital that scientists speak with humility and clarity (Guardian http://bit.ly/2tajJnc)
Putting the Spotlight on Women Migrant Workers (IPS http://bit.ly/2s6ll1B)
White House Pushes Military Might Over Humanitarian Aid in Africa (NY Times http://nyti.ms/2tJYYvY)
What the new TPP means for US influence in the Pacific (Devex http://bit.ly/2taEDmN)
Ditching the Masterplan. How can Urban Development become ‘Politically smart, locally led’? (From Poverty to Power http://bit.ly/2takugu)
