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Kabul School Blasts Kill Six as Afghanistan Violence Continues

By Saeed Shah  and Ehsanullah Amiri (Apr. 19, 2022) A deadly bombing hit a high school in Kabul, an attack that analysts said was likely carried out by Islamic State, showing the militant group’s continued threat despite months of operations against it by the Taliban authorities. Explosions at the gate of the school in a Shiite neighborhood killed at least six and wounded more than 11 others, according to the Ministry of Interior. A list of wounded compiled by the school had 34 names, many aged between 16 and 18. Shiites in Afghanistan aren’t only a religious minority. They also include an ethnic minority, the Hazaras, a prime target for Islamic State, which regards them as infidels. Some are questioning whether the Taliban are committed to ensuring their safety.

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Twin blasts kill at least nine in northern Afghanistan

(28 Apr 2022 ) The victims of the attack were travelling home to break their dawn-to-dusk Ramadan fast. The blasts on Thursday targeted two separate vehicles in Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of Balkh province. The victims of the attack were travelling home to break their dawn-to-dusk Ramadan fast, said Mohammad Asif Waziri, a spokesman for a Taliban-appointed police chief. The ISIL (ISIS) group later claimed responsibility for the attack in a post on its Telegram account. Taliban officials insist their forces have defeated ISIL, but analysts say the armed group is a key security challenge. SOURCE: (The Wall Street Journal/ NEWS AGENCIES)

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Israeli forces raid Al-Aqsa Mosque, over 150 Palestinians injured

(15 Apr 2022) Israeli police have raided the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem, with medics reporting at least 158 Palestinians injured in the ensuing violence as hundreds were detained. The Islamic endowment that runs the site said Israeli police entered in force before dawn on Friday, as thousands of worshippers were gathered at the mosque for early morning prayers. Videos circulating online showed Palestinians throwing rocks and police firing tear gas and stun grenades. Others showed worshippers barricading themselves inside the mosque amid what appeared to be clouds of tear gas. The Palestinian Red Crescent emergency service said it evacuated the majority of the wounded to hospitals. The endowment said one of the guards at the site was shot in the eye with a rubber bullet. The Palestinian Red Crescent added that Israeli forces had hindered the arrival of ambulances and paramedics to the mosque, as Palestinian media said dozens of injured worshippers remained trapped inside the compound. Israeli police said they arrested at least 300 Palestinians during the latest escalation. However, Palestinian sources put the number at 400.(Source: Al Jazeera)

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China’s Iraq investments and its growing foothold in the Middle East As Washington withdraws from the region, Beijing expands its influence.

Despite ongoing regional and global turmoil, China hasn’t ceased its investments in the Middle East. A recent report from Fudan University in Shanghai revealed that Beijing secured a new construction deal in Iraq for around $10.5 billion in 2021  a sum constituting almost one-sixth of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) investments that year.  Iraq has emerged as China’s number one trading partner in the region and third-largest oil supplier, right after Saudi Arabia and Russia. Its energy reserves and strategic location  near the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz  prove critical for the BRI. As Washington withdraws from the region, Beijing is poised to expand its influence; rising economic relations with Baghdad will likely translate to political influence over time. The US, Iran, and Türkiye, all actively and deeply connected to Iraq, are closely watching China’s moves. Geopolitical threat China’s growing presence in the Middle East under the BRI appears to stymie US regional strategy. While the US has been trying to disengage from the Middle East for over a decade, Washington is also concerned about the threat to its still-strong political, economic and military presence in the region. China’s possible role in the reconstruction of Iraq and growing China-Iran relations are accelerating Beijing’s presence in Iraq at the expense of the US. China-Iraq energy cooperation has been the cornerstone of their bilateral relationship since 1981, when the China Petroleum Engineering and Construction Corporation started operations in the country. However, the raising of relations to a ‘strategic partnership’ in 2015 was an alarming turning point for the US.  Iraq requires a massive $88 billion for its post-Daesh reconstruction needs  an ample opportunity for Beijing to increase its visibility through investment and construction. While bilateral trade topped $30 billion in 2018, relations were enhanced under former Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, who described the ties as poised for a ‘quantum leap’ during Beijing’s 2019 visit. In the first half of 2021, trade volume between the two countries exceeded $16 billion. Contrary to the US’ hard power initiatives, China uses soft power strategies in Iraq, particularly economic investments and non-intervention politics. Beijing has recently been benefitting from post-conflict opportunities with mediation efforts and commercial commitment as opposed to military involvement and discourse elsewhere.  It has also already used its UN veto right many times, acting with Russia and against the Western bloc on the Syrian conflict. It is more active in major regional files like Afghanistan and will likely limit US political and military power in Iraq in the foreseeable future.Source: TRT World

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Iran warns Israel on National Army Day

By Maziar Motamedi | 18 Apr 2022

Tehran, Iran  President Ebrahim Raisi has warned Israel against making even “the smallest movement” against Iran. The remark came on as the Iranian military displayed homegrown weapons and defence systems marking National Army Day. A large televised parade was organised on the occasion in the capital, Tehran, which was attended by Raisi and Iranian military officials. Our message to the Zionist regime is that if you are after normalizing relations with some countries in the region, you must know that not even your smallest movements are hidden from our intelligence, security and armed forces,” Raisi said in reference to Israel. “And you must know that if you make the smallest movement against the Iranian nation, the destination of our armed forces will be the centre of the Zionist regime,” Raisi added. Iran fired missiles last month at a site in Erbil, the capital of northern Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region. Tehran claimed that the site was being used by Israel, despite denials from the governor of Erbil. In a message to the United States, Raisi referred to an acknowledgement by US State Department spokesman Ned Price that former President Donald Trump’s so-called “maximum pressure” campaign of harsh sanctions against Iran had failed to achieve its goal of subduing the country. “This is the faith of those who wish to be hostile to the holy establishment of the Islamic Republic,” Raisi said. Raisi’s comments come as indirect negotiations with the US to lift sanctions and restore the country’s 2015 nuclear deal have stalled for weeks. “We have no agreement in hand to comment on,” said Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman, Saeed Khatibzadeh,. After Raisi’s speech, a series of missiles, launch systems, drones, tanks and other military vehicles were displayed. They included the surface-to-surface Fath-360 missile, the medium-range Majid missile defence system, and the Dezful, the Iranian version of the Russian Tor missile launch system. More than a dozen types of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were also displayed. Moreover, the Iranian army flew its fighter jets and helicopters over the procession. Two Iranian-made fighters, the HESA Saeqeh and the HESA Kowsar, could be seen flying. State television also showed a group of Iranian vessels, including warships and submarines, passing through the waters of the Gulf in the south of the country.        SOURCE: AL JAZEERA

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Biden warns Modi not to buy Russian oil

By Reuters | 12 April 2022

Starting an hour-long video call U.S. officials described as “warm” and “candid,” Biden and Modi both publicly expressed growing alarm at the destruction inside Ukraine, especially in Bucha, where many civilians have been killed. Biden stopped short of making a “concrete ask” of Modi on Monday, an official said, noting India has concerns about deepening ties between Russia and China. But he told Modi India’s position in the world would not be enhanced by relying on Russian energy sources, U.S. officials said. “The president conveyed very clearly that it is not in their interest to increase that,” said White House spokesperson Jen Psaki. India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, at a news conference later on Monday, pushed back against a question on India’s energy purchases from Russia, saying the focus should be on Europe, not India. “Probably our total purchases for the month would be less than what Europe does in an afternoon.”The South Asian nation has tried to balance its ties with Russia and the West but unlike other members of the Quad countries  the United States, Japan and Australia  it has not imposed sanctions on Russia. Biden recently said that only India among the Quad group of countries was “somewhat shaky” in acting against Russia.

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Religious freedom in India ‘significantly worsened’: US panel

(25 Apr 2022) In its annual report released on Monday 15 April, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) urged the State Department for the third straight year to place India on the US list of “countries of particular concern”. The independent bipartisan panel accused India of “engaging in and tolerating systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom”. The USCIRF puts forward recommendations and documents alleged abuses, but the State Department ultimately makes the decision on the religious freedom blacklist. “During the year, the Indian government escalated its promotion and enforcement of policiesincluding those promoting a Hindu-nationalist agendathat negatively affect Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Dalits, and other religious minorities,” the report (PDF) said. “The government continued to systemize its ideological vision of a Hindu state at both the national and state levels through the use of both existing and new laws and structural changes hostile to the country’s religious minorities.” India has previously rejected the commission’s recommendation to blacklist the country over alleged violations of religious freedom, calling its findings “biased”. Report comes as US officials say they are seeking “maximum alignment” with India over Russia policy and the war in Ukraine. Washington has also been strengthening ties with New Delhi amid growing competition with China.SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES

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India releases 2020 death data ahead of WHO Covid mortality study it objects

Reuters Published May 4, 2022

India registered about 475,000 more total deaths in 2020 than the previous year, government data released months ahead of schedule on Tuesday showed, as the World Health Organisation (WHO) readies its estimates of excess Covid-19 deaths whose methodology New Delhi has opposed. Some experts estimate India’s actual Covid death toll is as high as 4 million, about eight times the official figure, especially as a record wave driven by the Delta variant killed many people in April and May of last year.  Vinod Kumar Paul, a top health official who has overseen India’s fight against the pandemic, said there was nothing “dramatic” in the total death data for 2020 and that those were “absolute, correct and counted numbers”. He said the data showing 8.1 million total deaths in India in 2020 was released by the Office of the Registrar General two to three months in advance because of the attention on the country’s Covid toll.

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The U.S. COVID Death Toll Is Nearing 1 Million:  These Documentaries Offer Context

MAY 5, 2022| by Patrice Taddonio

The COVID death toll in the U.S. is nearing 1 million people, according to Johns Hopkins University’s COVID tracker. The grim and once-unthinkable milestone comes more than two years after the coronavirus pandemic was declared in March 2020. It’s a toll reflecting a U.S. COVID death rate that a February 2022 New York Times analysis found to be “far higher” than that of other wealthy countries. Officially, there have been more than 6 million COVID deaths recorded worldwide since the coronavirus first emerged. But the World Health Organization said May 5, 2022, that there had been an estimated 14.9 million excess deaths “associated directly or indirectly” with the pandemic in 2020 and 2021. “These sobering data not only point to the impact of the pandemic but also to the need for all countries to invest in more resilient health systems that can sustain essential health services during crises, including stronger health information systems,” WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in an announcement. FRONTLINE has been chronicling developments in the coronavirus pandemic since the beginning. The following films from FRONTLINE’s collection of streaming documentaries provide context on how we reached this point, how COVID spread across the country and the world, and how the pandemic has impacted communities in America and around the globe that were already vulnerable.(Source: Frontline Org.)

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Read before attacking Holy Quran: Erdogan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned burning of Holy Quran in Sweden.

By Anadolu

Speaking at the final program of Turkish broadcaster TRT’s Quran Recitation Competition in Istanbul, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that “some European countries are trying to gain political profits by being hostile to Islam and Muslims.”

There are also people who are being hostile to the Quran by burning it, said Erdogan, adding “the vandalism displayed by these hostile people is a sign of their ignorance.”

“It is impossible for anyone who reads the Quran once to harbor enmity towards this blessed book,” he said.

“Of course, we will not tolerate any hostility against the holy book, but we will never forget that the main thing is to read, understand and live by the Quran.”

On April 14, Rasmus Paludan, the leader of the far-right Stram Kurs (Hard Line) group, burned a copy of the Muslim holy book in Sweden’s southern city of Linkoping. He also threatened to burn copies of the Quran during further rallies. “In the holy month of Ramadan, we once again condemn in the strongest possible terms the attacks and provocations against Islam, Muslims, the Quran and places of worship in different parts of the world,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.  Ankara calls on all countries and international organizations to take the necessary measures against Islamophobia and racism, it added.

Russia to deploy Sarmat missiles by autumn in historic nuclear upgrade

(Compiled by Interaction )

Russia said it planned to deploy its newly tested Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), capable of carrying several hypersonic weapons, by autumn. Colonel General Sergei Karakayev, the commander of the Russian military’s Strategic Missile Forces, said in televised remarks on Sunday that the new Sarmat ICBM is designed to carry several Avangard hypersonic glide vehicles. Russia’s Defense Ministry said the Sarmat was test-fired for the first time, on Wednesday, from the Plesetsk launch facility in northern Russia and its practice warheads have successfully reached mock targets on the Kura firing range on the far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula. The Sarmat is capable of carrying 10 or more nuclear warheads and decoys. The launch of this “super-weapon” was a historic event that would guarantee the security of Russia’s children and grandchildren for the next 30-40 years, said Dmitry Rogozin, head of the Roscosmos space agency. Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed the Sarmat launch as a major achievement, claiming that the new missile has no foreign equivalent and is capable of penetrating any prospective missile defense. “This really unique weapon will strengthen the combat potential of our armed forces, reliably ensure Russia’s security from external threats and make those, who in the heat of frantic aggressive rhetoric try to threaten our country, think twice,” Putin said.  ‘Super-weapon’ Sarmat The Sarmat is a heavy missile that has been under development for several years to replace the Soviet-made Voyevoda, which forms the core of Russia’s nuclear deterrent. The military has said that the Avangard is capable of flying 27 times faster than the speed of sound and making sharp maneuvers on its way to the target to dodge the enemy’s missile shield. In anticipation of the deployment of the Sarmat, the new hypersonic vehicle has been fitted to the existing Soviet-built ICBMs, and the first unit armed with the Avangard entered duty in December 2019. The director and the designer-in-chief of the Makeyev missile-maker that developed the Sarmat, Vladimir Degtyar, said in televised remarks that its range allows it to fly along any trajectory across north or south poles to hit any target around the world.

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Russian flagship Moskva missile carrier sinks

(Thursday, 14 Apr 2022)

Russia’s Black Sea flagship Moskva missile carrier has sunk after an explosion and fire that Ukraine claimed was a successful missile strike. The Moskva missile cruiser had been leading Russia’s naval effort in the seven-week conflict. Russia’s defence ministry said the blast on the vessel was the result of exploding ammunition and added that the resulting damage had caused it to “lose its balance” as it was being towed to port on Thursday.“Given the choppy seas, the vessel sank,” the Russian state news agency TASS quoted the ministry as saying. On the Ukrainian side, Odesa military spokesman Sergey Bratchuk said the ship had been hit by domestic Neptune cruise missiles. Russia earlier said the flames on the ship, which would typically have 500 sailors on board, forced the entire crew to evacuate. It later said the blaze had been contained. The Moskva could carry 16 long-range cruise missiles, and its removal reduces Russia’s firepower in the Black Sea. It is also a blow to Moscow’s prestige in a war already widely seen as a historic blunder. In his nightly video address to the nation, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy alluded to the sinking as he told Ukrainians they should be proud of having survived 50 days under attack when the Russians “gave us a maximum of five”. The news of the flagship overshadowed Russian claims of advances in the southern port city of Mariupol where Moscow’s forces have been battling the Ukrainians since the early days of the invasion in some of the heaviest fighting of the war  at a horrific cost to civilians.

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Number of civilian casualties during the war in Ukraine 2022 (OHCHR)  5,801,159 Refugees fleeing Ukraine (since 24 February 2022) Published by Statista Research Department, May 6, 2022

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) verified a total of 3,280 civilian deaths during Russia’s military attack on Ukraine as of May 4, 2022. Of them, 231 were children. Furthermore, 3,451 people were reported to have been injured. However, OHCHR specified that the real numbers could be higher. (source: Statista )

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Serbia shows off China missiles amid build-up concerns in Balkans

(30 Apr 2022) Serbia has unveiled its new Chinese-made surface-to-air missiles, a display of military clout at a time when Belgrade is performing a delicate balancing act over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The purchase of the Chinese missile system, which was displayed publicly on Saturday 30 April, has raised concerns in the West and among some of Serbia’s neighbours that an arms build-up in the Balkans could threaten the fragile peace in the region. Members of the public and the media were invited to the display at the Batajnica military airfield near Belgrade, where Chinese and French missiles were lined up beside helicopters, Chinese-armed drones and Russian fighter jets. “I’m proud of the Serbian army, I’m proud of a great progress,” said Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, who attended the display flanked by military commanders who watched an aerobatics show featuring overhauled MiG-29 jets donated by Russia in 2017. The sophisticated Chinese HQ-22 surface-to-air system, whose export version is known as FK-3, was delivered last month by a dozen Chinese Air Force transport planes in what was believed to be the largest-ever airlift delivery of Chinese arms to Europe.(SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES)

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Wheat prices in Africa soar 60% due to Ukraine conflict

Global prices of sunflower oil and crude oil have also been rising in the wake of Russia-Ukraine conflict that erupted on February 24. The Russia-Ukraine conflict has disrupted wheat exports, driving wheat prices up by 60 percent in Africa, and the continent will lose up to $11 billion worth of food due to the conflict. The conflict has created global problems but particularly for Africa, which imports a huge percentage of its food from Russia and Ukraine, the president of the African Development Bank (AfDB) said. “Already, the price of wheat has gone up about 60%. Maize and other grains will also be affected. There may be a fertiliser crisis, as there would be about a 2 million metric ton deficit,” said Akinwumi Adesina. “And that will affect food production by about 20%,” Adesina added, speaking in the Nigerian capital Abuja while meeting the county’s President Muhammadu Buhari. Warning that Africa will lose up to $11 billion worth of food due to the conflict, he said the AfDB has developed a $1.5 billion Africa Emergency Food Plan, which is pending approval by the bank’s top management.(Source: AA)

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Somalia and millions face food insecurity

APRIL 13, 2022 | BY LEE JAY

The United Nations is warning that Somalia faces famine concerning the ongoing drought. Thus six million people face food insecurity in this country  of these six million, four million are blighted by the drought in certain regions of Somalia. Therefore, international and regional support is needed to help Somalia. Various U.N. agencies are appealing for donors to come forward and support Somalia. However, with G-7 nations being overtly focused on Ukraine  and the entire Sahel region and other parts of the world needing support (Northern Mozambique to Yemen)  the current funding to help Somalia is inadequate. The UN fears that Somalia is in the grip of famine. This concerns three extreme years of drought, with the knock-on effects being crop failure, acute hunger, death of livestock, and other tragedies related to the crisis.

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WHO Chief Says Racism Leads to Greater Focus  on Ukraine Than Ethiopia and Other Crises

(APR 14, 2022) The head of the World Health Organization says the world is failing to treat humanitarian crises in countries like Ethiopia and Yemen with the same concern provided to the people of Ukraine. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus spoke during Wednesday’s weekly WHO press briefing in Geneva. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus: “All attention to Ukraine is very important, of course, because it impacts the whole world. But even a fraction of it is not being given to Tigray, Yemen, Afghanistan, Syria and the rest. A fraction. And I need to be blunt and honest that the world is not treating the human race same way.” Dr. Tedros, who is originally from Ethiopia, said a three-week-old humanitarian ceasefire in the country’s Tigray region has failed to prevent widespread hunger and starvation. He said some 2,000 trucks were needed to supply millions in the region with food and medicine, but that only about 20 trucks have so far arrived.

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UN: Yemen’s Houthi rebels agree to stop using child soldiers

(19 Apr 2022) The Houthis signed what the UN described on Monday as an “action plan” to end and prevent recruiting or using children in armed conflict, killing or maiming children and attacking schools and hospitals. UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the rebels committed to identifying children in their ranks and releasing them within six months. One of the Houthis’ top diplomats, Abdul Eluh Hajar, signed the agreement. Representatives from the UN’s children’s agency posed with Houthi officials for the media at a ceremony to mark the agreement in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa. The Houthis called it a plan to protect children. Yemen’s internationally recognised government, which is operating in exile, made similar commitments in several documents signed since 2014, the UN said. Virginia Gamba, the UN’s top official looking out for children in war zones, called the Houthis’ move “a positive and encouraging step”, but she noted that “the most difficult part of the journey starts now”. “The action plan must be fully implemented and lead to tangible actions for the improvement of the protection of children in Yemen,” Gamba, who signed in New York as a witness to the Houthis’ commitment, said in a statement. The UN says nearly 3,500 children have been verified as recruited and deployed in Yemen’s civil war. More than 10,200 children have been killed or maimed in the war, the UN says. It is unclear how many may have been combatants. War monitors estimate the conflict has killed more than 14,500 civilians and 150,000 people when combatants are included. The fighting also created one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. (SOURCE: AP)

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WFP: 20 million risk starvation as Horn of Africa drought worsens

(19 Apr 2022) Twenty million people are at risk of starvation this year as delayed rains worsen an already brutal drought in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia, the United Nations has warned.

For months, extreme drought has left the Horn of Africa on the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe, destroying crops and livestock and forcing huge numbers of people to leave their homes in search of food and water.

As long-awaited rains fail to materialise nearly a month into the current rainy season, “the number of hungry people due to drought could spiral from the currently estimated 14 million to 20 million through 2022”, the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) said.

Six million Somalis  almost half of the population  were facing extreme levels of food crisis and there was “a very real risk of famine in the coming months” if current conditions prevailed, WFP said.In Kenya, half a million people were on the brink of a hunger crisis, with communities in the north of the country especially at risk due to their reliance on livestock. The number of Kenyans in need of assistance has risen more than fourfold in less than two years, the agency said.The agency warned that a lack of funding could trigger a catastrophe, calling for $473m over the next six months. (SOURCE: AFP)

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South Africa flood toll rises to 443; dozens still missing More than 40,000 people left homeless by the raging floodwaters.(18 Apr 2022)

Sihle Zikalala, the province’s premier, said that the dead included two emergency workers and added that a further 63 people remain unaccounted for. The floodwaters are the strongest to have struck KwaZulu-Natal in recent memory and were triggered by torrential rains that lashed the province. The deluge engulfed the region, smashing into the port city of Durban and surrounding areas, pulling with it buildings and people. Most of the casualties were in Durban, and parts of the city have been without water for days. Scores of hospitals and more than 500 schools in the region have also been destroyed.(SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES)

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