Among other things, a lack of diesel fuel has caused water pumps in major urban centers to stop functioning. “According to the United Nations and humanitarian aid agencies, major urban centers, including the southern city of Aden, which has a population of about 1 million, may run out of drinking water. The fighting has displaced thousands of Yemenis, and a continuation of the unrest could produce waves of refugees reminiscent of the flight of Syrians from cities and towns engulfed in that country’s civil war, analysts and aid workers say. About 4 million people have poured out of Syria and 6 million more are internally displaced because of the fighting.” (WaPo http://wapo.st/1H0ecPG)
Happy World Health Day! The theme this year: food safety…World Health Day will be celebrated on 7 April, with WHO highlighting the challenges and opportunities associated with food safety under the slogan “From farm to plate, make food safe.” “Food production has been industrialized and its trade and distribution have been globalized,” says WHO Director-General Dr Margaret Chan. “These changes introduce multiple new opportunities for food to become contaminated with harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites, or chemicals.” (WHO http://bit.ly/1H0eWV2 )
Ominous Quote of the Day: “The situation in Yarmouk has descended into lower levels of inhumanity.” — UNRWA Spokesperson Christopher Gunnes on the ISIS takeover of Syria’s largest Palestinian enclave. (NYT http://nyti.ms/1H0ertT)
Ominous Tweet of the Day…”4,000 people have arrived @UNPeacekeeping #UNMISS base in #Malakal in the past 48 hours; a sign that all is not well in #UpperNile state.” @TobyLanzer — a top UN official in South Sudan
Africa
Kenya is compiling a list of people suspected to have joined Somali militant group al Shabaab or been radicalised by Islamists, a government source said on Monday. (Reuters http://bit.ly/1c1ep9C)
Boko Haram militants disguised as preachers killed at least 24 people and wounded several others in an attack near a mosque in northeast Nigeria’s Borno state, a military source and witness said on Monday. (AFP http://yhoo.it/1GZ4b5j)
French special forces have rescued a Dutch hostage in Mali after discovering him by surprise during a dawn raid against suspected al-Qaida-linked jihadists. (Guardian http://bit.ly/1H0exSq)
Despite a decrease in deadly attacks, Cameroon said suspected Boko Haram fighters have been seizing food and livestock from farmers and cattle ranchers on its northern border with Nigeria for the past few weeks. Most of the food producers are now relocating to safer areas away from the border. (VOA http://bit.ly/1c1eoCo)
The head of a South Sudanese opposition political party was taken from his home by unidentified men two days ago and has not been seen since, members of his People’s Liberal Party said. (VOA http://bit.ly/1IDn2ky)
A rights group and an opposition lawmaker called on Monday on the government of Democratic Republic of Congo to investigate the late night burial of at least 421 bodies last month. (Reuters http://bit.ly/1c1ep9w)
MENA
Fierce clashes raged Monday between rebels and loyalists in southern Yemen, leaving more than 100 dead in 24 hours. (AFP http://yhoo.it/1GZ48X1)
The Red Cross said Monday that an aid plane is ready to leave for Yemen but its departure has been held back by logistics problems inside the war-torn country. (AFP http://yhoo.it/1GZ48GD)
A Palestinian official said Monday a delegation was heading to Damascus for talks on helping residents inside the Yarmuk refugee camp, parts of which have been overrun by the Islamic State group. (AFP http://yhoo.it/1GZ49dI)
Islamic State insurgents blew up an 80-year-old church in Syria’s northeastern province of Hassaka on Easter Sunday, Syrian state news agency SANA said. (Reuters http://yhoo.it/1CcB08m_
Asia
Amid growing concerns that India is not doing enough to combat alarming levels of air pollution, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched a national air-quality index to monitor conditions in 10 major cities. The focus on air pollution came after the Indian capital surpassed Beijing in having the world’s most toxic air. (VOA http://bit.ly/1c1eoCB_
The death toll from high winds and heavy rain lashing northern Bangladesh rose to 41 after police and officials reported 17 more deaths in the past two days in storm damage, police and officials said on Monday. (VOA http://bit.ly/1CcAxDc)
The Americas
Nineteen former leaders from Latin America and Spain are pressuring Venezuela to release opposition politicians who have been detained. (AP http://yhoo.it/1CcAw27)
Rolling Stone magazine withdrew and apologised for a discredited story about a gang rape on a US college campus Sunday, publishing a review of the debacle that found “avoidable” failures in basic journalism practices. (AFP http://yhoo.it/1CcAlUo)
Opinion/Blogs
Despite its anti-corruption creativity, India is still a one man, one bribe democracy (Guardian http://bit.ly/1IDn1NJ)
Bucket List – Six Things Ellen Johson-Sirleaf Must Do Before Her Government Expires (Front Page Africa http://bit.ly/1CczUcA)
Be an Optimista, not a Randomista (when you have small samples) (Development Impact http://bit.ly/1C76my2)
“No Person Can Develop Without Access to Financial Services” (CFI Blog http://bit.ly/1F6WzhE)
The Rise of a Post-colonial University (Africa is a Country http://bit.ly/1F6Wzhy
Big Data and Anticorruption: A Great Fit (Global Anticorruption Blog http://bit.ly/1F6Wz15)
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Government Surveillance (HBO http://bit.ly/1C768Hk)