By AFP  April 5, 2019 | 08:09 am GMT+7 Children enjoy a meal at a shelter in Maracay, north-central Venezuela. Photo by AFP The number of children who are affected by the Venezuelan crisis and who will need humanitarian aid this year is expected to more than double to reach 1.1 million, up from nearly 500,000. The figure includes children uprooted from Venezuela, those who have returned and others in host and transit communities across Latin America and the Caribbean, said a UNICEF statement. The latest estimate highlighted expectations among aid agencies that the political crisis in Venezuela will worsen in the coming months, exacerbating the dire humanitarian situation of children and families. UNICEF called on governments in the region to uphold the rights of children and ensure they have access to essential services. An internal U.N. report seen by AFP last week said seven million people -- about 24 percent of Venezuela's population -- are in need of … [Read more...] about 1.1 million children affected by Venezuela crisis: UNICEF
Political crisis
Trudeau government in crisis after Canada minister’s resignation
In this file photo taken on November 4, 2015 Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks with Minister of Justice Jody Wilson-Raybould during a swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall, in Ottawa. — AFP Photo Viet Nam News OTTAWA — A Canadian minister’s sudden resignation on Tuesday turned vague allegations of interference in the criminal prosecution of an engineering giant into a deepening political crisis for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals. Jody Wilson-Raybould’s resignation followed a chorus of demands for the government to come clean about whether Trudeau’s office had pressured her to intervene in the prosecution of SNC-Lavalin. The Montreal-based firm was charged in 2015 with corruption for allegedly bribing officials in Libya between 2001 and 2011 to secure government contracts during former strongman Moamer Kadhafi’s reign. Jody Wilson-Raybould, who was Canada’s first indigenous … [Read more...] about Trudeau government in crisis after Canada minister’s resignation
Sri Lankan PM calls for election to solve political instability
In a special statement released by his office, Rajapaksa said he invited all those who respected democracy to give a careful thought on holding a parliamentary election, as this would be the only way to end the present crisis. "In the gazette notification dated 09 November 2018 issued by the President in accordance with the provisions of our Constitution and the Parliamentary Elections Act, dates had been fixed to call for nominations from the 19th to the 26th November, to hold the poll on the 5th January 2019, and for the new Parliament to meet for the first time on the 17th January. If things had gone accordingly, stability would soon have been restored to this country," he added. Sri Lanka has been embroiled in a political crisis since October 26 when President Maithripala Sirisena sacked Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and appointed former president Rajapaksa to the post. Rajapaksa's party, the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, organized a mass activity in capital Colombo on … [Read more...] about Sri Lankan PM calls for election to solve political instability
Australia PM Turnbull in crisis with second leadership challenge
SYDNEY — Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s tenuous grip on power came under intense pressure Thursday with the man who wants his job launching a second leadership challenge in a week and senior ministers defecting. Former home affairs minister Peter Dutton, an ex-police officer and right-wing conservative, said he was confident he now had the numbers to unseat Turnbull, considered a moderate. "Earlier this morning I called the prime minister to advise him that it was my judgement that the majority of the party room no longer supported his leadership," he said in a brief statement. "As such, I asked him to convene a meeting of the Liberal Party at which I would challenge for the leadership of the parliamentary Liberal Party." Turnbull survived a ballot on his leadership on Tuesday, winning the vote 48-35. He is yet to publicly respond to the latest threat to his rule, although broadcaster ABC reported that he turned down the demand for another party meeting … [Read more...] about Australia PM Turnbull in crisis with second leadership challenge
Ministers offer to quit as Australia political crisis deepens
Viet Nam News SYDNEY — At least 10 ministers have offered their resignations as a leadership crisis in Australian politics deepened on Wednesday with another challenge against Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull appearing inevitable. The embattled leader narrowly survived a move to unseat him by his populist Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton on Tuesday with a Liberal party ballot voting 48-35 in his favour. It came to a head after months of poor opinion polls and a revolt by fellow Liberal politicians on Monday against his plans to embed carbon emissions targets in law at a time of soaring power prices. Despite Turnbull’s win, it laid bare that dozens of his own MPs do not want him as their leader, and Dutton worked the phones and blitzed the airwaves on Wednesday to shore up more support for another widely-expected crack at the top job. Dutton quit his cabinet position after his failed leadership bid, with at least nine other ministers also offering to go, according to a … [Read more...] about Ministers offer to quit as Australia political crisis deepens