Russia pounds Kharkiv for second night in row, Ukraine says

BANGKOK: Search teams in Myanmar recovered more bodies from the ruins of buildings on Friday, a week after a massive earthquake killed more than 3,100 people, as the focus turns toward the urgent humanitarian needs in a country already devastated by a continuing civil war.
UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher, who is also the emergency relief coordinator, will visit the area on Friday in an effort to spur action following the March 28 quake. Ahead of the visit, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed to the international community to immediately step up funding for quake victims “to match the scale of this crisis,” and he urged unimpeded access to reach those in need.
“The earthquake has supercharged the suffering with the monsoon season just around the corner,” he said.

Myanmar’s military and several key armed resistance groups have all declared ceasefires in the wake of the earthquake to facilitate the flow of humanitarian aid.
But the UN’s Human Rights Office on Friday accused the military of continuing attacks, claiming there were more than 60 attacks after the earthquake, including 16 since the military announced a temporary ceasefire on Wednesday.
“I urge a halt to all military operations, and for the focus to be on assisting those impacted by the quake, as well as ensuring unhindered access to humanitarian organizations that are ready to support,” said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk. “I hope this terrible tragedy can be a turning point for the country toward an inclusive political solution.”
Announcing its ceasefire, the military also said it would still take “necessary” measures against resistance groups, if they use the ceasefire to regroup, train or launch attacks, and the groups have said they reserved the right to defend themselves.
Myanmar’s military seized power in 2021 from the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, sparking what has turned into a civil war.
The quake worsened an already dire humanitarian crisis, with more than 3 million people displaced from their homes and nearly 20 million in need even before it hit, according to the United Nations.
Myanmar authorities said Thursday that 3,145 people had been killed in the earthquake, with another 4,589 people injured and 221 missing, and did not immediately update the figures on Friday.
Britain, which had already given $13 million to purchase emergency items like food, water and shelter, pledged an additional $6.5 million in funds to match an appeal from Myanmar’s Disasters Emergency Committee, according to the UK Embassy in Yangon.
The World Food Program said so far it has reached 24,000 survivors, but was scaling up its efforts to assist 850,000 with food and cash assistance for one month.
Many international search and rescue teams are now on the scene, and eight medical crews from China, Thailand, Japan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Philippines, Indonesia and Russia were operating in Naypyitaw, according to Myanmar’s military-run government. Another five teams from India, Russia, Laos and Nepal and Singapore were helping in the Mandalay region, while teams from Russia, Malaysia and the ASEAN bloc of nations were assisting in the Sagaing region.
The Trump administration has pledged $2 million in emergency aid and sent a three-person team to assess how best to respond given drastic cuts to US foreign assistance.

DAKAR: Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has warned in his annual state of the nation speech that the country faces a challenging financial future that would need sacrifices.
Faye spoke after authorities and the International Monetary Fund said the previous government had underestimated the West African nation’s debt levels.
“The state of our country’s public finances, as revealed by the audit, means that we must count first of all on ourselves to redress the situation,” said Faye, who took office one year ago.
He said “collective sacrifices” would be needed but added: “We are very capable, and we will succeed with the mobilization of everyone.”
Social tensions have risen in recent months, and the government’s financial watchdog said in a report released in February that Senegal’s debt was at more than 99 percent of its gross domestic product, higher than the figure given by the last government.
It said the 2023 budget deficit was 12.3 percent of the GDP, when the last government said it was 4.9 percent.
The IMF said in March that there were “significant” errors in Senegal’s public debt figures for 2019-23 and called for “corrective measures.”
Faye called for “active solidarity” to confront the “numerous challenges” facing the country but said that “budget discipline is not negotiable.”