Heavy rain affects over 300K people in Sudan Syria conflict death toll tops 350,000 NZ farmer fined for mistreating cows

UNITED NATIONS: Heavy rain and subsequent flooding have affected more than 300,000 people in 14 of Sudan's 18 states, and relief stocks are running low, UN humanitarians said. "Flooding has destroyed 15,000 houses and damaged 45,000," the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Friday. "Bridges have collapsed, roads have been cut off and farmland has been inundated. Thousands of people are homeless and sheltering in schools and public buildings." The Office warned that relief stocks urgently need to be replenished, reports Xinhua news agency.

GENEVA: The UN has presented a report to the ongoing 48th session of the Human Rights Council, according to which 350,209 identified individuals were killed in the conflict in Syria between March 2011 to March 2021. Michelle Bachelet, the UN's High Commissioner for Human Rights, told the Council on Friday that this assessment was based on her office's own data, records maintained by civil society organisations and information from the Syrian government, reports Xinhua news agency.

WELLINGTON: A New Zealand farmer who underfed nearly 300 cows has been fined NZ$9,000 ($6,300) and ordered to pay vet costs of NZ$1,763 ($1,234), according to a statement by the Ministry For Primary Industries. Nigel George Rowan from Waikato also faces permanent restrictions on the number of animals he can own, Xinhua news agency reported on Saturday citing the statement as saying. Rowan pleaded guilty to three charges under the Animal Welfare Act at the Hamilton District Court for under-feeding 178 milking cows, 50 dry cows and a mob of 60 heifers.