World News: UN says basic services in Afghanistan are collapsing
월드뉴스: 유엔 "아프간서 식량 등 곧 고갈…7천억원 긴급 필요" Let's take a look at what's going on in 'The World Now'. We start off in Afghanistan,... where the country is facing the collapse of basic services, with food and other aid running out. A statement from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs on Tuesday said millions of Afghans are in need of food aid and health assistance,... and urged donors to give more ahead of an international aid conference for Afghanistan on September 13th. According to the UN agency,... around 600 million US dollars is needed to fund humanitarian efforts for 11 million people for the remainder of the year,... amid warnings of drought and starvation. The dire need for food and basic essentials has become more apparent,... as many key donors including the EU and the World Bank have suspended their aid programs following the Taliban's takeover of the country last month. This has led to spiraling food prices,... with uncertainty over how the Taliban will provide services to an impoverished and largely rural population. The issue of Afghan aid will also be discussed next week at a ministerial meeting in Geneva,... led by UN chief Antonio Guterres. Moving on over to Bolivia,... at least 20 people were killed and several seriously injured after a passenger bus lost control and overturned on a highway on Monday. According to authorities,... the bus was carrying 30 passengers at the time of the accident,... before falling 300 meters into a ravine on the Morochata highway. Local media reports say three children are among the fatalities. Rescue workers,... as well locals helped to rescue survivors and recover the bodies of those killed. Road accidents are common in Bolivia,... where driving conditions are often precarious,... due to the lack of funding for the country's infrastructure. And staying in South America,... El Salvador became the first country to accept Bitcoin as legal tender on Tuesday,... after President Nayid Bukele pushed for the adoption of the cryptocurrency. Bukele says using Bitcoin will help Salvadorans save 400 million a year on commissions for remittances,... while also giving access to financial services to those without bank accounts. However,... the latest move was met with both praise and criticism from citizens. "It is something we had never seen before. Today we are receiving crypto-currency and it's a great opportunity. This is very important for all Salvadorans. It is necessary to get the app." "We don't understand why the president decided to make this law. Because this only benefits those who have higher incomes than the Salvadoran population does. ...those who have access to technology, to internet - most people in El Salvador don't have that." Watchers also say the poorest may struggle to access the technology needed to make Bitcoin work in the country,... while others say that the move may fuel money laundering and financial instability. Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News. #World_News #Afghanistan #shortage_of_food 📣 Arirang News(Facebook) : / arirangtvnews 📣 Arirang News(Twitter) : / arirangtvnews 📣 News Center(YouTube) : / newscenter_arirangtv 2021-09-08 07:00 (KST)
