By: Antonia Dey | HGP Nightly News |
Haiti Among Six Countries at Highest Risk of Famine – UN Report
Haiti has been listed among the world’s most severe hunger hotspots, with acute food insecurity expected to worsen between now and May 2026, according to a joint report released by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP).
The report identifies six locations at the highest risk of famine or near-famine conditions:
- Sudan
- Palestine
- South Sudan
- Mali
- Haiti
- Yemen
In these regions, communities are facing extreme shortages as instability, conflict, and economic collapse continue to deepen.
Other countries of “very high concern” include the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, Nigeria, Somalia, Syria, and Afghanistan. Additional hotspots were highlighted in Burkina Faso, Chad, Kenya, and among Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.
The UN warns that families in these areas are resorting to desperate survival strategies, including skipping meals or selling essential belongings as they struggle to meet basic food needs.
Trinidad & Tobago Launches ‘Operation Festive Shield’ Amid Rising Crime
The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) launched Operation Festive Shield on Wednesday, a nationwide security initiative aimed at protecting citizens, businesses, and visitors throughout the 2025 Christmas season and into Carnival 2026.
The country remains under a State of Emergency until January, following a surge in violent crime. Trinidad and Tobago has recorded more than 300 murders so far in 2025, after registering 624 murders in 2024.
Operation Festive Shield is built on four major pillars:
- Increased foot and mobile patrols
- Strategic deployment in shopping districts, transit hubs, entertainment zones, and public gathering areas
- Targeted operations against repeat offenders
- Real-time intelligence monitoring to neutralize criminal threats
The TTPS urged the public to remain vigilant, use secure cash-in-transit services when handling large sums of money, and report any suspicious activity.
Police officials warned:
“Criminal elements will find no comfort this Christmas and carnival period.”
Trump Signs Spending Bill to End Longest Government Shutdown in U.S. History
In international news, U.S. President Donald Trump has signed a spending bill reopening the federal government, ending the longest shutdown in American history, which lasted 35 days.
The House of Representatives voted 222–209 to approve the temporary spending package on Wednesday night, just two days after the Senate narrowly passed the bill.
President Trump said in the Oval Office:
“People were hurt so badly from the shutdown… but the government will now resume normal operations.”
The shutdown left 1.44 million federal workers unpaid or working without pay, disrupted national air travel, and halted food assistance programs nationwide.
Government services are expected to gradually resume in the coming days, while airport operations and travel delays are projected to ease ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.
