UN Agency Calls for Food Aid for Afghanistan Before Winter

An internally displaced Afghan woman washes clothes outside her shelter on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan February 3, 2021. (Reuters)
An internally displaced Afghan woman washes clothes outside her shelter on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan February 3, 2021. (Reuters)
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UN Agency Calls for Food Aid for Afghanistan Before Winter

An internally displaced Afghan woman washes clothes outside her shelter on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan February 3, 2021. (Reuters)
An internally displaced Afghan woman washes clothes outside her shelter on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan February 3, 2021. (Reuters)

The UN World Food Program (WFP) on Tuesday called for the international community to donate $200 million in food aid for Afghanistan so essential supplies can be delivered to remote regions before winter.

"WFP is warning that a humanitarian catastrophe awaits the people of Afghanistan this winter unless the international community makes their lives a priority," Anthea Webb, WFP deputy regional director for Asia and Pacific, told a UN briefing.

"Once the snow sets in it is simply too late."

Webb said the WFP needs to get supplies through mountain passages before they are blocked by snow.

"Any further delay could be deadly," she said.

Webb added that countries nervous about a possible exodus of people from Afghanistan after the Taliban took control should back relief missions supporting those who stay in the country.



US Condemns ‘Dangerous’ Maneuvers by Chinese Navy in South China Sea 

An aircraft identified by the Philippine Coast Guard as Chinese Navy helicopter (L) flies near the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) plane during an aerial reconnaissance flight at Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea on February 18, 2025. (AFP)
An aircraft identified by the Philippine Coast Guard as Chinese Navy helicopter (L) flies near the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) plane during an aerial reconnaissance flight at Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea on February 18, 2025. (AFP)
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US Condemns ‘Dangerous’ Maneuvers by Chinese Navy in South China Sea 

An aircraft identified by the Philippine Coast Guard as Chinese Navy helicopter (L) flies near the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) plane during an aerial reconnaissance flight at Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea on February 18, 2025. (AFP)
An aircraft identified by the Philippine Coast Guard as Chinese Navy helicopter (L) flies near the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) plane during an aerial reconnaissance flight at Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea on February 18, 2025. (AFP)

The United States condemned the "dangerous" maneuvers of a Chinese navy helicopter that endangered the safety of a Philippine government aircraft patrolling a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, its ambassador to Manila said on Wednesday.

In a post on X, Ambassador MaryKay Carlson also called on China "to refrain from coercive actions and settle its disputes peacefully in accordance with international law."

The Philippines said late on Tuesday it was "deeply disturbed" by the Chinese navy's "unprofessional and reckless" flight actions and that it will make a diplomatic protest.

Manila's coast guard said the Chinese navy helicopter performed dangerous flight maneuvers when it flew close to a government aircraft conducting surveillance over the Scarborough Shoal, endangering the lives of its pilots and passengers, actions.

China disputed the Philippines' account, saying on Tuesday its aircraft "illegally intruded" into China's airspace and accused its Southeast Asian neighbor of "spreading false narratives".

Named after a British ship that was grounded on the atoll nearly three centuries ago, the Scarborough Shoal is one of the most contested maritime feature in the South China Sea, where Beijing and Manila have clashed repeatedly.

"The Philippines has undeniable sovereignty and jurisdiction over Bajo de Masinloc," its maritime council said in a statement using Manila's name for the shoal.

China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, a vital waterway for more than $3 trillion of annual ship-borne commerce, putting it at odds with Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam.

A 2016 arbitration ruling invalidated China's expansive claim, but Beijing does not recognize the decision.