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Briefly

UN: Famine could claim 1.4M kids

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — The United Nations children’s agency is warning that almost 1.4 million children are at “imminent risk of death” as famine threatens parts of South Sudan, Nigeria, Somalia and Yemen.

The UNICEF announcement comes a day after famine was declared in parts of Unity state in South Sudan, where civil war has raged since late 2013 and where severe inflation has made food unaffordable for many.

UNICEF for months has warned about severe malnutrition in northeastern Nigeria, especially in areas that have been largely inaccessible because of the Boko Haram insurgency. The agency says nearly 500,000 children are expected to face severe malnutrition this year in Borno, Yobi and Adamawa states.

The agency says Somalia also faces drought and in Yemen’s conflict, nearly half a million children have “severe acute malnutrition.”

Ukraine backs more sanctions

MOSCOW (AP) — Ukraine’s president called Tuesday for new sanctions against Russia over its decision to recognize passports issued by separatist authorities in eastern Ukraine, while the Kremlin accused Ukraine of denying vital documents to people in the rebel regions.

The Kremlin said its decision is a “humanitarian” move to help residents of rebel-held areas in eastern Ukraine who are suffering from a blockade by Ukrainian nationalists, and says that doesn’t amount to recognizing the rebel regions.

The United States rejected the move, calling the passports “illegitimate.” In Washington, State Department spokesman Mark Toner said Russia’s action “undermines efforts to bring peace to eastern Ukraine.”

Ukrainian forces have been fighting Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine since April 2014, a conflict that has killed more than 9,800 people. A 2015 agreement on resolving the conflict has been widely flouted by both sides.

As the war continues, a peace plan crafted by two associates of U.S. President Donald Trump and a Ukrainian parliament member caused a stir. The plan, which its proponents reportedly tried to peddle to the Trump administration, calls for measures including leasing Crimea to Russia.

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