Sep 25, 2018

Report: Civilian deaths in Yemen up 164%

Haley Britzky

A displaced Yemeni woman in the Hodeidah province. Photo: STR/AFP/Getty Images

Civilian deaths in the ongoing war in Yemen have increased 164% since June, the International Rescue Committee reported on Tuesday.

The big picture: Citing the monitoring group Armed Location and Event Data (ACLED), the IRC attributed the increase in deaths to Saudi-led coalition efforts to retake Hodeidah, a port city crucial to the functioning of the already-embattled country. Earlier this month, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Congress that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were working to "reduce the risk of harm to civilians."

  • Pentagon spokeswoman Cmdr. Rebecca Rebarich told Axios: "While we do not independently verify claims of civilian casualties in which we are not directly involved; we call upon all parties to take all feasible precautions to avoid harm to civilians."

Go deeper

Mike Allen

Ivanka Trump plans focus on coronavirus recovery for small businesses

Ivanka Trump speaks at yesterday's White House videoconference with bank and credit card executives. Photo: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

Ivanka Trump personally lobbied top bank executives to line up the $1.5 billion in commitments to small business that were announced yesterday at a videoconference among the bank executives and President Trump — stoking competitive juices among the execs to drive up their commitments.

The state of play: Ivanka, who has had workforce development in her portfolio going back to 2017, plans an increasing emphasis on small businesses in the weeks ahead as they navigate the rescue bill’s Payroll Protection Program, sources tell me.

Go deeperArrow2 hours ago - Politics & Policy
Kim Hart

Public transit's death spiral

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

Public transit systems across the country are experiencing a painful trifecta: Ridership has collapsed, funding streams are squeezed, and mass transit won't bounce back from the pandemic nearly as fast as other modes of transportation.

Why it matters: Transit agencies could see an annual shortfall of as much as $38 billion due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to TransitCenter. At the same time, they're more important than ever, with more than 36% of essential workers relying on public transportation to get to work.

Go deeperArrow3 hours ago - Health
Axios

World coronavirus updates: London mayor says U.K. nowhere near lockdown lifting

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins; Map: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern offered hope in the fight against the novel coronavirus, saying she believes New Zealand has "turned a corner" after two weeks of strict lockdown measures. But London Mayor Sadiq Khan has said the U.K. is "nowhere near" lifting restrictions.

The big picture: COVID-19 has killed over 82,000 people and infected 1.4 million others globally as of early Wednesday, per Johns Hopkins data. Global recoveries have surpassed 301,000. Spain has reported the most cases outside the U.S. (more than 141,000) and Italy the most deaths (over 17,000). Half the planet's population is on lockdown.

Go deeperArrowUpdated 3 hours ago - Health