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☆ Surrounded by Fighters and Haunted by Famine, Sudan City Fears Worst
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Declan Walsh | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Fears of renewed ethnic slaughter in the Sudanese region of Darfur, where genocidal violence killed as many as 300,000 people two decades ago, have soared in recent days, with a looming assault on an embattled city that is already threatened by famine. The contest for control of El Fasher, the last city held by Sudan’s military in Darfur, has prompted alarmed warnings from American and United Nations officials who fear that mass bloodshed may be imminent. Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. envoy to the United Nations, told reporters on Monday that the city was “on the precipice of a large-scale massacre.”El Fasher is the latest flashpoint in a year-old civil war between Sudan’s military and the Rapid Support Forces, a powerful paramilitary group that the military once nurtured and is now its bitter rival for power. The conflict has devastated one of Africa’s largest countries and created a vast humanitarian crisis that U.N. officials say is one of the biggest in decades. The crisis also brings a sharp focus on the role of foreign powers accused of fueling the fight, especially the United Arab Emirates.

Persons: El Fasher, Linda Thomas, Greenfield, ” El Fasher Organizations: United Nations, Rapid Support Forces, United Locations: Sudanese, Darfur, U.S, “, United Arab Emirates

Their friendship was tested in 2017 when then President Trump supported a blockade of Qatar led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Before the Oct. 7 attack, the Saudis were in serious talks, led by the United States, to recognize Israel. 8 of 12 Israel has a major incentive to strengthen relations with Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia, for its part, would benefit from direct access to the Israeli military and technology sector. In March 2023, China brokered a breakthrough, re-establishing ties between two of the region’s heavyweights, Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, brandished, Jake Sullivan, —, frenemies, Israel, Netanyahu’s, Trump, Biden, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin, Prince Mohammed, Bashar al, Assad, Saddam Hussein, Jordan —, hesitantly, Abraham Organizations: of Friends, General Assembly, U.S, America, Hamas, United, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Crown, Arab League, Saudi Arabia, Red Sea, Iranian, Abraham Accords, United Arab, Palestine Liberation Organization, West Bank, Palestinian Authority, The, Trump, Biden, Israel Defense Forces, United Nations, New York, Facebook Locations: India, Persian, Israel, Europe, Iran, United States, U.S, East, China, Russia, Ukraine, Syria, Yemen, Turkey Syria Lebanon Afghanistan Israel Iraq Iran Pakistan Egypt India Qatar Saudi Arabia Sudan Oman, Israel Yemen Turkey Syria Lebanon Afghanistan Israel Iraq Iran Pakistan Egypt India Qatar Saudi Arabia Arabian, Sudan, Sea Oman, Israel Yemen Ethiopia Turkey Syria Lebanon Afghanistan Israel Iraq Iran Pakistan Egypt India Qatar Saudi Arabia Arabian, Sudan Oman, Israel Yemen Ethiopia, Gaza, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab, Saudi, Tehran, Iraq, Assad, Lebanon, Lebanese, Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Fatah, Israeli, Turkey, America

☆ Jordan walks a tightrope after downing Iranian drones and missiles
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Jomana Karadsheh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Jordan became the second Arab country to sign a peace deal with Israel in 1994. The kingdom was portrayed as shielding Israel at a time when Palestinians were being bombed by Israel in Gaza. One meme shared by users apparently outside Jordan showed a manipulated image of Jordan’s King Abdullah in an Israeli military uniform. “We are in the range of fire and any missiles or projectile that could fall in Jordan would cause harm to Jordan. Our priority is to protect Jordan and to protect Jordanian citizens.”And Jordan’s leadership seems intent on sending that message to its people.

Persons: Saddam Hussein, Jordan, Israel, King Abdullah, Bisher, “, Ayman Safadi, CNN’s Becky Anderson, ”, Safadi, “ Jordan, Joe Biden, Benjamin Netanyaahu, Iran ”, Abdullah, Queen Rania Organizations: CNN, Israel, West Bank, Scud, United, Sunday, ”, Jordan, Zionist, Jordanian Royal Court Locations: Amman, Israel, Damascus, Iraq, Iran, Syria, Jordanian, United States, Jordan, Gaza, Tehran, Fars, Iranian, Mafraq

CNN —As Sudan marks the grim anniversary of a year-long conflict, aid agencies have warned that the country teeters on the edge of collapse, facing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis that has been largely ignored by the rest of the world. The situation in Sudan is dire, with over 8.4 million people, including 2 million children under the age of 5, forced to flee their homes in the wake of the conflict, according to Doctors Without Borders (MSF). Despite these alarming figures, the international response has been woefully inadequate, with only 5% of the 2024 humanitarian response plan for Sudan funded thus far, Islamic Relief said in a statement. A lack of responseDoctors Without Borders on Friday called on leaders attending the Paris conference “to immediately scale up the humanitarian response” in Sudan. “The warring parties in Sudan have inflicted tremendous suffering on Sudanese from all walks of life,” he said.

Persons: Elsadig Elnour, Volker Türk, Sudan “, “, Türk, Stéphane Séjourné, Annalena Baerbock, ”, Mohamed Badawi, ” Mohamed Osman, ” Osman, Sudan Tom Perriello, Perriello, Ramadan Organizations: CNN, Islamic, Sudanese Armed Forces, SAF, Rapid Support Forces, UN, Human, French, Sudan’s, African Center for Justice, Peace Studies, Paris, Human Rights Watch, “, US, State Department Locations: Sudan, France, Paris, ”, Jazira, Saudi Arabia

☆ A Times Photographer Went on a Gaza Airdrop. Here’s What He Saw.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-30 | by ( Diego Ibarra Sanchez | Lars Dolder | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The huge rear gate of the Jordanian air force cargo plane slowly lowers like a stiff iron jaw, revealing a hazy blue sky and, far below, the battered landscape of northern Gaza. Inside the plane’s cavernous hold, the aid being delivered by the crew is lined up in neat rows: chest-high bundles of boxes stacked atop wooden pallets, each one bound by shrink-wrap and heavy straps and marked with images of Jordan’s flag. With humanitarian groups and others sounding the alarm over a looming famine in northern Gaza and hunger widespread throughout the territory, airdrops are playing a prominent role in efforts to deliver food, water and urgent supplies to Palestinians. On Thursday, the Jordanian air force allowed a photographer for The New York Times on one of its planes to observe the airdrop of bundles of aid across northern Gaza. The trip, taking off and returning from Jordan’s King Abdullah II air base, east of Amman, took several hours.

Persons: Jordan’s King Abdullah Organizations: The New York Times Locations: Jordanian, Gaza, Jordan’s, Amman

Video shows RSF soldiers humiliating men from a village in Jazira state. Displaced people fleeing from Jazira state arrive in Gedaref, in the east of war-torn Sudan, on December 22, 2023. The RSF told him they would only return his car if he worked for them, Farouk recalled. Displaced people fleeing from Jazira state arrive in Gedaref, in the east of war-torn Sudan, on December 22, 2023. The RSF’s violent advances in Jazira state, their targeted destruction of warehouses, Sudan’s gene bank and irrigation systems will inevitably further exacerbate Sudan’s massive food shortages,” she said.

Persons: CNN —, “, Sudan’s, ”, Alex de Waal, Mohamed Badawi, Luis Tato, Sidiq Farouk, Farouk, ” Farouk, hasn’t, ‘, ’, Hala Al, Al Karib, Tomoya Obokata, Leni Kinzli, ” Kinzli, Omar Marzoug, geolocated, Waal, Médecins, Anette Hoffmann, You’re, ” CNN’s Benjamin Brown Organizations: CNN, Rapid Support Forces, Sudanese Armed Forces, SAF, United Nations, Peace Foundation, African Center for Justice, Peace Studies, Getty, Food Programme, UN Office, Humanitarian Affairs, UN, Hala, Initiative, Women, UNICEF, WFP, “, ” CNN, ”, Farmers ’ Alliance, Clingendael Institute, Agriculture Organization Locations: Al Jazira, Sudan’s, Darfur, Jazira, Sudan’s breadbasket Jazira, Sudan, Khartoum, of, Sudanese, Renk, South Sudan, AFP, Chad, Gedaref, Hala Al Karib, Horn of Africa, Omdurman, Al, of Africa

☆ Dan Wakefield, Multifaceted Writer on a Spiritual Journey, Dies at 91
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( David Stout | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

His health began to decline late last year after he had a stroke, prompting his move to Miami, Mr. Higgins said. Mr. Wakefield achieved early and stunning success as a writer and was still writing well into his last years. He had more than 20 books to his credit; most of them were nonfiction, but he also wrote novels. Critics and other authors praised his work as showing a reporter’s instincts combined with graceful prose. Not long after his graduation, The Nation sent him to Mississippi to cover the Emmet Till murder trial, one of the catalysts of the civil rights movement.

Persons: Dan Wakefield, Will Higgins, Wakefield, Dan’s, Higgins, Emmet Till Organizations: Columbia University, Playboy, Nation Locations: New York City, Miami, Indianpolis, Mississippi

☆ Takeaways from Robert Hur’s testimony on Biden’s mishandling of classified documents
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Jeremy Herb | Marshall Cohen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

which found evidence Biden willfully retained classified materials but that the evidence did not rise to the level of proof beyond a reasonable doubt. And he took on criticism directly over his inclusion of the state of Biden’s memory. On the Republican side, lawmakers pressed Hur on why he didn’t charge Biden despite the evidence of classified documents in Biden’s possession. “In short, to borrow a phrase from the last administration, the Hur report represents the complete and total exoneration of President Biden,” Nadler said. Hur found some evidence that Biden willfully retained classified materials after he left the Obama White House.

Persons: Robert Hur, Joe Biden’s, Hur, Biden, Donald Trump, Jim Jordan’s, Jerry Nadler, Jordan, misremembering, Trump, Viktor Orbán, ” Nadler, Jacquelyn Martin, AP Hur, ” Hur, “, Robert Mueller, Mueller, Eric Swalwell of, ” Swalwell, isn’t, ”, Hank Johnson, Adam Schiff, ” Schiff, didn’t, I’m, ’ ”, Tom McClintock, Joe Biden, Biden “, Obama, “ Joe Biden, he’s, Mr, ” Jordan, Nadler, Biden’s, CNN’s Devan Cole, Hannah Rabinowitz, Holmes Lybrand, Evan Perez Organizations: Committee, Republicans, Biden, Trump, Rep, Department of Justice, Capitol, Democratic, Georgia Democrat, ”, California Democrat, Senate, Republican, California Republican, Democrat, Ohio Republican, Obama Locations: Egypt, Mexico, Hungary, Turkey, Washington ,, Russia, Eric Swalwell of California, Georgia, California, House, Ohio

CNN —The war in Sudan is “triggering the world’s largest hunger crisis,” with more than 25 million people “trapped in a spiral” of food insecurity, a United Nations agency has warned. The war, which has also created the world’s largest displacement crisis, according to the UN, has left 18 million people “acutely food insecure” in Sudan and millions more in neighboring South Sudan and Chad. “Twenty years ago, Darfur was the world’s largest hunger crisis, and the world rallied to respond. Nearly a year into a war that has sent Sudan to the verge of collapse, the vast majority of its people are going hungry, the UN's World Food Programme says. Armed transfers that must stop,” she said, remarking that the international community “is not doing nearly enough” to address the crisis.

Persons: “, ”, Cindy McCain, –, Abdel Fattah al, Burhan, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, EBRAHIM HAMID, United Nations Linda Thomas, Greenfield, Thomas Organizations: CNN, United Nations, Food Program, UN, Sudan’s Armed Forces, SAF, Rapid Support Forces, WFP “, WFP, Getty, Thomas, West Darfur “ Locations: Sudan, South Sudan, Chad, Darfur, East, Sudan’s, Gedaref, AFP, West Darfur

☆ It’s Been All Tumbleweeds, All the Time, in Utah and Beyond
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Delger Erdenesanaa | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

On Saturday morning, residents of South Jordan, Utah, about 20 miles south of Salt Lake City, woke up to an astonishing sight. Thousands of tumbleweeds had blown into town and piled up against people’s homes overnight. In some cases, the tumbleweed jumbles reached the rooflines or upstairs balconies of people’s homes, said Rachael Van Cleave, the city’s public information officer. “It was quite a sight to see,” she said. Tumbleweeds also blew en masse into South Jordan’s neighbor city of Eagle Mountain, and across stretches of open land and highways in Nevada and western Utah.

Persons: jumbles, Rachael Van Cleave, ”, “, Tumbleweeds Locations: South Jordan , Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, South Jordan’s, Eagle, Nevada

CNN —Hamas said Tuesday there could be no “exchange of prisoners” before a ceasefire in Gaza, as it responded to proposals from Egyptian and Qatari mediators. “Any prisoner exchange will not be completed except after the completion of all this.”Hamdan also accused Israel of stalling on reaching an agreement and warned that the negotiations would not be “open-ended” as Israel continues its offensive in Gaza. The response came just hours after US President Joe Biden said a potential ceasefire was “in the hands of Hamas” as he boarded Air Force One at Hagerstown airport. Biden said the “Israelis have been cooperating” and that a ceasefire is necessary. “We need a ceasefire,” he said, calling the deal on the table a “rational offer” and saying the Israelis had agreed to it.

Persons: ”, Osama Hamdan, ” Hamdan, Hamdan’s, Joe Biden, Biden, Mandel Ngan, Ramadan, Benjamin Netanyahu, it’s, Israel, Kamala Harris Organizations: CNN, Air Force, Hagerstown Regional Airport, Getty, Israel, Hamas, Israeli, Nations, Crisis Locations: Gaza, Beirut, “, Israel, Egypt, Qatar, Hagerstown, Hagerstown , Maryland, AFP, Jerusalem, Cairo

☆ Anesthetics, crutches, dates. Inside Israel’s ghost list of items arbitrarily denied entry into Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-01 | by ( Tamara Qiblawi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

In a January 13 press conference, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu boasted about permitting “minimal humanitarian aid” to enter Gaza. “We provide minimal humanitarian aid,” Netanyahu said. Other trucks carrying dates have been allowed into Gaza, according to UN data. Over 1,000 children have undergone leg amputations in Gaza, according to UNICEF, some without anesthesia. “An Israeli tank missile hit her when she was on the sixth floor of our building,” Bseiso told CNN.

Persons: Jordan, Joe Biden, Tamim al, Chris Murphy, Abed Zagout, ”, “, ” COGAT, COGAT, Benjamin Netanyahu, ” Netanyahu, Israel, Clodagh Kilcoyne, “ I’ve, Janti Soeripto, we’ve, ” Soeripto, Chris Van Hollen, Jeff Merkley, ” Van Hollen, they’d, Van Hollen, ” Tania Hary, GISHA, Ahed Bseiso, Hani Bseiso, ” Bseiso, ” Ahed, Bseiso, Ghassan Abu, Sittah, ” Abu, Dr Ghassan Abu, Alex Platt, Um Adel, Khan Younis, Jamie McGoldrick, Marwan al, Mary Rogers Organizations: Jordan —, CNN, United Nations Children's Fund, UNICEF, Getty, Children, UN, “, Bseiso Medicines, World Health Organization, Jordanian Hashemite Charity Organization Locations: Gaza, Gaza City, Thani, ”, Anadolu, Arish, Rafah, Gazan, there’s, Territories, COGAT, ” Israel, Israel, Egypt, Nitzana, Palestinian, London, Abu, British, Khan, Jordanian, Jordan, Al

☆ Jam Master Jay killing: 2 men found guilty of murder in 2002 killing of Run-DMC’s DJ
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Eric Levenson | Jeff Winter | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Two men were found guilty of murder Tuesday in the 2002 killing of Jam Master Jay, the pioneering DJ of the groundbreaking hip hop trio Run-DMC, in a case that for decades frustrated detectives and music fans alike. Ronald Washington, Jay’s childhood friend, and Karl Jordan Jr., Jay’s godson, were convicted of murder while engaged in narcotics trafficking and firearm-related murder. G. Paul Burnett/APThe verdict comes more than 20 years after Jam Master Jay, born Jason Mizell, was fatally shot at a recording studio in Jamaica, Queens, on October 30, 2002. They know who killed Jam Master Jay. How Jam Master Jay pioneered a new soundThe trial comes four decades after Jam Master Jay teamed up with Queens friends Run (Joseph Simmons) and DMC (Darryl McDaniels) to form the hip hop group Run-DMC.

Persons: Jay, Ronald Washington, Karl Jordan Jr, Jay’s, “ Y’all, ” Washington, Jordan, “, ”, Carlis Thompson, “ It’s, “ Jason, I’m, ” Jordan, Jason Mizell, Paul Burnett, Jay Bryant, Bryant, Breon Peace, Uriel Rincon, Artie McConnell, “ Jay Bryant, Michael Hueston, Susan Kellman, Washington’s, they’d, Mizell, Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, Aerosmith, Tricky, “ King Organizations: CNN, Garden, Eastern, of, WABC, Queens, Adidas, Stone, Duo, Hall of Fame, MTV, of Fame Locations: Washington, New, Jamaica, Queens, of New York, Jay

☆ Atrocities Mount in Sudan as War Spirals, U.N. Says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-24 | by ( Nick Cumming-Bruce | Declan Walsh | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Bombs that struck houses, markets, and bus stations across Sudan, often killing dozens of civilians at once. Ethnic rampages, accompanied by rape and looting, that killed thousands in the western region of Darfur. And a video clip, verified by United Nations officials, that shows Sudanese soldiers parading through the streets of a major city, triumphantly brandishing the decapitated heads of students who were killed on the basis of their ethnicity. The horrors of Sudan’s spiraling civil war are laid out in graphic detail in a new United Nations report that draws on photos, videos and interviews with over 300 victims and witnesses, to present the stark human toll from 10 months of fighting. Many probable war crimes have occurred as part of the grinding battle for control of Sudan, one of the largest countries in Africa, which started with clashes between the country’s military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in April 2023, the report by the U.N.’s human rights body found.

Organizations: United Nations, Rapid Support Forces Locations: Sudan, Darfur, Africa

☆ Oman Cultural Complex could become a ‘cultural magnet’
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Callum Sutherland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The Oman Cultural Complex, designed by French firm Architecturestudio, will consist of the new National Theatre, National Library and an exhibition center, and cover 70,000 square meters upon completion. ArchitectureStudioRoueïda Ayache oversees most Architecturestudio projects in the Middle East, including previous designs such as the Bahrain National Theatre, opened in 2012, and Jordan’s Amman Rotana Tower. She believes that the Cultural Complex will become a key attraction in Muscat. ArchitectureStudioRené-Henri Arnaud is the partner architect in charge of the Cultural Complex, and for him, a crucial aspect is its practicality. Arnaud adds that the National Library “will be a multimedia library, not just for students but international visitors.”There is no definitive completion date as yet for the complex.

Persons: Architecturestudio, Roueïda Ayache, ”, Ayache, ArchitectureStudio René, Henri Arnaud, “ It’s, Arnaud Organizations: CNN, National Theatre, National Library, Bahrain National Theatre, Jordan’s, Jordan’s Amman Rotana, Oman’s Ministry of Heritage, Muscat International Airport, Theatre, National Locations: Muscat, Oman, Jordan’s Amman, Muscat . “, Greater Muscat

PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron says recognizing a Palestinian state is not a ‘’taboo’’ for France, as international frustration grows with Israel’s actions in the Palestinian territories. France and the EU have long supported a two-state solution in the Mideast, but as part of a negotiated settlement. With talks long stalled and Israel’s offensive against Hamas in Gaza deepening, some European countries are voicing support for recognizing a Palestinian state sooner. ‘’Recognizing a Palestinian state is not a taboo for France,’’ Macron said Friday at a meeting in Paris with Jordan’s King Abdullah. A move by some of Israel’s key allies to recognize a Palestinian state could put pressure on Israel to resume negotiations.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, ’ ’ Macron, Jordan’s King Abdullah, ‘, ”, David Cameron, Benjamin Netanyahu Organizations: PARIS, —, EU, Hamas, . Security, “, Security, ” Britain’s Locations: France, Palestinian, Gaza, Paris, Jordan, Europe, Rafah, Egypt, Israeli, Israel

☆ Opinion: The crux of Israel’s challenge
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Opinion Frida Ghitis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

She is a weekly opinion contributor to CNN, a contributing columnist to The Washington Post and a columnist for World Politics Review. Rafah encapsulates the perverse genius of the Hamas strategy, and the unwinnable moral dilemmas it created with the war it deliberately provoked. The crux of the matter remains how to make Hamas relinquish power in Gaza. If Hamas leaders leave, surrender, or lay down their arms, the war could end. Hamas leaders vow that massacres like they committed on October 7 will happen “again and again,” that Israel cannot be allowed to exist.

Persons: Frida Ghitis, CNN —, William Burns, David Barnea, Fatah, “, Said Khatib, —, Joe Biden, Ofri Bibas, Hitler, Eichmann, Goebbels … ”, Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Jordan’s King Abdullah, ”, John Kirby, there’s, Mahmoud Abbas, Netanyahu Organizations: CNN, Washington Post, Politics, Frida Ghitis CNN, CIA, West Bank, Getty, Hamas, Israel, Wall Street, Health Ministry, National Security, New York Times, United Arab, Palestinian Locations: Iran, Gaza, Israel, Cairo, Rafah, Egypt, AFP, Hague, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Palestinian

☆ Israeli strikes deepen panic in Rafah as UN aid chief warns a ground offensive could result in ‘slaughter’
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

It remains unclear how or when a ground offensive would unfold, and that uncertainty is adding to anxiety among Palestinians in Rafah about where to go and what to do. Israeli military action in Rafah “has already led to and will result in further large scale killing, harm and destruction,” the government said in its request to the World Court. “We cannot afford an Israeli attack on Rafah… We cannot stand by and let this continue,” he said. Palestinians inspect damaged buildings after Israeli airstrikes on Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, on February 12, 2024. They told us this area was safe… they told us Rafah was safe.

Persons: Leo Varadkar, Peter Lerner, ”, “ We’re, … We’re, We’ve, Mo’men, Martin Griffiths, Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, “, Lerner, Gaza ”, UN’s Griffiths, Ashraf Amra, Antonio Tajani, King Abdullah II, Israel “, Varadkar, Karim Khan, Daniel Hagari, Abed Rahim Khatib, Khan Younis, We’re, Jarwan, ” Nahla, Netanyahu, ” Netanyahu Organizations: CNN, United Nations, International Court, Reuters, ” United, Israel Defense Forces, Residents, Getty, Criminal, European Union, Foreign Ministry, Criminal Court, ICC, Palestine Red Crescent Society, Israeli Air Force, World Health Organization Locations: Rafah, Gaza, Israel, Gazan, ” Israel, Palestinian, ” United Nations, Hamas’s, South Africa, Rafah “, Deir, Balah, Deir al, Anadolu, European, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, China, Italian, ”, Palestine, Al

The official said Israeli military pressure on Hamas in Khan Younis over the last several week s has helped bring the militant group closer to accepting an agreement. Biden, who last week called Israel’s military response in Gaza “over the top,” also sought “urgent and specific” steps to strengthen humanitarian aid. The official said the Israelis “made clear they would not contemplate an operation" in Rafah without safeguarding the civilian population. On his way home from Israel, Biden announced he'd helped broker the first deal to pause fighting temporarily and to open the crossing in Rafah to humanitarian aid. In the months since, members of his administration have made repeated trips to the region to engage with leaders there.

Persons: Joe Biden, King Abdullah II, Biden, Khan Younis, Benjamin Netanyahu, ”, “, skyrocket, Jordan, he'd, Zeke Miller Organizations: WASHINGTON, U.S, American, Israel, Israeli, Israel’s, Associated Locations: Washington, Gaza, Rafah, Jordan, Iran, Israel, U.S

☆ Middle East Football Associations call for Israel ban over war in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Caroline Faraj | Sammy Mncwabe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Twelve Middle Eastern football associations have called for Israel’s national team to be banned over the war on Hamas in Gaza, in a letter seen by CNN. Jordan's Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein leads the 12-member West Asian Football Federations. CNN has reached out to the Israel Football Association, FIFA and UEFA for comment. The Israeli Football Association told Sky News it is only concentrating on football matters. “I am trusting FIFA not to involve politics in football,” Israeli FA CEO Niv Goldstein told Sky News.

Persons: Prince Ali bin Al Hussein, Prince Ali, Jordan’s King Abdullah II, WAFF, Jordan's Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein, Emmanuel Foudrot, Isaac Herzog, ” Herzog, Goldstein, UEFA’s, Theodore Theodoridis, ” Organizations: CNN, Eastern, Israel’s, FIFA, UEFA, West Asian Football Federations, Football Confederations, Associations, Israeli Football Association, United, Jordan FA, Qatar, Health Ministry, Hamas, International Court of Justice, Reuters, ICJ, Israel, Israel Football Association, Sky News, Russian Football Union, UEFA Congress Locations: Gaza, Palestine, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Israel, Ukraine, Paris, ”

“I’m still waiting to see when that happens,” Griffiths said. Photos You Should See View All 21 ImagesSudan plunged into chaos last April with street battles between the generals’ rival forces in the capital, Khartoum, that spread to other areas. Western Darfur, which was wracked by bloodshed and atrocities in 2003, has been an epicenter of the current conflict, an arena of ethnic violence where paramilitary troops and allied Arab militias have been attacking African ethnic groups. Secretary-General Guterres urged support for the ICC, saying its role in prosecuting those involved in “atrocities” in Darfur “is absolutely essential.”Humanitarian chief Griffith and U.N. refugee chief Filippo Grandi appealed for $4.1 billion in international support for embattled civilians in Sudan amid signs that some may be dying of starvation after nearly a year of war. The agencies said that half of Sudan’s population, or around 25 million people, requires support and protection, and that the requested funds would go to help millions of civilians in Sudan and others who have fled abroad.

Persons: António Guterres, “, ” Guterres, —, Abdel Fattah Burhan, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo —, Guterres, ”, Martin Griffiths, “ I’m, ” Griffiths, Karim Khan, ” Khan, General Guterres, Griffith, Filippo Grandi Organizations: UNITED NATIONS, United Nations, Rapid Support Forces, African Union, Arab League, International Criminal Court, ICC Locations: Sudan, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Geneva, Switzerland, Khartoum, Darfur, Rome, Chad

☆ How Mark Meadows Became the Least Trusted Man in Washington
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Robert Draper | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Even without the knowledge that his annual salary as a senior partner at C.P.I. is $847,000, and that he purchased his house overlooking Lake Keowee for $1.6 million six months after the Trump administration came to an end, it would be natural to conclude that Meadows, the 64-year-old former White House chief of staff, is doing very well for himself. The Mark Meadows they know has always been a peerless escape artist, ever ascending over the bridges he has burned. In August, a grand jury in Fulton County, Ga., indicted Meadows on charges related to his alleged participation in a racketeering scheme to overturn Georgia’s 2020 presidential election results and keep Trump in office. Two months later, Katherine Faulders of ABC News broke the story that Meadows had been furtively speaking with prosecutors in the federal case being pursued against Trump by the Department of Justice special counsel Jack Smith.

Persons: Trump, Jordan’s, Meadows, Mark Meadows, Georgia’s, Katherine Faulders, Jack Smith, — Organizations: White House, Capitol, peerless, Trump, ABC News, Department of Justice, White Locations: Lake Keowee, North Carolina, Fulton County ,

☆ Sudan: Internet blackout nationwide as UN appeals for $4.1 billion to ease ‘epic suffering’ caused by war
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Nimi Princewill | Ingrid Formanek | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Internet connectivity was shut down in Sudan amid ongoing clashes between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that have left thousands killed and millions displaced in nearly 10 months of fighting. Internet monitoring firm, Netblocks confirmed the outage Wednesday, saying that all three of the major network operators in the warring North African nation were out of service. The RSF has yet to publicly deny responsibility for the blackout. The UN appealed for $4.1 billion to meet the “most urgent humanitarian needs” amidst “epic suffering” in Sudan, adding that half of its population - some 25 million people need support and protection, with millions hungry and displaced by the war. Some 19 million children not attending school, continued widespread human rights violations, and gender-based violence are among the challenges cited in the UN’s funding appeal.

Persons: Netblocks, ”, Martin Griffiths, RSF Organizations: CNN, Rapid Support Forces, UN, Humanitarian Affairs, UN’s Refugee Agency, UNHCR, Sudan’s Locations: Sudan, “, Sudan’s, Darfur

☆ Losing his young son to a drug overdose left him broken. A ‘sacred’ trip to Scotland helped him heal
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Jack Bantock | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Highland winds lashing his face, architect Jim Hartsell was a long way from his home in Alabama. Alone, utterly drained both physically and emotionally, he was about to do something he had never done before — abandon a round at a Scottish golf course. Three months earlier, in May 2021, Jordan Hartsell had died of an accidental drug overdose. If there were any answers, he hoped he would find them on a trip to his spiritual home, Scotland. Senders vary from those who have suffered a similar loss, to those chasing travel tips for Scotland, and Hartsell welcomes them all.

Persons: Jim Hartsell, Hartsell, “ Don’t, Dad, Jordan Hartsell, Jordan, Jim Hartsell Love, ”, “, ” Hartsell, it’ll, Tom Watson, Jack Nicklaus —, Jim Hartsell “ There’s, he’s, Lewis, “ I’ve, Robbie Wilson, Wilson, Grief, — “, I’ve, Jonathan, Jake, Otis, Scotland …, Jim Hartsell Hartsell, — Organizations: CNN, Highland, Wick Golf, High School, Alabama, British, Sun, Prestwick Golf Club, Twitter, Royal Troon Locations: Alabama, Scottish, Scotland, Andrew’s, Carnoustie, Kintyre, South Ayrshire, Glasgow, Southend, Lewis, Ballachulish, Wick, Mount Zion

They said the requested funds would go to help millions of civilians in Sudan and others who have fled abroad. “They have lost so much," said U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi, who recently met with displaced families in Sudan and neighboring Ethiopia. "Time after time, we hear the same message from them: We want peace so we can go home, and we need support to rebuild our lives.”“They desperately need help, and they need it now,” Grandi added. UNHCR is seeking $1.4 billion to help nearly 2.7 million people who have fled into five neighboring countries. The United Nations says the war in Sudan has killed at least 12,000 people, although local doctors groups say the true toll is far higher.

Persons: Filippo Grandi, ” “, ” Grandi, Martin Griffiths, Abdel, Fattah Burhan, Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo Organizations: GENEVA, UNHCR, Humanitarian Affairs, United Nations, Rapid Support Forces Locations: Sudan, Ethiopia, Congo, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Ukraine, Gaza, Khartoum

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