DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ This is the world’s rarest passport
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Lola Méndez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —The Sovereign Military Order of Malta – also known as the Knights of Malta – isn’t just a religious Catholic order with nearly 1,000 years of history. After World War II, the use of the diplomatic passport took on characteristics of passports used in other countries. Today, there are only around 500 of the diplomatic passports in circulation – making it the rarest passport in the world. robertharding/Alamy Stock Photo“The Order grants passports to members of their government for the duration of their mandate,” de Petri Testaferrata says. Once when I arrived at the Bangkok airport, a crowd of operators at passport control wanted to see my rare passport and take a selfie with it,” Balfour tells CNN.

Persons: Malta –, It’s, King, Spain, Napoleon Bonaparte, Daniel de Petri Testaferrata, Angelo, ” de Petri Testaferrata, Marianna Balfour, “ They’ve, ” Balfour, De Petri Testaferrata, John Kellerman, Anne, de Valette, Paschal II, ” Dane Munro, Don’t, Grand, Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, Caravaggio, St John’s, St John ”, Finnbarr Webster, Casa Rocca Piccola, de Piro, Munro, Marquis Nicholas de Piro, Knight of Malta Don Pietro Rosselli Organizations: CNN, Knights, Knights of Malta – isn’t, United Nations, Sovereign Council, Souverain, Fort, UNESCO, “, Casa Magazzini, National Library of Malta, of, Supreme, Grand Masters, of Ambassadors, St, Maltese Association of Locations: Malta, Knights of Malta, Jerusalem, Maltese, Rome, of Malta, St, robertharding, Bangkok, France, United Kingdom, United States, Knights, Valletta, Mdina, Knight

War between the army and the RSF broke out in mid-April over plans for a political transition and the integration of the RSF into the army, four years after long-time ruler Omar al-Bashir was overthrown in a popular uprising. Burhan has made a series of foreign visits in recent weeks after remaining in Sudan for the first months of the war. The purpose was to seek solutions, not military support, though he had asked other states to block external backing that he asserts the RSF is receiving, he said. The RSF has denied it is behind the violence in Darfur, and will hold its men accountable for abuses. Burhan said he told the governor to seek protection at a military camp, but the governor had rejected that.

Persons: Abdel, Fattah Al, Burhan Abdelrahman Al, Burhan, Eduardo Munoz, Abdel Fattah al, Omar al, Bashir, RSF, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, Daphne Psaledakis, Khalid Abdelaziz, Aidan Lewis, Grant McCool Organizations: Transitional Sovereign, General Assembly, REUTERS, NEW YORK, Reuters, Rapid Support Forces, United Nations General Assembly, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, West Darfur, CAIRO, New York, Saudi Arabia, United States, Jeddah, Sudan, Darfur, El Geneina, Cairoa

☆ Sudanese paramilitary force backs ceasefire and talks on country's future
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Deputy head of Sudan's sovereign council General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo speaks during a press conference at Rapid Support Forces head quarter in Khartoum, Sudan February 19, 2023. The United Nations has warned of a "humanitarian catastrophe of epic proportions", with rising hunger, collapsing healthcare, and wrecked infrastructure. Under his "Sudan Reborn" plan, Dagalo committed the RSF to previously floated principles such as federal, multicultural rule, democratic elections, and a single army. Pro-democracy politicians warned Burhan against announcing a new government, saying it would prompt the RSF to form a parallel authority. Reporting by Nafisa Eltahir in Cairo and Khalid Abdelaziz in Dubai; Editing by Giles ElgoodOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah, Omar al, Bashir, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, Dagalo, Abdel Fattah al, Burhan, Nafisa Eltahir, Khalid Abdelaziz, Giles Elgood Organizations: Rapid Support Forces, REUTERS, Rights, Sudan's, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Khartoum, Sudan, Rights CAIRO, West Darfur, Saudi, U.S, Port Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, United States, Cairo, Dubai

☆ UN says Sudan civil war is 'spiralling out of control,' as more than one million flee to neighboring countries
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Ruba Alhenawi Hamdi Alkhshali Sana Noor Haq | Ruba Alhenawi | Hamdi Alkhshali | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —More than one million people have fled Sudan to neighboring countries since April, according to the United Nations, as fighting between two warring factions plunges the country into civil war. The conflict in Sudan has displaced more than 3.4 million people inside the country, a report released on Tuesday by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said. Those who escaped Sudan have arrived in other countries in the region including Egypt, Libya, Chad, the Central African Republic, South Sudan and Ethiopia. The regional director of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) said the spike in gender-based violence amounts to war crimes and crimes against humanity. More than one million people have fled Sudan into neighboring countries since April, the UN reported.

Persons: ” Laila Baker, Zohra Bensemra, ” Baker, Liz Throssell, ”, Malik Agar, “, Abdel Fattah al, Burhan, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, Omar al, Bashir Organizations: CNN, United Nations, International Organization for Migration, Central African, Rapid Support Forces, UN, UN Population Fund, Human Rights, Sovereign, Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces Locations: Sudan, Egypt, Libya, Chad, Central African Republic, South Sudan, Ethiopia, East, Geneina, Darfur, Ourang, Adre

☆ Sudan 'spiralling out of control' as 1 million flee country, UN warns
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has devastated the capital Khartoum and sparked ethnically driven attacks in Darfur, threatening to plunge Sudan into a protracted civil war and destabilise the region. "Time is running out for farmers to plant the crops that will feed them and their neighbours. The situation is spiralling out of control," U.N. agencies said in a joint statement. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsReports of sexual assaults have increased by 50%, said U.N. population fund official Laila Baker. Efforts led by Saudi Arabia and the United States to negotiate a ceasefire in the current conflict have stalled, and humanitarian agencies have struggled to provide relief because of insecurity, looting and bureaucratic hurdles.

Persons: Malik Agar, Elizabeth Throssell, Chad August, Zohra, Laila Baker, Agar, Abdel Fattah al, Burhan, Omar al, Bashir, Khalid Abdelaziz, Nafisa Eltahir, Gabrielle Tetrault, Farber, Aidan Lewis, Alexandra Hudson, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: United Nations, Rapid Support Forces, Sovereign, IOM, Human Rights, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Sudan, Khartoum, Darfur, Kordofan, Geneva, Chadian, Chad, Adre, Saudi Arabia, United States, Dubai, Nafisa, Cairo

☆ Sudan clashes intensify with no mediation in sight
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

CAIRO, July 2 (Reuters) - Clashes between Sudan's army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) intensified on Sunday, as the war in the country's capital and western regions entered its 12th week with no attempts in sight to bring a peaceful end to the conflict. The RSF said it brought down an army warplane and a drone in Bahri, in statements to which the army did not immediately respond. "We're terrified, every day the strikes are getting worse," 25-year-old Nahid Salah, living in northern Omdurman, said by phone to Reuters. The Sudanese Doctors Union accused the RSF on Saturday of raiding the Shuhada hospital, one of the few still operating in the country, and killing a staff member. Last week, army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy on the country's Sovereign Council Malik Agar expressed openness to any mediation attempts by Turkey or Russia, though no official efforts have been announced.

Persons: Salah, Abdel Fattah al, Burhan, Malik Agar, Khalid Abdelaziz, Nafisa Eltahir, Adam Makary, David Holmes Organizations: Rapid Support Forces, Reuters, Sudanese Doctors Union, Unit, country's Sovereign, Nafisa, Thomson Locations: CAIRO, Omdurman, Khartoum, Kordofan, Darfur, El Geneina, El, South Darfur, Jeddah, United States, Saudi Arabia, East, Kenya, country's, Turkey, Russia, Dubai, Cairo

☆ Sudanese warring factions to resume indirect talks as clashes intensify
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Saudi-owned Al Arabiya said the two sides had agreed to indirect talks without providing details. RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo said on Sunday he had spoken with Farhan and expressed his support for the Jeddah platform. Artillery and air strikes continued overnight, with residents in southern and eastern Khartoum and northern Bahri reporting sounds of artillery and gun clashes on Tuesday morning. Looters, some of whom Khartoum residents and neighbourhood committees said belong to the RSF, have pillaged neighbourhoods, stealing cars, breaking open safes, and occupying homes. Aid groups have struggled to provide extensive assistance to Khartoum residents, who face electricity and water shortages as well as dwindling supplies in shops and pharmacies.

Persons: Al Arabiya, RSF, General Abdel Fattah al, Burhan, Faisal bin Farhan, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, Farhan, Jawahir Mohamed, El Obeid, Dafallah al, Haj, Khalid Abdelaziz, Nafisa Eltahir, Adam Makary, Christina Fincher, Grant McCool Organizations: Rapid Support Forces, Sovereign, Artillery, army's Engineers Corps, Engineers ' Corps, Emergency Lawyers, Nafisa, Thomson Locations: KHARTOUM, United States, Saudi Arabia, Al Arabiya, Khartoum, Saudi, Jeddah, Bahri, OMDURMAN, Omdurman, Darfur, Egypt, Sudan, Dubai, Cairo

☆ Sudan fighters take over Khartoum museum, director says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

KHARTOUM, June 3 (Reuters) - Sudanese paramilitary fighters have taken over the national museum in Khartoum, its deputy director said on Saturday, urging them to protect precious artefacts from the nation's heritage that include ancient mummies. Members of the Rapid Support Forces group that has been fighting the army since mid-April for control of Sudan entered the museum on Friday, said deputy director Ikhlas Abdellatif. Museum staff do not know the situation inside the museum because they halted work there after the conflict suddenly erupted on April 15, forcing police guarding the facility to quit, Abdellatif said. The RSF released a video filmed inside the museum grounds showing a soldier denying that they had done any harm to the museum or would do so, and inviting any individuals or organisations to visit the museum to check. The video also showed RSF fighters covering up exposed mummies with sheets and closing the plain white boxes in which they were contained.

Persons: Ikhlas Abdellatif, Abdellatif, Hatim Alnour, Roxanne Trioux, Omar al, Bashir, Abdel, Fattah, Burhan, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, Hemedti, Sami, Khalid Abdelaziz, Adam Makary, Angus McDowall, Giles Elgood, Frances Kerry Organizations: Sudanese, Rapid Support Forces, Museum, . Security, Thomson Locations: KHARTOUM, Khartoum, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, United States, Omdurman, Bahri, Washington, Riyadh, U.S, Dubai, Cairo

☆ Sudanese forces clash in Khartoum after talks break down
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

AID SUPPLIES LOOTEDOutside Khartoum, the worst fighting has been in the Darfur region, where a civil war has simmered since 2003, killing around 300,000 people. The U.N.'s World Food Programme and its refugee agency UNHCR said continued looting was disrupting their efforts to help Sudanese, calling on all parties to respect humanitarian work. The UNHCR said two of its offices in Khartoum were pillaged and its warehouse in El Obeid was targeted on Thursday. With the ceasefire talks off, Khartoum residents are bracing for further problems. It's like they're alternating forms of torture," said Omer Ibrahim, who lives in a district of Omdurman that has seen little fighting.

Persons: Din Abdalrahman, Mohamed Abdallah Idris, Omar al, Bashir, Abdel, Fattah, Burhan, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, Hemdti, El Obeid, Omer Ibrahim, Nafisa Eltahir, Khalid Abdelaziz, Angus McDowall, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Rapid Support Forces, UNHCR, Thomson Locations: KHARTOUM, U.S, Khartoum, Omdurman, Sudan, The U.S, Saudi Arabia, Washington, Darfur, West Darfur, Chad, El, Cairo, Dubai

☆ Sudan talks to resume in Saudi Arabia amid heavy fighting
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

You could clearly hear the tanks and the RSF were patrolling the streets more than usual," said Hani Ahmed, 28. "We only see the army in the sky but in terms of face-to-face contact we only see the RSF. ARAB LEAGUEFighting is unabated since the two sides agreed the declaration of principles to protect civilians and allow humanitarian access. Some of the worst fighting has taken place in Darfur, where a war has simmered since 2003, killing 300,000 people and displacing 2.5 million. The Darfur Bar Association, a local rights group, said at least 77 people were killed in Geneina, where fighting flared on Friday after a two-week lull.

☆ Veteran soldier leads Sudan's army against rival general
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Khalid Abdelaziz | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

As his warplanes rain strikes on the capital and his troops battle the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces of rival general Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, Burhan has shown no inclination to compromise. A career soldier in his 60s who served Bashir loyally for decades, Burhan rose through the ranks in wars in South Sudan and Sudan's Darfur region. Hemedti, whose powerful RSF had operated alongside the army during the war in Darfur, stepped in as Burhan's deputy on the council. They accuse him and other military leaders of killing protesters and say his coup was aimed at prolonging army rule, charges he denies. In a grim precursor to their new conflict against each other, the army and RSF are accused of grotesque war crimes including massacres and rapes during the Darfur war.

During the current fighting Egypt has joined calls for an effective ceasefire while saying they consider the conflict an internal matter for Sudan. The most important regional ally for Hemedti before the conflict was the United Arab Emirates. Hemedti said he advised Sudan to cut ties to Wagner after the U.S. imposed sanctions on the private military contractor. Saudi Arabia has had close ties to Burhan and Hemedti, both of whom sent troops to the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen. Israel, which had been hoping to move forward in normalising ties with Sudan, has also offered to host talks.

CNN —The violence that has exploded in Sudan as the country’s two top generals grapple for power has unfolded at a terrifying, breakneck speed. Hemedti uses this discourse as a bloody shirt to maintain his influence and military forces for future use,” Fareid said. Marwan Ali/APFrom a subclan of the Mahariya Rizeigat tribe, nomadic people that herded camels in Darfur, Hemedti got his start as a commander of the Janjaweed. Unlike Sudan’s former dictator, Hemedti has not faced charges from the International Criminal Court. The general’s shared sense of impunity was underlined in October 2021, when they staged a coup, arresting Hamdok and his cabinet.

☆ A 'tinderbox' with no easy off-ramps: What the Sudan conflict means for the world
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

Smoke rises during clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Khartoum, Sudan on April 19, 2023. "We urge the Sudanese army to respect the ceasefire and its conditions to alleviate the suffering of innocent civilians. - | Afp | Getty ImagesNotorious Russian mercenary force Wagner Group has been linked to various commercial and military operations in Sudan. Italian citizens are boarded on an Italian Air Force C130 aircraft during their evacuation from Khartoum, Sudan, in this undated photo obtained by Reuters on April 24, 2023. "The RSF is likely to target oil infrastructure linking South Sudan with Khartoum and the export terminal at Port Sudan," Verisk Maplecroft's Hunter suggested.

CNN —Fierce fighting across Sudan has left hopes for a peaceful transition to civilian rule in tatters. An international outcry saw Bashir formalize the group into paramilitary forces known as the Border Intelligence Units. They commanded separate battalions of Sudanese forces, who were sent to serve with the Saudi-led coalition forces in Yemen. He said that RSF leader Dagalo had “mutinied” against the state, and if captured, would be tried in court of law. CNN has previously reported on how Russia has colluded with Sudan’s military leaders to smuggle gold out of Sudan.

The Sudanese air force is conducting operations against the RSF, the army said. Footage from broadcasters showed a military aircraft in the sky above Khartoum, but Reuters could not independently confirm the material. A Reuters journalist saw cannon and armoured vehicles deployed in streets, and heard heavy weapons fire near the headquarters of both the army and RSF. The RSF, which analysts say is 100,000 strong, said its forces were attacked first by the army. Civilian political parties that had signed an initial power-sharing deal with the army and the RSF called on them to cease hostilities.

☆ Sudan's army says paramilitary mobilisation risks confrontation
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Khalid Abdelaziz Nafisa Eltahir | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"These movements and deployments happened without the agreement of the leadership of the armed forces or even coordination with it," the army spokesman said. Deputy head of Sudan's sovereign council General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo speaks during a press conference at Rapid Support Forces head quarter in Khartoum, Sudan February 19, 2023. Witnesses told Reuters that they saw a convoy of RSF vehicles including armoured trucks enter Khartoum on Thursday. Political figures issued statements on Thursday about attempts to mediate between the RSF and army high command. Hemedti, who has amassed considerable wealth and expanded domestic and foreign relations, has said repeatedly in speeches that he wants no confrontation with the army.

☆ Factbox: Who are Sudan's Rapid Support Forces?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

KHARTOUM, April 13 (Reuters) - Here are some facts about Sudan's main paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces, which said on Saturday it had taken control of the presidential palace and the country's international airport in an apparent coup attempt. International Criminal Court prosecutors accused government officials and janjaweed commanders of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur. [1/2] Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, head of the Rapid Support Forces, greets his supporters as he arrives at a meeting in Aprag, Sudan, June 22, 2019. Rights groups have also accused RSF soldiers of tribal violence. * The Sudanese army as well as pro-democracy groups have demanded the RSF's integration into the regular armed forces.

☆ Israel and Sudan Agree to Revive Peace Deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Dov Lieber | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen met the president of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereign Council, Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum on Thursday. TEL AVIV—Israel and Sudan agreed to sign a peace agreement later this year, after earlier attempts by the African nation to normalize relations with Israel failed, Israel’s foreign minister said Thursday. Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen visited the Sudanese capital Khartoum on Thursday, where he met with the president of the Transitional Sovereign Council, Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and other senior Sudanese officials, his office said in a statement. With U.S. mediation, the two sides agreed to the terms of a peace deal and planned to hold a signing ceremony in Washington in a few month’s time, after Sudan establishes a civilian government, the Israeli statement said.

☆ Israel, Sudan announce deal to normalise relations
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

KHARTOUM, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Israel and Sudan have finalised a deal to normalise relations, with a signing ceremony expected following a transfer of power from the military to a civilian government in Khartoum, the Israeli foreign ministry said on Thursday. Sudan's foreign ministry earlier said the deal was agreed during a visit by Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen to "move forward towards normalising relations between the two countries". "During the visit, which was made with the consent of the United States, the parties finalised the text of the agreement," an Israeli foreign ministry statement said. As intelligence minister that same year, Cohen made a ground-breaking visit to Sudan, a majority Muslim country. "Yes to negotiations between Israel and Sudan, yes to recognition of Israel and yes to peace between the states and between the peoples."

☆ Omar al-Bashir Fast Facts
▼ + stars: | 2012-12-10 | by ( Cnn Editorial Research | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Here’s a look at the life of Sudan’s former leader, Omar al-Bashir. 1966 - Graduates from the Sudan Military Academy. April 11, 2019 - After three decades of rule, Bashir is arrested and is forced from power in a military coup. August 19, 2019 - Bashir appears in a Khartoum court for the first day of his corruption trial. December 14, 2019 - Bashir is sentenced to two years in a correctional facility after being found guilty of corruption and illegitimate possession of foreign currency.

Search resuls for: "Sovereign Council"

21 mentions found