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☆ Ethiopia says it has completed filling of disputed dam project's reservoir
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-10 | by ( Dawit Endeshaw | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ADDIS ABABA, Sept 10 (Reuters) - Ethiopia said on Sunday it had completed the fourth and final phase of filling a reservoir for its planned massive hydroelectric power plant on the Blue Nile, a project that Egypt and Sudan have long opposed. Construction of the $4 billion Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) began in 2011 and Ethiopia sees the project as crucial to powering its economic development. "Congratulations to all on the fourth filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. With a projected capacity of more than 6,000 megawatts, Ethiopia sees GERD as the centrepiece of its bid to become Africa's biggest power exporter. Reporting by Dawit Endeshaw; Writing by Elias Biryabarema; Editing by Hugh LawsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: GERD, Abiy Ahmed's, Abdel Fattah al, Abiy, Dawit Endeshaw, Elias Biryabarema, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Thomson Locations: ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, Egypt, Sudan

Dirk Nowitzki went into the Basketball Hall of Fame, and now his homeland stands atop the men’s international basketball world. Dennis Schroder scored 28 points, Franz Wagner added 19 and Germany capped off an unbeaten run through the World Cup by holding off Serbia 83-77 in the final on Sunday night. It was Germany’s first World Cup title; before now, its top showing in the event was a bronze at Indianapolis in 2002. Germany went 8-0 in the tournament, becoming the fifth consecutive champion to go unbeaten. But Serbia went on a surprise run, fueled by inspiration the team took from the loss of reserve forward Borisa Simanic.

Persons: Dirk Nowitzki, Dennis Schroder, Franz Wagner, Aleksa Avramovic, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Nikola Jokic, Marko Guduric, Schroder, Nowitzki, —, Naismith Organizations: Basketball Hall of Fame, Serbia, Indianapolis, U.S, NBA, Denver Nuggets, South, Serbia couldn’t, Paris, ___ AP NBA, AP Locations: MANILA, Philippines, Germany, Serbia, South Sudan

☆ DR Congo, Mauritania and Mozambique qualify for Cup of Nations finals
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-09 | by ( Mark Gleeson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

CAPE TOWN, Sept 9 (Reuters) - The Democratic Republic of Congo, Mauritania and Mozambique qualified for the next Africa Cup of Nations finals with wins on Saturday, but the games were overshadowed by the earthquake in Morocco that killed more than 1,000 people. The Gambia and Congo teams had to evacuate their hotel rooms when the quake hit on Friday and spent the night sleeping next to their respective hotel swimming pools. Mozambique booked their place earlier on Saturday with a last-gasp 3-2 home win over Benin in Maputo. On top of hosts Ivory Coast and Saturday's successful trio, the other finalists are Algeria, Angola, Burkina Faso, the Cape Verde Islands, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia and Zambia. Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; Editing by Ken FerrisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Pierre, Emerick, Jean Noel Amonome, Theo Bongonda, Saturday's, Mark Gleeson, Ken Ferris Organizations: Democratic, Africa, Nations, U.S . Geological, Reuters, Confederation of African Football, DR, Belgium, Congolese, Clesio, Ivory Coast, Thomson Locations: CAPE, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mauritania, Mozambique, Morocco, Liberia, Gambia, Congo, Marrakech, The Gambia, Ivory Coast, DR Congo, Sudan, Gabon, Kinshasa, Mayele, Benin, Maputo, Senegal, Burundi, Cameroon, Namibia, Algeria, Angola, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde Islands, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia, Zambia, Cape Town

☆ Basketball Serbia and Germany in pursuit of first World Cup title
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-09 | by ( Neil Jerome Morales | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MANILA, Sept 9 (Reuters) - A first-time winner will be crowned on Sunday when Serbia and Germany lock horns in the first all-European final at the FIBA World Cup since 2006. Reaching the final allowed Serbia and Germany to exorcise forgettable 2019 campaigns. Serbia were knocked out in the quarter-finals, while Germany finished a lowly 18th. "It is great to see two teams that have earned their way," Spain's Pau Gasol, the World Cup global ambassador, said in a talk show on Saturday. The Germans have won three of their five tussles against Serbia, including their last two meetings.

Persons: Nikola Milutinov, Spain's Pau, Germany's Andreas Obst, Nobody, it's, Serbia's Filip Petrusev, Nikola Jokic, Simanic, Neil Jerome Morales, Pritha Sarkar Organizations: FIBA, Spain's Pau Gasol, Reuters, Philadelphia 76ers, Canada, NBA, Thomson Locations: MANILA, Serbia, Germany, Spain, United States, Manila, Sudan

☆ American economic power is potent but unstable
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Peter Thal Larsen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

LONDON, Sept 8 (Reuters Breakingviews) - For the past 15 years, the iPhone has been a totem of U.S. economic power. If the country is cooling on the $2.8 trillion company, it’s a potent indicator of increasingly frosty relations with the United States. Perhaps most significantly, the U.S. government realised it could use the internet to spy on adversaries and the financial system to subdue them. The tendency of capitalism to produce a handful of giant companies, many of them headquartered in the United States, helped successive administrations exert their authority. A complete severing of economic links between China and the United States is hard to imagine.

Persons: Norman Angell, Thomas Friedman, Vladimir Putin, Edward Snowden, Henry Farrell, Abraham Newman, Johns Hopkins SAIS, Putin, Biden, ”, Farrell, Newman, Donald Trump, ” Farrell, Allen Lane, Jeffrey Goldfarb, Aditya Sriwatsav Organizations: Reuters, Apple, World Trade Organization, New York Times, National Security Agency, U.S . Treasury, Johns Hopkins, Georgetown University, WTO, Huawei, BNP, Biden Administration, Intel, U.S ., European, United, Thomson Locations: China, Beijing, United States, France, Russian, U.S, North Korea, Iran, New York, Washington, Sudan, Cuba, Ukraine, America, Russia, Germany, United, Europe

Even with its best player sitting out this summer, Serbia is going to play for gold at the Basketball World Cup. Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 23 points and Serbia defeated Canada 95-86 in the World Cup semifinals on Friday. It’s a great group of guys, great chemistry, and when you have good chemistry and great players, anything can happen. They played a great game,” Barrett said. “I'm proud of my guys,” Canada coach Jordi Fernandez said.

Persons: Nikola Jokic, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Ognjen Dobric, Nikola Milutinov, Canada’s, Serbia's Marko Guduric, “, “ Nobody, Filip Petrusev, RJ Barrett, ” Barrett, ” Dillon Brooks, Shai Gilgeous, Alexander, “ I'm, Jordi Fernandez, ” Jokic, they'll, ” Guduric, Simanic, —, ” Fernandez, Canada's, ___ Organizations: Basketball, Serbia, Canada, ”, Denver Nuggets, NBA, South, Olympic, France, Latvia, ___ AP NBA, AP Locations: MANILA, Philippines, Serbia, Germany, Manila, ” Serbia, U.S, Canada, South Sudan, Spain

☆ White House: Still Work to Do on Israel-Saudi Normalization
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

By Nandita BoseABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (Reuters) - White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Thursday that U.S., Israeli and Saudi leaders have put many of the elements of a pathway to normalization on the table but there is still much work to do. Sullivan spoke to reporters aboard Air Force One as President Joe Biden flew to India to attend a G20 summit. "Many of the elements of a pathway to normalization are now on the table. There is still work to do," Sullivan said. Biden envoy Brett McGurk was in Saudi Arabia for talks this week that officials said was largely about the Yemen war but was also expected to include discussions on the potential normalization deal.

Persons: Nandita Bose, Jake Sullivan, Sullivan, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Biden, Brett McGurk, Steve Holland, Sandra Maler, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: AIR FORCE, White House, Saudi, Air Force, United, United Arab Emirates, CNN, Biden Locations: India, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Sudan, Bahrain, United Arab, U.S, Saudi, United States, Yemen

☆ Chad president talks election challenges with US envoy to UN
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, meets with interim Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby at the presidential palace in N'Djamena, Chad, September 7, 2023. REUTERS/Michelle Nichols Acquire Licensing RightsN'DJAMENA, Sept 7 (Reuters) - Chad's interim President Mahamat Idriss Deby spoke with the U.S. envoy to the United Nations about challenges to holding an election, the envoy said on Thursday, more than two years after bypassing the central African country's constitution to install himself as leader. Military leaders in Chad originally promised an 18-month transition to elections when Deby seized power after his father, President Idriss Deby, was killed on the battlefield during a conflict with insurgents, ending decades of authoritarian rule. Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield - a member of President Joe Biden's cabinet - met with Deby in Chad's capital N'Djamena. Tensions have flared again on Chad's northern border with Libya, where fighting between rebels and the army subsided after president Idriss Deby was killed in 2021.

Persons: Linda Thomas, Mahamat Idriss Deby, Michelle Nichols, Deby, Idriss Deby, Joe Biden's, Thomas, Greenfield, Chad's, Ed McAllister, Josie Kao Organizations: United Nations, REUTERS, Rights, U.S, United, Military, Thomas, SAF, Rapid Support Forces, Thomson Locations: Greenfield, N'Djamena, Chad, Rights N'DJAMENA, United Nations, U.S, Chad's, France, Libya, Sudan

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Central African Republic is facing a humanitarian crisis with 2.4 million people in need of assistance and the U.N.’s $534 million appeal only 36% funded, a U.N. official said Wednesday. Mineral-rich but impoverished CAR has a population of 6 million. CAR's President Faustin Archange Touadera has developed close ties to Russia and its Wagner mercenary group whose forces have served as his personal bodyguards. He said there are armed groups and security issues around CAR’s borders with Sudan, Chad and South Sudan and minefields and explosives in the west. The U.N. announced Tuesday it was giving CAR $6.5 million from its emergency relief fund.

Persons: Mohamed Ag Ayoya, Ayoya, it’s, aren’t, Francois Bozize, Faustin Archange, Wagner, Touadera, Yevgeny Prigozhin, ” Ayoya, ” Organizations: UNITED NATIONS, —, United Nations, Republican Front, Central African, Russia Locations: African Republic, Chad, Sudan, Russia, Bangui, Central African Republic, CAR’s, South Sudan

☆ US Sanctions Deputy Leader of Sudan's RSF Over Abuses
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

By Michelle NicholsN'DJAMENA (Reuters) - The United States is imposing sanctions on the deputy leader of Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) over human rights abuses, the U.S. envoy to the United Nations will announce during a trip to Chad's border with Sudan on Wednesday. Previous sanctions, levied on companies, also targeted the army. While the sanctions carry political weight, it is unclear that they would have any impact on the course of the current conflict. In June, the U.S. imposed sanctions on companies it accused of fuelling the conflict in Sudan. The U.S. Treasury Department targeted two companies affiliated with Sudan's army and two companies affiliated with the RSF, accusing them of generating revenue from the conflict and contributing to the fighting.

Persons: Michelle Nichols N'DJAMENA, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, RSF, Dagalo, Linda Thomas, Greenfield, Washington, Omar al, Bashir, Abdelrahim Dagalo, Abdel Fattah al, Burhan, Nafisa Eltahir, Daphne Psaledakis, Aidan Lewis, William Maclean Organizations: Rapid Support Forces, United Nations, Reuters, Thomas, SAF, United Arab, The U.S . Treasury Department Locations: United States, U.S, Sudan, West Darfur, Sudan's Darfur, Darfur, Chad, Khartoum, Hemedti, United Arab Emirates, Russia, The U.S

☆ UK to declare Russia's Wagner a terrorist organisation
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A flag with the logo of Wagner private mercenary group is attached to a car during an automobile rally at a patriotic festival marking Russia's National Flag Day in the Moscow region, Russia, August 23, 2023. Britain's interior minister Suella Braverman described the Wagner Group as "violent and destructive", adding it "acted as a military tool of Vladimir Putin's Russia overseas". "They are terrorists, plain and simple - and this proscription order makes that clear in UK law," she said. The Wagner mercenary group has operated in Syria, Libya and a number of countries across northern and western Africa. Lawmakers on parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee in July urged more targeted sanctions on what it said were a "web of entities" beneath the Wagner Group.

Persons: Wagner, Yulia Morozova, Suella Braverman, Vladimir Putin's, David Lammy, Putin, Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Lavanya, Sarah Young, Peter Graff, William Schomberg Organizations: REUTERS, Wagner Group, Labour, Twitter, Britain, Prigozhin, Central African, Lawmakers, parliament's Foreign Affairs, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Russian, British, Vladimir Putin's Russia, Ukraine, East, Africa, Syria, Libya, Central African Republic, Mali, Sudan, Bengaluru, London

STOCKHOLM (AP) — Two executives of a Swedish oil exploration and production company went on trial Tuesday in Stockholm for securing the company's operations in Sudan through their alleged complicity in war crimes in 20 years ago. The two executives are accused of involvement in the Sudanese government's military campaign to clear an area in southern Sudan for oil production. South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011 to become the world’s youngest nation. They also want 1.4 billion kronor ($127 million) confiscated from Lundin Oil because of economic benefits that were achieved from the alleged crimes. In Sweden, the maximum penalty for complicity in war crimes is a life prison sentence, which generally means a minimum of 20 to 25 years.

Persons: Ian Lundin, Alex Schneiter, Omar al, Bashir, Lundin, ”, Schneiter “ Organizations: STOCKHOLM, Sudanese, Court, Petronas Carigali Overseas, Sudapet Ltd, Lundin Oil, Prosecutors Locations: Stockholm, Sudan, Darfur, OMV, Austria, Sudanese, Swedish, Lundin, Sweden

☆ U.S. aiming for record sixth title as World Cup enters knockout phase
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( Neil Jerome Morales | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Basketball - FIBA World Cup 2023 - First Round - Group C - United States of America v Jordan - Mall of Asia Arena, Manila, Philippines - August 30, 2023 United States players celebrate after winning the match REUTERS/Lisa Marie David/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsMANILA, Sept 4 (Reuters) - The United States will be hoping to stay on track for a record sixth world title when they face Italy in the quarter-finals as the Basketball World Cup enters the knockout stage on Tuesday. The tournament has been full of surprises with debutants enjoying upset victories and many expected title contenders, including defending champions Spain, going home early. Basketball-obsessed Philippines won their final classification game against China 96-75 and avoided being the first winless hosts since Colombia in 1982. That beat the previous record of 32,616 who watched the U.S.-Russia final at the 1994 World Cup in Toronto, Canada. "It's been a great tournament, it's been a great World Cup," Grant Hill, managing director of the U.S. team told reporters.

Persons: Lisa Marie David, debutants, we're, Austin Reaves, we've, Donatas Motiejunas, It's, it's, Grant Hill, Neil Jerome Morales, Ken Ferris Organizations: Basketball, FIBA, Asia Arena, United, Rights, Spain, USA, Lithuania, Sunday, China, U.S ., Thomson Locations: United States, America, Jordan, Asia, Manila, Philippines, Rights MANILA, Italy, U.S, Lithuania, Serbia, Germany, Latvia, Canada, Slovenia, Spain, Jakarta, France, Australia, Argentina, Greece, . South Sudan, Africa, Japan, Indonesia, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Russia, Toronto

☆ Sudan's army launches strikes to cut off paramilitary's supply routes
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Sept 3 (Reuters) - The Sudanese army staged a large scale attack on its paramilitary rival's supply routes on Sunday, eyewitnesses said, as its leader appeared to reject a negotiated solution. The almost five-month war since April 15 has devastated Sudan, worsening hunger, destroying infrastructure, and killing hundreds of civilians. Strikes also continued in southern Khartoum, after a local volunteer group said 20 people were killed late on Saturday in an air raid. Burhan emerged from army headquarters for the first time since the war began late last month, after fierce battles over the army's only other stronghold in the capital. The RSF said on Sunday it controlled part of that stronghold, the Armoured Corps base in southern Khartoum.

Persons: Strikes, Abdel Fattah al, Burhan, RSF, Khalid Abdelaziz, Nafisa Eltahir, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: Sudanese, Rapid Support Forces, Armoured Corps, Thomson Locations: Sudan, Omdurman, Darfur, Bahri, Khartoum, Kassala

☆ Bill Richardson, U.S. diplomat and troubleshooter, dead at 75
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( Will Dunham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

As a congressman in 1994, Richardson visited reclusive communist-ruled North Korea to discuss a nuclear accord struck by Clinton. As Richardson was traveling to the country, North Korea shot down a U.S. military helicopter that had entered its territory, killing one pilot and capturing the other. Richardson stayed for weeks to negotiate, flying home with the dead pilot's remains while the surviving pilot was released soon thereafter. In 1996, Richardson negotiated the release of an American named Evan Hunziker, jailed on spy charges in North Korea. Richardson later attended a prep school in Massachusetts, where he became a star baseball pitcher with dreams of a professional career.

Persons: New Mexico Bill Richardson, Gus Ruelas, Bill Richardson, Richardson, Mickey Bergman, Bergman, Bill Clinton, you've, You've, Barack Obama, Obama, Danny Fenster, Clinton, Evan Hunziker, Saddam Hussein, Fidel Castro, William Blaine Richardson, Will Dunham, Lucia Mutikani, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: University of Southern California's Schwarzenegger Institute for State, Global, REUTERS, Rights, New, Richardson Center, U.S, Richardson, Democratic, U.S . House, Representatives, United Nations, Foreign Policy, Cuban, Citibank, Tufts University, State Department, Thomson Locations: New Mexico, Los Angeles , California, U.S, Chatham , Massachusetts, Mexican, American, United States, North Korea, Myanmar, Sudan, Iraq, Iran, Cuba, New Hampshire, Iowa, Korean, Kuwait, Iraqi, Miami, Pasadena , California, Mexico City, Oaxaca, Massachusetts, Washington

But five months later, the overall number of people filing refugee claims in Canada has risen instead of falling. But it has sought to discourage those applying for asylum, chiefly through an agreement with the U.S. under which each country turns back asylum seekers. Asylum seekers are drawn by Canada's reputation for swifter processing and greater acceptance of asylum applications compared to the U.S. But overall, the number of asylum seekers entering Canada has surged. People applying at airports comprised about a third of all refugee claims made in July, up from about 16% in March.

Persons: Shauna Labman, Joe Biden's, Craig Damian Smith, Remi Lariviere, Lariviere, Abdulla Daoud, Loly Rico, Hana Bakhit, Maureen Silcoff, Silcoff, Grace Nanziri, Anna Mehler, Denny Thomas, Deepa Babington Organizations: Reuters, Human, University of Winnipeg, U.S, European Union, Centre for Refugee Studies, York University, FCJ Refugee, REUTERS, Refugee Centre, FCJ, Thomson Locations: Canada, U.S, Toronto, Quebec, New York, United States, Mexico, Haiti, Turkey, Colombia, India, Rwanda, Montreal, Canada's, Sudan, Uganda

☆ Are Armenians Being Ethnically Cleansed — Again? - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( Nicholas Kristof | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

With its Russian torture chambers and slaughter of civilians, the war in Ukraine is horrifying enough. But what if another country is taking advantage of the distraction to commit its own crimes against humanity? You probably haven’t heard of Azerbaijan’s brutality toward an ethnic Armenian enclave called Nagorno-Karabakh, but it deserves scrutiny. “There is an ongoing genocide against 120,000 Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh,” he wrote in a recent report. We tend to think of genocide as the slaughter of an ethnic group.

Persons: Luis Moreno Ocampo, ” Organizations: Criminal Locations: Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Nagorno, Karabakh, Sudan’s Darfur

☆ Former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson dead at 75
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( Uwa Ede-Osifo | Associated Press | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Bill Richardson, the former New Mexico governor, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and Secretary of Energy under President Bill Clinton, has died. Mickey Bergman, Vice President of the Richardson Center, commented in a statement on Saturday, "Governor Richardson passed away peacefully in his sleep last night. "There was no person that Governor Richardson would not speak with if it held the promise of returning a person to freedom. Richardson came to New Mexico in 1978 and chose to run for political office in the state because of its Hispanic roots. Rep. Gabe Vasquez shared a heartfelt message calling Richardson a "titan in New Mexico and abroad."

Persons: Bill Richardson, Bill Clinton, Richardson, Mickey Bergman, Governor Richardson, Bergman, Brittney Griner, Griner, Saddam Hussein, Fidel Castro, Kim Jong, " Richardson, William Blaine Richardson, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Obama, Richardson's, Gabe Vasquez, Vazquez, Sen, Ben Ray Luján, Luján Organizations: New, United Nations, Energy, Richardson Locations: New Mexico, U.S, Moscow, Bangladesh, North Korea, Sudan, Colombia, Iraq, Congo, Zaire, Afghanistan, Pasadena , California, Mexico City, American, Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Mexico

☆ ‘It brought back memories of Syria.’ For refugees in Sudan, war is a reminder of the terror they left behind
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Sana Noor Haq Nadeen Ebrahim Celine Alkhaldi | Sana Noor Haq | Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

It brought back memories of Syria,” Abad reflected. After settling in Khartoum, Shadi fled to Port Sudan in April when the conflict started – almost exactly six years after he first stepped foot in Sudan in search of stability. We have not received any confirmed report of casualties among Syrian refugees due to the conflict,” the spokesperson said in a statement. The agency has received reports of many Syrian refugees who self-relocated to safe areas, including over 2,000 in Port Sudan, the spokesperson added. But when I sit still, I start getting thoughts about (the war) in Khartoum and Syria,” Shadi, who works as a barista in Port Sudan, said.

Persons: CNN — Abad, ”, Abad, Bashar al, Assad, ” Abad, ‘, George Ourfalian, “, Uzair, ’, Stringer, they’re, Shadi, SANA, it’s, ” Shadi Organizations: CNN, UNHCR, Sudanese, Eritrean, Rapid Support Forces, Getty, “, ”, United, United Arab Emirates, Crescent, International Committee, UN, Port Sudan, Saudi Locations: Aleppo, Syria, Sudan, Sukkari, AFP, UNHCR, Khartoum, Port Sudan, Damascus, United Arab, UAE, Russia, Homs, Port, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Algeria, Egypt

☆ Fact Check-Video does not show Wagner mercenaries landing in Niger
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A years-old video of a plane landing is being shared on social media to falsely claim it’s proof of Wagner mercenary fighters arriving in Niger in 2023. Authorities in Niger have officially confirmed the presence of Wagner fighters in the country” (here). Reuters did not independently verify the location of the 2006 video, though the deserted area around the runway coupled with buildings close by is markedly similar to the topography around Khartoum International Airport. Reuters’ reporting on the coup in Niger can be found (here). The video dates to at least 2006, thus is unrelated to Wagner and the 2023 coup in Niger.

Persons: Wagner, Mohamed Bazoum, Read Organizations: West African, ECOWAS, Wagner PMC, Authorities, Facebook, Reuters, YouTube, Khartoum International, Google, Center for Strategic, International Studies Locations: Niger, Khartoum, Sudan

The two discussed President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's offer to mediate the conflict during a short meeting in the coastal city of El Alamein, an initiative Burhan said he welcomed, according to an Egyptian presidency statement. In brief comments from El Alamein, Burhan said he wanted to end the war, but did not mention the possibility of talks. "We ask the world to take an objective and correct view of this war. This war was started by a group that wanted to take over power, and in the process it has committed every crime that could come to mind," Burhan said. The RSF has denied the accusations but said that any of its fighters found involved in abuses would be brought to justice.

Persons: Burhan, Sisi, Abdel Fattah al, General Abdel Fattah al, RSF, Khalid Abdelaziz, Nafisa Eltahir, Mohamed Waly, Maggie Michael, Clauda Tanios, Jacqueline Wong, Andrew Heavens, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Rapid Support Forces, United, MSF, Nafisa, Thomson Locations: Egypt, Nyala, Sudan, El Alamein, Saudi Arabia, United States, El, Alamein, El Geneina, West Darfur, Western, Khartoum, South Darfur, Dubai, Cairo

☆ Libyan PM sacks foreign minister as row over Israel meeting grows
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] Libyan Foreign Minister Najla el-Mangoush attends a joint press conference at the conclusion of the Libya Stabilization Conference, in Tripoli, Libya, October 21, 2021. Mangoush had said her meeting with Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen in Rome was unplanned and informal, but an Israeli official told Reuters it had lasted two hours and was approved "at the highest levels in Libya". The meeting is contentious because Libya does not formally recognise Israel and there is widespread public support across the Libyan political spectrum for the Palestinian cause of creating an independent state in territory Israel occupies. The Libya prime minister sees Israel as a possible bridge to the West and the U.S. administration," the official said. Libya's parliament based in the east, which rejects the GNU, said on Sunday it would hold hearings into the meeting with the Israeli minister.

Persons: Najla, Mangoush, Hazem Ahmed, Najla Mangoush, Eli Cohen, Abdulhamid, Muammar Gaddafi, Cohen, Antonio Tajani, Dbeibah, Libya's, Abraham, Francesco Galietti, Giorgia Meloni, Dan Williams, Francesca Landini, Gavin Jones, Angus McDowall, James Mackenzie, Peter Graff, Mark Heinrich, Conor Humphries Organizations: Libyan Foreign, Libya Stabilization Conference, REUTERS, Rome Israeli, Israeli, Reuters, Protesters, Libya's Foreign, Palestinian, Libyan, U.S, United Arab, Abraham Accords, of National Unity, GNU, UAE, High State Council, Dbeibah, Italian, Thomson Locations: Libya, Tripoli, Rome, TRIPOLI, JERUSALEM, Israel, Benghazi, Italian, Italy, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, Sudan, United States, Dbeibah's, Reuters Libya, Jerusalem

☆ Far from fighting, doctor strikes aggravate healthcare collapse in Port Sudan
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"It is exhausting, there are many patients and there's a lot of suffering," said Omar al-Saeed, a striking nurse at Port Sudan teaching hospital. According to the UN, more than 100,000 have fled to Port Sudan, filling up the already dense city's hospitals and shelters, while fighting is focussed in Khartoum and the west of the country. Sudanese hospitals have long been under-funded, and strikes by medical staff have been frequent. The war, during which many hospitals in areas of fighting have been damaged, has brought the system to its knees. Doctors in Port Sudan have had to grapple with power cuts, intense humidity and medicine shortages, while patients are kept in close confines though many have respiratory illnesses, hospital officials say.

Persons: Omar al, Saeed, Bashir, Martin Griffiths, Ayat Mohamed, Dar Abnaa, Ibrahim Mohammed Ishak, Nafisa Eltahir, Conor Humphries Organizations: Sudanese, Rapid Support Forces, Port Sudan, UN, United, Dar, Thomson Locations: Port Sudan, Khartoum, Sudan, PORT SUDAN, Red, United Nations

☆ 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

☆ Israeli and Libyan ministers discussed cooperation, Israel says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JERUSALEM, Aug 27 (Reuters) - The Israeli and Libyan foreign ministers met in Italy last week despite not having formal relations, Israel said on Sunday, saying they discussed possible cooperation. Since 2020 Israel has moved to normalise ties with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan through the so-called 'Abraham accords' brokered by the United States. "I spoke with the foreign minister about the great potential for the two countries from their relations," Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said in a statement. A spokesperson for Libya's Government of National Unity (GNU) in Tripoli did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Cohen's meeting with Libyan Foreign Minister Najla Mangoush. The meeting was facilitated by Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, Israel's foreign ministry said, adding they had discussed possible cooperation and Israeli aid in humanitarian issues, agriculture and water management.

Persons: Israel, Abraham, Eli Cohen, Najla Mangoush, Antonio Tajani, Cohen, Emily Rose, Sharon Singleton, Giles Elgood Organizations: Libyan, United Arab, Libya's Government of National Unity, GNU, Libyan Foreign, Italian, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Italy, Israel, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, Sudan, United States, Tripoli, Libya, Palestinian, Turkey, Reuters Libya

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