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CNN —Yevgeny Prigozhin turned the Wagner Group from a shadowy band of mercenaries into a feared military powerhouse operating across multiple countries on three continents. The kind of clear chain of command that is common in traditional military does not exist in Wagner, which makes Prigozhin’s demise a potentially existential problem for the group. Members of Wagner group sit atop of a tank in a street in the city of Rostov-on-Don, on June 24, 2023. A Russian military delegation went to the Libyan city of Benghazi this week to meet with Haftar, who has been supported by Wagner for several years. He said the cracks in the foundations of West African and Central African countries that have leaned on the Wagner Group for support could begin to emerge now.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, ”, Natasha Lindstaedt, “ It’s, ” Lindstaedt, – Wagner, Dmitriy Utkin, Valeriy Chekalov –, “ Wagner, Russia ” Wagner, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, “, ” Wagner, Huseyn Aliyev, –, ” Aliyev, Aliyev, Lindstaedt, Putin, Stringer, Yevgeny Progozhin, Khalifa, Haftar, Yevkurov, ” Oluwole, there’s, ” Prigozhin, Christopher O, Ogunmodede, couldn’t, Sergey Lavrov Organizations: CNN, Wagner, University of Essex, Russia, University of Glasgow, Kremlin, Ministry of Defense, Prigozhin's Press Service, Russian Ministry of Defense, Kommersant, UK Ministry of Defense, Getty Images Security, Russian, Central African, Forces, Reuters, Libyan, Central Africa, Institute for Security Studies, Central, Wagner Group, Politics, Russia’s Locations: Moscow, Russia, Russia’s, Russian, United States, Ukraine, Africa, Middle, Bakhmut, Rostov, AFP, Syria, St . Petersburg, Mali, Crimea, Central African Republic, Mozambique, Libya, Libyan, Benghazi, West African, “, Mali …

Stick with us; we'll show you where to watch a USA vs. New Zealand live stream for free. These handy apps let your devices mimic various international locations of your choosing so you can watch the FIBA World Cup online for free. Where to watch USA vs. New Zealand FIBA World Cup basketball live streams free from anywhereYou can catch USA vs. New Zealand in the FIBA World Cup for free using TVNZ, a streaming service in New Zealand showing quite a bit of this year's action. FIBA World Cup scheduleBelow is a full schedule of FIBA World Cup games that will run through the September 10 final. Take a look at our full guide on how to watch free FIBA World Cup live streams for information on other competing nations.

Persons: you'll, You'll, ExpressVPN, Jordan Organizations: USA, FIBA, New Zealand FIBA World, New, TVNZ, United, United States ESPN, FIBA World, ESPN2, ESPN Plus, ESPN, Subscription, B, Araneta Coliseum, Okinawa, Jordan, Asia Arena Iran, G, Indonesia Arena Slovenia, Serbia, Asia Arena Spain, Indonesia, Sunday, Araneta Coliseum Australia, Okinawa Arena Montenegro, Asia Arena Lebanon, Philippines, Araneta Coliseum Japan, Lithuania, Asia Arena France, Araneta Coliseum Venezuela, Okinawa Arena New Zealand, Asia Arena Cote d'Ivoire, Indonesia Arena Georgia, Okinawa Arena Puerto Rico, Asia Arena Brazil, Angola, Indonesia Arena Australia, Araneta Coliseum Montenegro, Asia Arena Canada, Wednesday, Araneta Coliseum Georgia, China Locations: New Zealand, Zealand, United States, Sudan, Puerto Rico, Verde, . Georgia, Greece, Asia, Brazil, Venezuela, China, Cote d'Ivoire, Italy, Dominican Republic, Germany, Egypt, Indonesia, Angola, Finland, Mexico, Latvia, South Sudan, Cape Verde, Iran, Slovenia, Serbia, Spain, France, Lithuania

☆ Canada's Arop goes from back to front to take 800m gold
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-26 | by ( Mitch Phillips | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BUDAPEST, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Canada's Marco Arop foxed his rivals with a radical change of tactics and then poured on the pace to win a brilliant 800 metres World Championship gold on Saturday. Arop, the bronze medallist last year, kept his foot down to win comfortably in 1:44.24. Now it's going to be hard to beat a gold medal - I'll just have to repeat it, I guess." "Before the race my coach told me I could race to win or race for a medal. I said I wanted to win," said Pattison, who was the second-slowest coming into the nine-man final field.

Persons: Marco Arop foxed, Kenya's Emmanuel Wanyonyi, Ben Pattison, Britain's, Adrian Ben, Arop, Eugene I, Pattison, Josh Kerr, Mitch Phillips, Pritha Sarkar, Ken Ferris Organizations: Thomson Locations: BUDAPEST, Sudan, Eugene

☆ Favourites United States, Spain start World Cup campaigns with routs
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-26 | by ( Neil Jerome Morales | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Second-ranked Team USA started their quest for a record sixth basketball World Cup crown by overcoming a slow start against New Zealand to win 99-72 in Manila. "The whole second unit really came in and righted the ship after the slow start," Team USA coach Steve Kerr told a press conference. The Tall Blacks led 14-4 in the first quarter while the United States battled turnovers and missed shots. Team USA face Greece on Monday and Jordan on Wednesday. Spain, FIBA's number one team, aim to be the fourth nation with back-to-back crowns and win at least three World Cup trophies.

Persons: Austin Reaves, Lisa Marie David Acquire, Steve Kerr, Jordan, Willy Hernangomez's, Rondae Hollis, Luka Doncic, Neil Jerome Morales, Ken Ferris Organizations: Basketball, FIBA, Asia Arena, Rights, FIBA Basketball, USA, New Zealand, Blacks, United States, Los Angeles Lakers, Team USA, Spain, Jordan, NBA, Dallas Mavericks, Thomson Locations: United States, America, New Zealand, Asia, Manila, Philippines, Spain, New, Jakarta, Ivory, Brazil, Iran, Puerto Rico, South Sudan, Americas, Greece, Serbia, China, Okinawa, Georgia, Cape, Slovenia, Venezuela, Europe, Africa, Oceania

☆ Sudan's military ruler Burhan begins tour as UN warns of war spreading
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Sudan's General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan stands among troops,in an unknown location, in this picture released on May 30, 2023. Burhan, who is also armed forces chief, plans to chair a cabinet meeting. The army circulated videos on Friday of Burhan visiting the Atbara artillery base, north of Khartoum in River Nile state. The $2.6 billion Sudan appeal is just 26% funded, a U.N. spokesperson told a Geneva briefing, calling on donors to speed up promised aid. These acts of brutality contribute to an emerging pattern of targeted ethnic violence," the department said in a statement.

Persons: Abdel Fattah al, Burhan, Martin Griffiths, Griffiths, Susanna Borges, Khalid Abdelaziz, Emma Farge, Nafisa, Moaz Abd, Kirsti Knolle, Angus MacSwan, Mike Harrison, William Mallard Organizations: Sudanese Armed Forces, REUTERS, Rights, United Nations, Rapid Support Forces, Sans Frontieres, Washington, State Department, Thomson Locations: GENEVA, Khartoum, Sudan, Port Sudan, Omdurman, Nile, Kordofan, Darfur, Geneva, Chad, West Darfur, Dubai, Cairo

☆ Prigozhin was scrambling to salvage his business empire from Kremlin control in the days before his death, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Yevgeny Prigozhin flew across African trying to salvage contracts there, the WSJ reported. Per the WSJ's investigation, Prigozhin was racing to stop the Kremlin dismantling his empire. Get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in business, from Wall Street to Silicon Valley — delivered daily. AdvertisementAdvertisementPer the WSJ's account, the plane crash cut short an effort by Prigozhin to maintain his sprawling network of mercenary deals. Per The Journal, other sources of income for Prigozhin include gold from Sudan, and diamond and timber from the Central African Republic.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Wagner Organizations: Service, Wall Street, Wagner Group, Kremlin, Central African Republic, Russian, Wagner, Dossier, Central African Locations: Russia, Wall, Silicon, Africa, Kremlin, Russian, St . Petersburg, Sudan, Mali, East, Central African Republic

☆ 'Final nail in the coffin' for Russia's Wagner Group as leader Prigozhin presumed dead
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Head of the Wagner Group Yevgeny Prigozhin left the Southern Military District headquarters on June 24, 2023 in Rostov-on-Don, Russia. Stringer | Anadolu Agency | Getty ImagesRussian mercenary force Wagner Group may have suffered a "final nail in the coffin" with the presumed death of leader Yevgeny Prigozhin in a plane crash, analysts suggest. Yet the group also appeared to call for peace, with the Wagner Group Telegram channel on Thursday calling for its members and supporters not to "take any measures" within Russian territory. A member of private mercenary group Wagner pays tribute to Yevgeny Prigozhin and Dmitry Utkin following their apparent deaths in a plane crash on Aug. 23, 2023. Members of the Wagner Group prepare to depart from the Southern Military District's headquarters and return to their base on June 24, 2023 in Rostov-on-Don, Russia.

Persons: Wagner Group Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Dmitry Utkin, Vladimir Putin, Prigozhin, Jason Bush, They've, Bush, it's, Alexander Lukashenko, Vladimir Nikolayev, Putin, disbursing Wagner, who'd, reimagining Wagner, Doxsee, Sergei Surovikin, Surovikin, —, Prigozhin's Organizations: Wagner Group, Southern Military, Stringer, Anadolu Agency, Getty, NBC News, Grey Zone, Central African, Russian Defense Ministry, Russian Armed Forces, Kremlin, Redut PMC, Mercenaries, Defense Ministry, Eurasia Group, CNBC, Afp, Russian Embassy, Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, Transnational, Center for Strategic & International Studies, Russian Aerospace Forces, PMC Locations: Rostov, Don, Russia, Moscow, Tver, Hell, Russia's, Ukraine, Central African Republic, Libya, Mali, Sudan, Syria, Belarus, Africa, Russian, London

Where to watch FIBA World Cup basketball live streams free from anywhereYou can catch some of the FIBA World Cup action using free live streams in countries like New Zealand (TVNZ), Spain (RTVE), and France (France.tv). When: August 25 - September 10How to watch the FIBA World Cup in the USAESPN will stream all FIBA World Cup in the US across its various platforms. How to watch the FIBA World Cup in AustraliaYou have quite a few options for watching FIBA World Cup games in Australia. How to watch the FIBA World Cup in CanadaSportsNet is the only destination to watch the FIBA World Cup in Canada, and you'll only be able to watch the national team's games live. FIBA World Cup scheduleBelow is a full schedule of FIBA World Cup games that will run through the September 10 final.

Persons: Giannis Antetekounmpo, Luka Dončić, Rudy Gobert, Bodan Bogdanovic, Karl, Anthony Towns, ExpressVPN, Spain RTVE, Jordan Organizations: FIBA, NBA, FIBA World, New Zealand, TVNZ, ESPN, NBA.com FIBA, USA ESPN, ESPN2, USA, Subscription, Foxtel, Sky NZ, ESPN Australia, Kayo, Android, Apple, Samsung, LG, Amazon, PlayStation, Viewers, Canada SportsNet, New Zealand TVNZ, Blacks, Spanish, France Viewers, French, France, Araneta Coliseum Finland, Okinawa, Mexico, Asia Arena Latvia, Indonesia Arena Dominican, Araneta Coliseum Germany, Asia Arena Canada, Indonesia, B, Araneta Coliseum, Jordan, Asia Arena Iran, G, Indonesia Arena Slovenia, Serbia, Asia Arena Spain, Sunday, Araneta Coliseum Australia, Okinawa Arena Montenegro, Asia Arena Lebanon, Philippines, Araneta Coliseum Japan, Lithuania, Asia Arena France, Araneta Coliseum Venezuela, Okinawa Arena New Zealand, Asia Arena Cote d'Ivoire, Indonesia Arena Georgia, Okinawa Arena Puerto Rico, Asia Arena Brazil, Angola, Indonesia Arena Australia, Araneta Coliseum Montenegro, Wednesday, Araneta Coliseum Georgia, China Locations: Asia, Pacific, United States, Germany, Canada, Spain, France, China, Greece, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, New, Australia, USA, Angola, Argentina, Cape Verde, Cote D'Ivoire, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Indonesia, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Puerto Rico, Serbia, Slovenia, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, Taiwan, Finland, Italy, Montenegro, Lebanon, Philippines, Okinawa, Egypt, Sudan, Verde, . Georgia, Brazil, Venezuela, Zealand, Cote d'Ivoire, South Sudan, Iran

☆ Yevgeny Prigozhin plane crash: who were the passengers on the jet?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A fighter of Wagner private mercenary group lights a candle at a makeshift memorial with portraits of Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and Wagner group commander Dmitry Utkin outside the local office of the Wagner private mercenary group in Novosibirsk, Russia August 24, 2023. REUTERS/Stringer Acquire Licensing RightsAug 24 (Reuters) - Funerals are expected to take place soon for Russian mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin and other members of his Wagner group who died in a plane crash last week. * Yevgeny Prigozhin, 62, soared to prominence after Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine where his fighters including thousands of released convicts led the Russian capture of the city of Bakhmut. * Dmitry Utkin, 53, Prigozhin's right-hand man, co-founder of Wagner and the group's top military commander, whose call-sign was "Wagner". The St. Petersburg newspaper Fontanka, which has been investigating the Wagner group for years, wrote that Chekalov was Wagner's "logistician".

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Dmitry Utkin, Stringer, Utkin, Vladimir Putin, Valery Chekalov, Chekalov, Sergei Propustin, Propustin, Alexander Totmin, Myrotvorets, Totmin, Yevgeny Makaryan, Nikolai Matuseyev, Filipp Lebedev, Andrew Osborn, Mark Heinrich, Andrew Heavens Organizations: REUTERS, Fontanka, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Novosibirsk, Russia, Russian, Ukraine, Bakhmut, Syria, St, Petersburg, Sudan

☆ Opinion: Prigozhin seemed to be living on borrowed time
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Opinion Daniel Treisman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin — who the Russian aviation agency confirmed was a passenger on board a plane that crashed on Wednesday evening — seemed to be living on borrowed time. Video of the plane debris taken at the purported crash site in the western Tver region of Russia matches the plane registered to Prigozhin. Investigations were started within the armed forces, and probably within the security forces as well. Any effort to paint Prigozhin as wealthy and corrupt stopped almost immediately, and no new financial investigations were announced. And in what might have been the last straw for Putin, Prigozhin released a video on Monday of himself standing in what looked like an African desert, boasting of his men’s exploits.

Persons: Daniel Treisman, “, CNN — Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin —, Wagner, Vladimir Putin, Prigozhin, Alexander Lukashenko, Putin, William Burns, “ I, Alexander Zemlianichenko, –, —, Sergei Surovikin, Surovikin, Viktor Afzalov Organizations: University of California, CNN, Belarus, CIA, Kremlin, Central African, Investigations, Washington, Twitter, Facebook Locations: Los Angeles, Russian, Russia, Tver, Kuzhenkino, Tver region, Moscow, Africa, Mali, Central African Republic, Mozambique, Sudan, Ukraine, Petersburg, Sahel, St . Petersburg

☆ How South Sudan Built a World Cup Team From Scratch
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Robert O Connell | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/sports/basketball/south-sudan-world-cup-luol-deng-3060e830

Persons: Dow Jones Locations: sudan

Humble beginningsPutin and Prigozhin share relatively humble beginnings, and the Wagner chief grew up in the tougher neighborhoods of St. Petersburg, which is also the president’s hometown. Prigozhin founded Wagner that year as a mercenary outfit that fought both in Ukraine and, increasingly, for Russian-backed causes around the world. In recent months, Prigozhin has created a dilemma for Putin by becoming an outspoken critic of Russia’s military leaders. The Wagner mutiny began when Prigozhin unleashed a fresh tirade against the Russian military and then marched his troops into the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don. Prigozhin responded on Telegram saying that Putin was “deeply mistaken.”“We are patriots of our Motherland, we fought and are fighting,” the Wagner chief said.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Alexander Lukashenko, Putin, ”, Humble, George Bush, Jacques Chirac of France, ” Prigozhin, Defense Yunus, Bek Yevkurov, Wagner –, –, Mark Hertling, Misha Japaridze, Sergei Shoigu, Valery Gerasimov, “, Don Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, Russian, Moscow Times, Defense, Reuters CNN, Central African, Internet Research Agency, US Treasury Department, United, Russian Defense Locations: Moscow, Ukraine, Russian, Belarus, St . Petersburg, Africa, Central African Republic, Sudan, Libya, Mozambique, Mali, Syria, Soledar, Prigozhin's, Russia, Bakhmut, Rostov

CNN —Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin says he is in Africa “making Russia even greater on all continents, and Africa even freer,” in a video circulating on pro-Russian military blogs Monday. In the clip, Prigozhin is seen holding a rifle in a desert area while wearing camouflage. “The former colonizers are trying to keep the people of African countries in check. And this is the (the reason for the) love for PMC Wagner, this is the high efficiency of PMC Wagner. Following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Wagner forces were heavily involved in capturing the eastern cities of Soledar and Bakhmut.

Persons: CNN — Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Prigozhin, ” Prigozhin, ” Wagner, Sudan’s, ”, “, PMC Wagner, Vladimir Putin’s Organizations: CNN, “, Central African, PMC Wagner, PMC Locations: Africa “, Russia, Africa, Russian, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Central African Republic, In Sudan, West, St Petersburg, Ukraine, Soledar, Belarus

☆ Africa - Latest News, Investigations and Analysis
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Ally Promised to Send Aid to Sudan. It Sent Weapons Instead. Arms shipments from the United Arab Emirates are fueling a war that has killed more than 3,900 people and run counter to Biden administration efforts to mediate an end to the conflict.

Persons: Biden Organizations: United Locations: Sudan, United Arab Emirates

☆ This Is What Europe’s Migrant Crisis Looks Like - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Sally Hayden | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

In the Tunisian port city of Sfax this month, I sat with a group of men in a sandy, windswept park. The men, who were Darfuris, explained that they had escaped what they called a new genocide in Sudan. There are dozens — maybe hundreds — of Sudanese currently staying in that park in Sfax, and thousands across the city. Last week, 41 people were reported to have died after a shipwreck off the Italian coast. This is what a crisis of human rights, ethics and, above all, global inequality looks like.

Persons: Lampedusa — Locations: Tunisian, Sfax, Sudan, Sudanese, Lampedusa, Europe, Italy, Greece

☆ 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

☆ Darfur: Hundreds of people fleeing El Geneina were killed in a day-long massacre, body collectors and survivors say
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Tamara Qiblawi Allegra Goodwin Nima Elbagir Celine Alkhaldi | Tamara Qiblawi | Allegra Goodwin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

A picture taken on June 16, 2023, shows bodies strewn outdoors near houses in the West Darfur capital El Geneina. A video shared on Twitter on June 14, 2023, showing hundreds of refugees from El Geneina walking towards Chad. “The fighters had DShK’s (Soviet-era heavy machine guns) and other heavy weaponry,” said Khamiss, the lawyer from El Geneina. Zahra Adam, a women’s rights activist from El Geneina, told CNN she had saved two young boys from drowning. When asked whether the ICRC had alerted third parties to evidence of a mass atrocity in El Geneina, Synenko said they had not.

Persons: El Geneina, ”, “, Masalit, Jamal Khamiss, Khamiss, ” Jamal Khamiss Khamiss, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo —, Gen, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, Hemedti, Abdel Fattah al, Burhan, Omar al, Bashir, Wagner, Zohra Bensemra, Dr, Papi Maloba, Maloba, Mohammad Ghannam, RSF, West, Khamis Abbakar, ” Khamiss, Zahra Adam, Adam, General Abdelrahman Juma —, General Abdelrahman Juma, YouTube Juma, Mujeeb Rahman Muhammad Rezk, Alyona Synenko, Synenko, Chad The, ” Zahwi Idriss, Zahwi Idriss Organizations: CNN, Rapid Support Forces, West Darfur, Getty, Sudanese, International Organization for Migration, Twitter, Hemedti, United Nations, Reuters, Sans, MSF, Chadian, El, Teaching, Crescent, YouTube, Support Forces, Sudanese Red Crescent Society, SRC, International Committee, ICRC, Darfur, UN, Geneina Teaching Locations: West Darfur, El, West, El Geneina, AFP, Chad, Sudan, “, Geneina, Darfur, Chadian, Shukri, Khartoum, Adre, Ardmata, Wadi Kaja, RSF, tarpaulins, Africa, ”

☆ 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

☆ Opinion | The Deluge Facing Africa’s Leaders Is Going to Get Worse
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Alex De Waal | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

An uninterrupted swath of African countries from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea is now under military rule. Some of the putschists deposed elected leaders, like Niger’s president, Mohamed Bazoum. Others forestalled elections or even overthrew the leaders they had installed. Throughout much of Africa, citizens also overwhelmingly want democracy, but they get frustrated when elected leaders don’t deliver. When people do welcome a coup, it’s often because they see it as the path to a better elected government.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Russia’s Wagner, can’t, don’t, it’s Organizations: African, Russia’s Wagner Group Locations: Mali, Guinea, Chad, Sudan, Burkina Faso, Niger, Washington, Brussels, London, Addis Ababa, African Union, Moscow, Africa

☆ Fighting flares in South Darfur amid fears of new civil war
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Chadian cart owners transport belongings of Sudanese people who fled the conflict in Sudan's Darfur region, while crossing the border between Sudan and Chad in Adre, Chad August 4, 2023. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra/File PhotoAug 13 (Reuters) - Violence flared in the western Sudanese city of Nyala and elsewhere in the state of South Darfur on Sunday, witnesses said, threatening to engulf the region in Sudan's protracted war. The latest flare-up has lasted three days, with both the army and RSF firing artillery into residential neighbourhoods, witnesses told Reuters. At least eight people were killed on Saturday alone, according to the Darfur Bar Association, a national human rights monitor. The fighting killed 24 people, it said.

Persons: Chad August, Zohra, Meta, Volker Perthes, Khalid Abdelaziz, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, Rapid Support Forces, Reuters, Darfur Bar Association, International, Court, Thomson Locations: Darfur, Sudan, Chad, Adre, Sudanese, Nyala, South Darfur, Khartoum, West Darfur, Egypt, South Sudan, Dubai, Nafisa, Cairo

☆ Yevgeny Prigozhin: Where in the world is the Wagner warlord?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( Nathan Hodge | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

It was a stark contrast to the fate of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Russian mercenary group Wagner. Back in June, Prigozhin led the abortive mutiny that presented the biggest challenge to Russian President Vladimir Putin in over two decades of rule. Speaking after Wagner fighters relocated to Belarus, Prigozhin suggested he remained focused on this core African market. In a recent Telegram message, Prigozhin hinted that Wagner might be ready to offer its services there. “And this is the (the reason for the) love for PMC Wagner, this is the high efficiency of PMC Wagner.

Persons: Alexey Navalny, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Putin, ”, Prigozhin hasn’t, –, CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, Andrei Kelin, Kelin, “, ” Kelin, Vladimir, Kara, Murza, … Prigozhin, CNN's Christiane Amanpour, Candace Rondeaux, Rondeaux, it’s, ” Rondeaux, Mateusz Morawiecki, Morawiecki, ” Prigozhin, Sudan –, PMC Wagner, Mohamed Bazoum, Tatiana Stanovaya Organizations: CNN, Central African Republic, Kremlin, Amanpour, Putin’s, NATO, Polish, Wagner Group, PMC Wagner, PMC, Russian Foreign Ministry, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, Putin Locations: Russian, Moscow, Russia, Africa, St . Petersburg, Orchestra_W, United Kingdom, Ukrainian, Bakhmut, America, Prigozhin, Putin’s Russia, Poland, Belarus, Lithuania, Sudan, Libya, Niger, Putin Russia

☆ Opinion: Russia capitalizes on Niger coup while US stands idly by
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( David A. Andelman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Two weeks ago, a military junta suddenly deposed Niger’s pro-American, democratically elected president. Already at least one leader of the Niger junta has met with Wagner representatives in neighboring Mali, where Wagner has developed a firm presence. Given the stakes, the initial responses by those who support Niger’s ousted president have been ill-considered and anemic. But the Wagner-supported ruling juntas in two of Niger’s neighbors immediately pledged to join with Niger’s military in fending off any such invasion, calling it a “declaration of war” against them. All have been grounded since Niger’s junta declared the entire country a no-fly zone.

Persons: David A, Niger’s, David Andelman, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Mohamed Bazoum, Bola Tinubu, Tinubu, ECOWAS’s, didn’t, Bazoum, Germany —, Putin, Antony Blinken’s, Victoria Nuland Organizations: CNN, French Legion of, The New York Times, CBS News, American, David Andelman CNN, Central African, West African States, ECOWAS, Wall Street, US, African Union, NATO, Russian, Wagner Group, Faustin, Twitter, Niger’s Locations: United States, Africa, Russia, Niger, Mali, Central African Republic, Sudan, Burkina Faso, African, Niamey, Sahel, South Asia, Afghanistan, East, North Africa, France, Italy, Germany

☆ ChatGPT and GPT-4 skew the most liberal — and Meta's LLaMA is the most conservative AI model, a new study says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Kylie Kirschner | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

In a new study, researchers gave 14 AI models a political compass test and graphed the data. OpenAI's ChatGPT and GPT-4 were the most liberal, Meta's LLaMA was the most conservative, and Google's BERT models were in between. OpenAI's ChatGPT, Google's LaMDA AI model, and other chatbots have been criticized for sometimes giving racist, sexist, and otherwise biased responses. A political compass graph from the study shows how each AI model is biased. OpenAI cofounder and president Greg Brockman has said in response to criticisms of ChatGPT's left-leaning political bias, "we made a mistake."

Persons: BERT, OpenAI's, Shangbin Feng, Chan, Yuhan Liu, Yulia Tsvetkov, RoBERTa, Meta, Steven Piantadosi, Sam Altman, ChatGPT, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Greg Brockman, ChatGPT's, Brockman, Elon Musk, OpenAI, OpenAI —, Musk Organizations: Morning, University of Washington, Carnegie Mellon University, Xi'an Jiaotong University, OpenAI, Google, UC Locations: Xi'an, North Korea, Syria, Iran, Sudan

☆ Opinion | The Wagner Group Is Always Ready for a Coup
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Colin P. Clarke | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

But the nation’s successive elected governments were at least willing to cooperate with Washington, allowing the U.S. military to conduct regional counterterrorism activities. Washington has stopped short of calling the crisis a coup — a move that would require the United States to halt security and economic assistance. Wagner will be ready. Their operations have frequently resulted in the deaths of civilians, with credible accusations of sexual violence, torture and extrajudicial killings. Within days of Wagner’s aborted advance on Moscow, Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, said that Wagner’s African footprint would remain.

Persons: Jama’at Nusrat al, Barkhane, jihadists, Wagner, —, Al Qaeda, Bazoum, Prigozhin’s, Wagner’s, Sergei Lavrov, Prigozhin, Putin Organizations: U.S, United, Nigerien, Islamic, West, Central African, Kremlin Locations: Sahel, Africa, Islamic State, Greater Sahara, Haram, Islam, Niger, Washington, United States, America, Mali, Libya, Central African Republic, Sudan, Moscow, St . Petersburg

☆ A U.S. Ally Promised to Send Aid to Sudan. It Sent Weapons Instead.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Nicholas Bariyo | Benoit Faucon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

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