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CNN —Time is running out to prevent starvation in Darfur, in western Sudan, a UN agency has warned, as escalating violence devastates the African nation. People have been forced to consume “grass and peanut shells,” the regional director for Eastern Africa of the World Food Programme (WFP) said on Friday. More than 8.7 million people have been displaced by the war between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary RSF, according to the UN. At least 500,000 of those sheltering in the city have been displaced from violence elsewhere in Sudan, according to the UN’s children’s agency (UNICEF). More than 8.7 million people, including 4.6 million children, have been displaced by the war in Sudan and 24.8 million need assistance, according to OCHA.

Persons: ” Michael Dunford, Cross, Dan Kitwood, Toby Hayward, Hayward, Fasher, Catherine Russell, ” Russell, El Fasher Organizations: CNN, UN, Food Programme, Rapid Support Forces, ICRC, UNICEF, UN Office, Humanitarian Affairs, WFP Locations: Darfur, Sudan, Eastern Africa, South Darfur, Chad, Adré, North, El, El Fasher, Chad’s Tine, –, ”, Port Sudan

☆ First British royal visits Ukraine since Russian invasion began
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Catherine Nicholls | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The Duchess of Edinburgh has become the first member of the British royal family to visit Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in 2022, Buckingham Palace announced on Monday. The duchess is a champion of the UK’s Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative and the United Nations’ Women, Peace and Security Agenda. Sophie met survivors of conflict-related sexual violence and torture, as well as children who were allegedly forcibly separated from their families by Russia, according to Buckingham Palace. Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh lights a candle as she visits Saint Andrew's Church on April 29, 2024 in Bucha, Ukraine. In March 2023, Prince William visited the Ukrainian-Polish border to meet British and Polish troops and learn more about their collaboration in supporting Ukraine.

Persons: Duchess, Buckingham, Sophie, Edinburgh, Prince Edward , King Charles ’, “, ” “, ”, Anatolii, Volodymyr Zelensky, Olena Zelenska, ” Buckingham, Prince William Organizations: CNN, United Nations, CNN’s Royal, Ukraine, Andrew's Church, Democratic Locations: Edinburgh, Ukraine, Russia, Buckingham, Bucha, Kyiv, Kosovo, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Democratic Republic of, Congo, Colombia

☆ Chad Election 2024: What to Know
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Ruth Maclean | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Chad’s election on May 6 appears to offer voters a choice. But it’s been masterminded, analysts say, to produce a single outcome: to rubber-stamp the rule of the incumbent, Mahamat Idriss Déby, who is seeking to transform himself from military leader to civilian president. Mr. Déby seized power three years ago after his father, Idriss Déby, who ruled Chad with an iron fist for three decades, was killed — apparently on the battlefield, fighting rebels trying to overthrow his government. Chad is a landlocked, arid country of 18 million people in Central Africa. Chad is also part of a belt of African countries to have experienced coups in the past four years, stretching from coast to coast.

Persons: it’s, Mahamat Idriss Déby, Déby, Idriss Déby, — Locations: Chad, country’s, Central Africa, Sudan

☆ 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

☆ Columbia student protestors are demanding ‘divestment.’ Here’s what the university has divested from in the past
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-27 | by ( Clare Duffy | Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Columbia University Apartheid Divest submitted a formal proposal to the committee for withdrawing investments related to Israel in December, which has yet to yield success. Students at Columbia College, the university’s undergraduate school, voted to support the divestment proposal last week. Heading a nationwide South Africa divestment movementCurrently, Columbia lists five areas where it refrains from investing: tobacco, private prison operations, thermal coal, Sudan and fossil fuels — all decisions that were made in the past decade. In April 1985, students led a three-week student demonstration against Columbia’s investments in South Africa, the New York Times reported at the time. Pete Seeger, right, speaks to the crowd at Columbia University as hundreds of students continued to protest the school's ties to South Africa, April 8, 1985.

Persons: ” Israel, Catherine Elias, Daniel Armstrong, “, ” Armstrong, Pete Seeger, Frankie Ziths, G4S, Karla Ann Cote, divests, ”, Savannah Pearson, Michael Cusack Organizations: New, New York CNN, Columbia University, Columbia University Apartheid, —, Columbia, Columbia College, CNN, Coalition, New York Times, American Express, Ford, Ivy League, University of California, Johns Hopkins University, University of North, Corrections Corporation of America, Library, “, Columbia’s, Trustees, Columbia’s Teachers College Locations: New York, Gaza, Palestine, Columbia, Vietnam, Upper Manhattan, Israel, South Africa, Sudan, Los Angeles, Chevron, Berkeley, University of North Carolina, Hill, South, United States

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

☆ How a Jack Dorsey-backed bitcoin miner uses a volcano in Kenya to turn on the lights in rural homes
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-20 | by ( Mackenzie Sigalos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

watch nowHELL'S GATE, Kenya — Two-and-a-half hours northwest of Nairobi by car, a small group of bitcoin miners set up shop at the site of an extinct volcano near Hell's Gate National Park. "That doesn't happen without the bitcoin miners and us being globally distributed." MacKenzie SigalosWherever the operation, bitcoin mining is a volatile business, because so much of the economics depends on the price of the cryptocurrency. Before getting into bitcoin mining, he and his two co-founders, Philip Walton and Janet Maingi, spent years building internet connectivity infrastructure in rural and urban Africa. Demand from bitcoin miners on these semi-stranded assets is making renewables in Africa economically viable.

Persons: Jack Dorsey's, MacKenzie Sigalos, Erik Hersman, Bitcoin, Gridless, Lake Naivasha, bitcoin, Adam Sullivan, Philip Walton, Janet Maingi, Michael Gottschalk, Nic Carter, Carter, Hersman, It's, it's Organizations: CNBC, Kenyan, Core, Deutsche Bank, Marathon, United Arab, Getty, Island Ventures, Miners, International Energy Agency Locations: Kenya, Nairobi, Lake Naivasha, Malawi, Zambia, Venezuela, Lebanon, Gate, Lake, U.S, Texas, Russia, China, America, Africa, Toronto, Argentina, Florida, United Arab Emirates, Paraguay, Hersman, Sudan, Iceland, El Salvador, Bhutan

Washington CNN —Speaker Mike Johnson announced Wednesday he is sticking with his plan to put a series of foreign aid bills on the floor, including funding for Ukraine, after facing significant pressure from hardliners. The loan structure around aid comes after a meeting and news conference with Johnson and former President Donald Trump, who said in February that the US should stop providing foreign aid unless it is structured as a loan. The speaker has been facing mounting pressure to make tweaks to the foreign aid package proposed earlier this week – and not just from his most right-wing members. Other Republicans also expressed anger and wouldn’t rule out voting against Johnson on procedural motions that could upend the bill. “Let’s just hope that that does not happen, and that we can do our responsibilities, protect and defend our own democracy as we protect theirs,” former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Johnson, ” Johnson, Donald Trump, Nicole Malliotakis, “, Schumer, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Thomas Massie of, Chip Roy, Texas, ”, ” Roy, Matt Gaetz, Hakeem Jeffries, institutionalists, Tom Suozzi, Jared Moskowitz, Johnson –, “ Let’s, Nancy Pelosi Organizations: Washington CNN, Ukraine, Trump, Republican, Senate, GOP, Moderate New York Republican, Wednesday, Biden, Republicans, Conservative, CNN, Firebrand, Democrats, Democratic Locations: Israel, Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, Haiti

☆ House Democrats keep options open as effort to oust Johnson grows
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Lauren Fox | Kristin Wilson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

He’d let Putin take all of Europe,” Florida Rep. Jared Moskowitz said on CNN after Massie announced Tuesday he’d join Greene in her effort to oust Johnson. “Let’s just hope that that does not happen, and that we can do our responsibilities, protect and defend our own democracy as we protect theirs,” former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said. “If Speaker Johnson wants to talk to Hakeem Jeffries, I think we’d be open to something like that. If only a handful of Republicans vote to oust Johnson, only a handful of Democrats would be needed to step in and help him keep his job. And that is where Democrats would have to decide if they’d help Johnson.

Persons: Mike Johnson, institutionalists, Johnson, Hakeem Jeffries, Kevin McCarthy, Israel, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Thomas Massie, He’d, Putin, Jared Moskowitz, Massie, he’d, Greene, Tom Suozzi, Johnson –, “ Let’s, Nancy Pelosi, “, Johnson’s, Sara Jacobs, ”, Jeffries, hypotheticals, McCarthy, Matt Gaetz, –, Chuck Schumer, ’ –, Alejandro Mayorkas –, wouldn’t, Ann Kuster, Mike Gallagher, they’d, ‘, ’ Jeffries, Gerry Connolly, “ It’s, Rosa DeLauro, We’ve, can’t, “ We’ve, Jamie Raskin, Jim Himes, “ Gerry, ” Himes Organizations: CNN — House, Democratic, Union, ”, CNN, New York Democratic, Republicans, California Democratic, Florida Rep, White, Foreign Intelligence, of Homeland, GOP, ” New Hampshire Democratic, Republican Rep, Louisiana Republican, Republican, Maryland Democratic, House Intelligence Locations: Israel, Europe, ” Florida, California, Ukraine, Louisiana, Haiti, Sudan, Gaza, “, Connecticut

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

☆ Live Updates: Israel Says Confrontation With Iran ‘Is Not Over’
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-14 | by ( Mike Ives | Isabel Kershner | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +8 min

The Iranian armed forces are among the biggest in the Middle East, with 580,000 soldiers and officers and also 200,000 reservists. The start of a direct military confrontation between Iran and Israel has brought renewed attention to Iran’s armed forces. Instead, Israel and Iran have been engaged in a long shadow war via air, sea, land and cyberattacks, and Israel has covertly targeted military and nuclear facilities inside Iran and killed commanders and scientists. It’s that they realize any war against Iran is a very serious war.”What sort of military threat does Iran pose? The commander in chief of Iran’s armed forces is the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the last word on all major decisions.

Persons: ”, Afshon Ostovar, “ It’s, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Fabian Hinz, “, Atta Kenare, Ostovar, Ayatollah Khamenei, Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, Will Israel’s Organizations: Naval Postgraduate School, Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, International Institute for Strategic Studies, Guards, General Staff of, Armed Forces, Quds Force, Agence France, Phantoms, Iranian Army, Associated Press Locations: Tehran, Iranian, Iran, Israel, Damascus, United States, Washington, Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Jihad, Gaza, Berlin, speedboats, Persian, Hormuz, Russia, Ukraine, Sudan, North Korea

☆ Middle East Crisis U.S. Personnel in Israel Face New Travel Restrictions
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Liam Stack | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

The crisis in Gaza is entirely human-made, a result of Israel’s war on Hamas and a near-complete siege of the territory, aid experts say. For years before the latest war, Gaza was subject to an Israeli blockade, backed by Egypt. Image A child being treated for malnutrition at Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza last week. Critics of the way Israel is conducting the war say that the hunger crisis derives largely from Israeli restrictions on where trucks can enter and from an onerous inspection process. (UNRWA said last month that Israel had denied the group access to northern Gaza, though Israel has rebutted that claim.)

Persons: ”, Jens Laerke, Kamal Adwan, Mahmoud Issa, José Andrés, Arif Husain, Gazans, Israel, Biden, ” Adam Sella Organizations: Hamas, United Nations, Kamal, Reuters, Food Locations: Israel, Gaza, United Nations, Sudan, Somalia, Egypt, Gaza’s, South Sudan, Israeli, United

☆ Ukraine isn't the only country Russia is trying to topple
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Even as Russian bombs pound Ukraine, Moscow's mercenaries and spies are busy trying to set much of the rest of the world afire. To Russia, the conventional warfare waged in Ukraine, and unconventional "gray zone" warfare waged around the world, are two sides of the same coin. Human intelligence operations are used to attempt elite capture through the offer of assistance to politicians who support Russian interests. "As the war in Ukraine protracts, Russia has an interest in creating crises further afield," said RUSI. "As a lot of Russia's unconventional operations are self-defeating, countering Russian unconventional warfare must be premised on careful, selective, and intelligence- driven targeting," the study emphasized.

Persons: —, RUSI, Vladimir Putin, Jack Watling, Oleksandr Danylyuk, Nick Reynolds, Britain —, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Putin, Ramzan Kadyrov, Kadyrov, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Britain's Royal United Services Institute, Business, Kremlin, Soviet Union, NATO, Directorate, Staff of, Armed Forces, Getty, Russian, Central African, Wagner, GRU Expeditionary Corps, Convoy, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Europe, Africa, Central Asia, Soviet, Montenegro, Moscow, Moldova, Russian, Britain, Ukraine protracts, Balkans, Russia's, Libya, Mali, Sudan, Central African Republic, Chechnya, Forbes

☆ Here’s What to Know About the Hunger Crisis in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( Matthew Mpoke Bigg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Six months into the Israel-Hamas war, the people of Gaza are facing a hunger crisis that the United Nations says borders on famine. The crisis in Gaza is entirely human-made, a result of Israel’s war on Hamas and a near-complete siege of the territory, aid experts say. Here’s a look at how Gaza reached this point. The food shortages in Gaza have been created by Israel’s blockade and military operations. For years before the latest war, Gaza was subject to an Israeli blockade, backed by Egypt.

Persons: ”, Jens Laerke Organizations: Hamas Locations: Israel, Gaza, United Nations, Sudan, Somalia, Egypt, Gaza’s

☆ Iran's stealth drones have become the new blueprint for international warfare
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russia has become increasingly reliant on Iranian drones to fight its war in Ukraine. At least six countries have ramped up production of Iranian drones in the last two years, according to a Bloomberg report this week, bringing the total number of countries producing drones with Iran's help to at least a dozen. The issue has become of particular importance as Russia becomes more reliant on Iranian tech to produce its drones for the war in Ukraine. Meanwhile, Iran is pocketing foreign money in exchange for its much-coveted drone tech and expertise. AdvertisementEthiopia has used Iranian drones to squash rebellions in the country, while Tajikistan, Algeria, and Venezuela are also partnering with Iran, Bloomberg reported.

Persons: —, Israel —, Matthew McInnis Organizations: Service, Bloomberg, US, Washington Post, Pentagon, State Department Locations: Iran, Russia, Ukraine, Sudan, Israel, Jordan, Red, Ethiopia, Tajikistan, Algeria, Venezuela

☆ The next total solar eclipse: When and where to expect it
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Monday’s total solar eclipse, one of the most highly anticipated events of 2024, has come and gone. But the next total solar eclipse won’t occur until August 12, 2026, said Amir Caspi, a principal scientist at the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado. The next total eclipse in the USThe US won’t catch a glimpse of a total solar eclipse again until March 30, 2033, and even then the Russia-centric path includes only Alaska, with totality lasting 2 minutes and 37 seconds. A partial solar eclipse will shine over most of the country during that celestial event. The next total solar eclipse with a coast-to-coast path spanning the Lower 48 states will occur on August 12, 2045.

Persons: it’s, Amir Caspi, Caspi Organizations: CNN, NASA, Southwest Research, New Zealand, Democratic Locations: Chile, Argentina, South America, Boulder , Colorado, Greenland, Iceland, Spain, Russia, Portugal, Europe, Africa, North America, Alaska, North Dakota, Montana, California , Nevada , Utah , Colorado , Kansas , Oklahoma , Arkansas , Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Australia, New, Namibia, Botswana, South Africa, Lesotho, Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Sudan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, China, North, South Korea, Japan, Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Kenya, Somalia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, Philippines

☆ There's a thriving Russian black market for Elon Musk's Starlink terminals, with the tech being sent far beyond Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Starlink terminals are being widely used by Russian forces in Ukraine, The Wall Street Journal reported. AdvertisementThe Journal also reported that a similar black market is also thriving in Sudan, even though the terminals' use is not authorized there. AdvertisementIn early February, Musk pushed back on claims from Ukrainian military intelligence that the terminals were being systematically used by Russian forces in Ukraine. House Democrats have also pressured Musk to take action, saying Russian military use of the tech is "potentially in violation of US sanctions and export controls." Musk has long sought to limit Starlink's military use, stipulating in the technology's terms of service that it is intended for civilians only.

Persons: Elon Musk's, —, Vladimir Putin's, Musk, Mikhailo Fedorov, Starlink, Musk's Organizations: Street Journal, Service, Elon, Elon Musk's SpaceX, Rapid Support Forces, SpaceX, eBay, Democrats Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Sudan, Crimea, Russia's, Dubai, Chad, South Sudan, Russian, Starlink

☆ Power by Proxy: How Iran Shapes the Mideast
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-06 | by ( Alissa J. Rubin | Lazaro Gamio | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Power by Proxy: How Iran Shapes the MideastTURKEY Militias in Syria and Iraq SYRIA LEBANON Iran Hezbollah ISRAEL IRAQ Hamas Egypt Saudi Arabia OMAN The Houthis Sudan YEMEN 500 miles TURKEY Militias in Syria and Iraq LEBANON SYRIA Iran Hezbollah IRAQ ISRAEL Hamas Egypt Saudi Arabia The Houthis Sudan YEMEN 500 miles The New York TimesFor years, Iran has been the outsider. Yet Iran has succeeded in projecting its military power across a large swath of the Middle East. Its reach equals — if not eclipses — that of traditional power centers like Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Altogether, Iran now supports more than 20 groups in the Middle East, directly or indirectly, with a combination of arms, training and financial aid. Here is a look at the most prominent of the armed groups backed by Iran.

Persons: Israel Organizations: TURKEY, New York Times, United Locations: Iran, Syria, Iraq SYRIA LEBANON Iran Hezbollah ISRAEL IRAQ Hamas Egypt Saudi Arabia OMAN, Sudan YEMEN, TURKEY, Iraq LEBANON SYRIA Iran, IRAQ ISRAEL Hamas Egypt Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Gaza, United States, Israel, Iranian Embassy, Tehran

☆ Ugandan Court Upholds Draconian Anti-Gay Law
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Abdi Latif Dahir | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Uganda’s Constitutional Court on Tuesday largely upheld a sweeping anti-gay law that President Yoweri Museveni signed last year, undermining the efforts of activists and rights groups to abolish legislation that drew worldwide condemnation and strained the East African nation’s relationship with the West. The legislation, which was signed into law by Mr. Museveni in May, calls for life imprisonment for anyone who engages in gay sex. But the law was popular in Uganda, a landlocked nation of over 48 million people, where religious and political leaders frequently inveigh against homosexuality. The fallout for Uganda will be watched closely in other African countries where anti-gay sentiment is on the rise and anti-gay legislation is under consideration, including Kenya, Namibia, Tanzania and South Sudan. In February, Ghana’s Parliament passed an anti-gay law, but the country’s president said that he would not sign it until the Supreme Court ruled on its constitutionality.

Persons: Yoweri Museveni, Museveni Organizations: East, West, World Bank Locations: Uganda’s, Uganda, United States, Kenya, Namibia, Tanzania, South Sudan, Ghana’s

☆ Formal talks to end war in Sudan may restart in mid-April, US special envoy says
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Formal talks aimed at ending the war in Sudan may restart in mid-April, US Special Envoy for Sudan Tom Perriello said Tuesday, as the conflict nears its one-year mark. Perriello told reporters that the formal talks are not expected to start until after Ramadan, with a potential date of April 18. The war has claimed thousands of lives, displaced millions, and triggered “the world’s largest hunger crisis,” according to the UN. “We are trying to figure out what combination of actors and incentives can get this war to an end,” he added. He also noted that reports of Islamist extremists returning to Sudan ratchets up the urgency of bringing the war to an end.

Persons: Sudan Tom Perriello, Perriello, we’ve, ”, Tom Perriello, Astrid Riecken, ” Perriello, Sudan ratchets, “, “ We’ve Organizations: “, Sudanese Armed Forces, SAF, Rapid Support Forces, UN, US, United Arab, Intergovernmental Authority, Development, African Union, Alexandria Fire, Washington, Getty, Food Locations: Sudan, Paris, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Alexandria, Alexandria , Virginia, what’s

☆ UN Chief to Visit Gaza Border in New Plea for Truce
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-22 | by ( March | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

CAIRO (Reuters) - United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will visit Egypt's border with Gaza on Saturday to renew pleas for a ceasefire that could bring relief to a territory devastated by more than five months of war between Israel and Hamas. His trip comes as Israel threatens to launch a major military operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, just over the border from Egypt, despite international appeals against such an attack. He is expected to visit a hospital in Al Arish and meet U.N. humanitarian workers in Rafah. More than 32,000 people have been killed by Israel's military campaign in Gaza, many of them women and children, according to local health authorities. Guterres, who made one previous trip to Egypt's border with Gaza shortly after the war broke out, is visiting Egypt and Jordan as part of an annual "solidarity trip" to Muslim countries during Ramadan.

Persons: Antonio Guterres, Guterres, Jordan, Aidan Lewis, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: United Nations, Hamas, Palestinian Locations: CAIRO, Egypt's, Gaza, Israel, Rafah, Egypt, Arish, Sinai, Al Arish, United States, Cairo, Sudan, Darfur

☆ International Elections 2024: What You Need to Know
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-21 | by ( The New York Times | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

International Elections 2024: What You Need to KnowRussia U.K. United States E.U. Mexico India Indonesia 900M South Africa 90M Voting-age population Russia U.K. United States E.U. Mexico India Indonesia 900M 90M South Africa Voting-age population Russia U.K. United States E.U. Upcoming Elections India Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a divisive figure who has aggravated the religious and ethnic fault lines in the hugely diverse country, is seeking a third term. United States A rematch between President Biden and former President Donald J. Trump adds another layer of uncertainty to the global political landscape.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno, Paul Kagame, Biden, Donald J, Trump Organizations: United, Africa, Russia U.K, India, National Congress, European, Party, Lithuanian Christian Democrats, Conservative Party, Labour Party Locations: Russia, United States, Mexico India Indonesia, Mexico, India, South Africa, Venezuela, Sudan, Panama, Chad, Europe, Rwanda, Austria, Lithuania, Sri Lanka

☆ Gambia and the Campaign Against Cutting
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Ruth Maclean | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Yesterday, lawmakers in Gambia voted to advance legislation that would legalize female genital cutting. Yet genital cutting is still on the rise. Today, 230 million women and girls around the world have been cut, a 15 percent rise from 2016. In Africa and the Middle East, several countries still permit the practice, and in many others, laws are erratically enforced. In today’s newsletter, I’ll explain why cutting — which for most communities means removing the clitoris and the labia minora, or almost sealing up the vagina — has been so hard to stamp out.

Locations: Gambia, Africa, Somalia, Guinea, Egypt, Sudan, Djibouti, Mali, Sierra Leone, Iraq, Yemen, Indonesia, Malaysia

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

Experts anticipate a steep rise in malnutrition-related deaths in children in Gaza, according to a new report from a global authority on food security and nutrition, which warned of especially dire circumstances for 300,000 people in the northern part of the territory. “Famine is imminent in the northern governorates and projected to occur anytime between mid-March and May 2024,” said the report released Monday by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification global initiative. The group — set up in 2004 by U.N. agencies and international relief groups — has classified a famine only twice before: in Somalia in 2011 and in South Sudan in 2017. Across the Gaza Strip, people are facing severe shortages of food and other basic goods amid Israeli’s bombardment and a near-total blockade. “Since then, the conditions necessary to prevent famine have not been met,” the latest report said.

Persons: ”, “ Organizations: Integrated, U.N Locations: Gaza, Somalia, South Sudan

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