Category: General

The UN warned that nearly 19 million Sudanese will suffer from food insecurity amid ongoing fighting between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group. The World Food Program (WFP) expects that the “number of acutely food insecure people in Sudan will increase by between two and 2.5 million people,” said Deputy UN spokesman Farhan Haq. “That raises the number to a total of 19 million people in the next three to six months if the current conflict continues,” he added. According to the WFP, the most affected Sudanese provinces to see high rates of food insecurity would be West Darfur, West Kordofan, Blue Nile, and Red Sea. Haq reiterated an appeal by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) to secure $445 million to support an outflow of refugees from Sudan and to provide aid in the next six months. Fighting between two rival generals – army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF commander Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo – broke out on April 15, leaving more than 550 people dead and thousands injured.

Source: Anadolu Agency

The official vehicle of Trkiye’s ambassador to Sudan was hit by gunfire on Saturday, as fighting continues between the army and a paramilitary group in the capital Khartoum and its surroundings. No casualties were reported and the source of the gunfire that hit Ismail Cobanoglu’s vehicle was unclear, said Turkish diplomatic sources, speaking on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the media. Speaking to the reporters, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said: “None of our brothers, ambassadors or other guards, including our special forces, were injured. There is damage to the vehicle.” About the attack, he said: “The clashes sometimes intensify in the street where the Turkish Embassy is located. Tensions and conflicts escalate. Therefore, for the safety of our embassy and our colleagues, we decided to temporarily move our embassy to Port Sudan with the advice of the transitional government.” Cavusoglu said talks with both the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces continue to reveal the motive of the attack. In Sudan, the army and the paramilitary group blamed each other for the attack targeting the diplomatic vehicle, including the Turkish ambassador to Khartoum. The incident was “a cowardly act that clearly violated all international norms and agreements,” the RSF said in a statement. Also, criticizing the RSF for the attack, the army said in a statement that RSF forgot that the ambassador could make a statement about what happened. Fighting between two rival generals – army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF commander Mohammed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo – broke out on April 15, leaving more than 550 people dead and thousands injured so far. A disagreement had been fomenting in recent months between the two sides concerning the integration of the RSF into the armed forces – a key condition of Sudan’s transition agreement with political groups. Sudan has been without a functioning government since fall 2021 when the military dismissed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok’s transitional government and declared a state of emergency in a move decried by political forces as a “coup.” The transitional period, which started in August 2019 after the ouster of President Omar al-Bashir, was scheduled to end with elections in early 2024.

Source: Anadolu Agency

The newly crowned King Charles III and Queen Camilla appeared on the Buckingham Palace balcony on Saturday with other members of the royal family following the country’s first coronation service in nearly 70 years. The Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, the Red Arrows, the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team performed flypast after helicopters, marking the end of a historic day of celebrations. Meanwhile, the crowd saw a scaled-down flypast due to adverse weather conditions, as over 60 aircraft from the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force had been due to take part. William, Prince of Wales; Kate, Princess of Wales; and Edward, Duke of Edinburg were among attendees during the balcony appearance along with Charles and Camilla. Prince Harry did not appear on the balcony as reportedly he is on his way to Heathrow Airport to return the US after leaving the ceremony at the Westminster Abbey, the site of coronations in Britain since 1066 – nearly a millennium ago. Earlier, Charles, 74, and Camilla, 75, left Buckingham Palace for Westminster Abbey in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach, in what is traditionally known as the King’s Procession. Accompanied by the Sovereign’s Escort guards, they traveled along The Mall outside the palace, through the Admiralty Arch, passing to the south of the King Charles Island statue in Trafalgar Square before turning onto Whitehall Road leading to the church. The procession continued down Whitehall and along the east and south sides of Parliament Square. They arrived at Westminster Abbey for the coronation service after completing a route stretching some 2.1 kilometers (1.3 miles) from Buckingham Palace. Following the coronation service, conducted by the archbishop of Canterbury, the senior bishop of the Church of England, Charles was crowned with the historical St. Edward’s Crown, while Queen Camilla wore a modified version of the Crown of Queen Mary, fashioned in 1911. During the ceremony, Charles, dressed in symbolic “vestments,” was presented with items of Regalia, including the Orb and the Sovereign’s Scepters representing the monarch’s religious and moral authority. A fanfare was sounded, the abbey bells rang for two minutes, and a gun salute was fired by the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery stationed at Horse Guards Parade. This was accompanied by Gun Salutes at His Majesty’s Fortress the Tower of London fired by the Honourable Artillery Company, and at all Saluting Stations throughout the UK, Gibraltar, Bermuda, and ships at sea. Following the service, Charles and Camilla set out from the Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace in the 260-year-old Gold State Coach, in the larger ceremonial Coronation Procession. When they arrive at the palace, Charles and Camilla were received by the UK and Commonwealth Armed Forces with a royal salute. Military personnel from the UK’s Armed Forces, numbering 6,000, were on duty during the coronation, along with roughly 400 from at least 35 Commonwealth countries. Charles ascended the throne on Sept. 8, 2022, following the death of his long-serving mother Queen Elizabeth II. He is the 40th British monarch to take the traditional Oath of Faithful Service. In taking the crown, Charles also became head of the Commonwealth, an association of 56 independent countries and 2.5 billion people. For 14 of these countries, as well as the UK, the king is head of state. These countries, known as the Commonwealth realms, are Australia, Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, Papua New Guinea, St. Christopher and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, New Zealand, the Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu. Along with millions of people taking to the streets to witness the spectacle, more than 2,200 distinguished figures, including members of the royal family, representatives from 203 countries, and some 100 heads of state, were also at the event. Attendees included Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, all living former British premiers, first ministers of devolved national governments, members of foreign royal families, Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay, China’s Vice President Han Zheng, US first lady Jill Biden, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Irish President Michael Higgins, and dozens of other heads of states and foreign dignitaries. Prince Harry, the son of Charles and late Diana, Princess of Wales, was also among the attendees, while his wife Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, and their children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, did not attend.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Russia’s Health Ministry is mulling new measures to curb the consumption of strong alcoholic beverages in the country, RIA Novosti has reported. Among the steps reportedly under consideration are restrictions on the hours when spirits can be sold and raising the legal drinking age.

In an article on Saturday, the media outlet reported that officials are considering prohibiting the sale of liquor with an alcohol content of more than 17.5% to anyone under 21. Currently the legal drinking age for all alcohol in Russia is 18.

Another measure proposed in the ministry’s report, which RIA claims to have seen, is to grant local authorities the right to restrict the sale of liquor on weekends and public holidays. Additionally, they would be able to impose a ban on alcohol sales from 8pm until 11am.

The sale of alcohol is currently not permitted between 11pm and 8am in Moscow and from 10pm to 11am in St. Petersburg. Several other regions, including Chukotka and Dagestan, have established their own hours.

The ministry also seeks to outlaw any form of advertising of hard liquor, as well as prohibit it from being featured in newly produced musical clips, television series, movies and music, RIA reported.

According to the article, the need for tougher regulations is being discussed in light of recently released statistics from 2022 showing retail sales of alcohol having exceeded the forecast level.

This trend, as the ministry’s document reportedly noted, calls for more vigorous efforts at promoting a healthy lifestyle.

Source: Russia Today

Sales of new passenger cars in Russia jumped 2.7 times in April compared to the same period in 2022, data from analytical agency Avtostat showed on Thursday.

According to the report, more than 75,000 new vehicles were sold last month in total, which is 8% more than in March.

Avtostat said that 44% of the cars sold were Chinese brands, while another 35% were Russian made. The combined share of South Korean, Japanese, European, and American automobiles fell to just over 20%.

The top-selling brand in the country was Russian LADA (33.4%), and the most popular model was the Lada Granta (24.3%). Among foreign automakers, Chery was the best-selling Chinese brand, and the Geely Coolray crossover was the top selling model.

The exit of Western and Japanese companies from the Russian auto market has provided an opportunity to rising industry players such as China and Iran.

Chinese automakers have embarked on a major expansion in the Russian market and are expected to reach a 60% share of total sales this year, according to car dealer chain Autodom. China exported over 160,000 cars to Russia last year, more than doubling its share of the country’s auto market.

Iranian auto makers are also expected to launch sales in Russia this year.

READ MORE: Chinese firm may take over German car plant in Russia – media

Experts say the situation could also boost the Russian auto industry. Car manufacturer AvtoVAZ revealed earlier that it plans to double production this year to more than 400,000 cars. According to the company’s press service, it has the capacity to produce up to 500,000 vehicles a year.

Source: Russia Today

Russian author and political activist Zakhar Prilepin was seriously injured on Saturday in a car bomb near the city of Nizhny Novgorod. His driver was killed.

The explosion occurred while Prilepin’s car was on a highway. Preliminary data indicated that the explosive device was planted underneath the vehicle.

The Mash Telegram channel reported that as a result of the blast, which took place near the town of Bor across the Volga River from Nizhny Novgorod, the car flipped over. The newspaper RBK reported, citing sources, that the explosion occurred as Prilepin was returning from a trip to Russia’s two Donbass republics.

Medics told the media that both of Prilepin’s legs were broken. He also suffered a concussion.

According to the Baza Telegram channel, Prilepin was accompanied by his daughter, but in a fortunate turn of events, she had stepped out of the car minutes before it exploded.

Gleb Nikitin, the governor of Nizhny Novgorod Region, confirmed that Prilepin is “all right,” adding that Russian law enforcement agencies are “investigating the circumstances and causes of the incident.”

Responsibility for the attack was claimed by a radical Ukrainian movement called Atesh, which said that it “had been hunting Prilepin since the start of this year.”

After the Western-backed coup in Kiev in 2014, Prilepin emerged as a staunch supporter of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, which broke free from Ukraine’s rule and later joined Russia. In 2017, he formed his own volunteer battalion, taking the position of political officer. In late January, the writer’s press service said that Prilepin had signed a contract with Russia’s National Guard and set off for the conflict zone.

Prilepin has also authored several books, most notably ‘The Pathologies’, a novel about the Chechen War, as well as ‘Some Will Not Go To Hell’, describing the hostilities in Donbass.

READ MORE: Russian city to honor journalist allegedly murdered by Ukrainian operatives

The blast is the latest in a string of similar incidents that have claimed the lives of two prominent Russian public figures. In early April, a bomb exploded in a cafe in St. Petersburg, taking the life of military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky. The Russian authorities say the killing was orchestrated by Ukrainian special services.

Last August, Darya Dugina, the daughter of Russian philosopher Aleksandr Dugin, died in a car blast in Moscow Region, an assassination that Russian officials have also attributed to Ukrainian special services.

Source: Russia Today

Russian police have announced the have arrested a man who could be connected to the bomb blast that injured prominent Russian writer and political activist Zakhar Prilepin.

According to the Nizhny Novgorod Region prosecutor’s office the explosion took place in the village of Pionersky, some 70km from the eponymous city, some 400km to the east of Moscow.

In a statement, Russian Interior Ministry spokeswoman Irina Volk said that “during a hot pursuit in Nizhny Novgorod Region, police officers apprehended a man who may have been involved in blowing up the car with Zakhar Prilepin inside.”

Volk said that the man “had been spotted near the village of Pionersky, according to witnesses.”

The Interior Ministry added that the 30-year-old suspect, who has a prior criminal record, was arrested while police officers were implementing a dragnet. A Ren TV channel source had earlier identified the man as a local resident who recently received Russian citizenship, adding that he was being interrogated by law enforcement.

The Baza Telegram channel noted, citing sources, that the police were seeking a second suspect, described as a 33-year-old man who had rented an apartment on the city outskirts one day before the blast. The man is said to have come to police attention because he is registered in Ukraine’s Kharkov Region.

The Tass news agency reported, citing sources, that individuals believed to be involved in the attack were also being sought in Moscow Region and that the addresses of these additional suspects are already known. The police have also reportedly managed to pinpoint the apartment where the explosive device that blew up Prilepin’s car was assembled.

Earlier in the day, Russia’s Investigative Committee announced that it had opened a criminal investigation into the attack and that forensic scientists had been dispatched to the scene. It also described the blast as a “terrorist act.”

According to the Interior Ministry, while Prilepin was injured, the blast killed a man identified by Russian media outlets as the writer’s driver. Commenting on Prilepin’s health status, the governor of Nizhny Novgorod Region Gleb Nikitin said that he “suffered from minor fractures, but his life is under no threat.” The governor added that he was in the care of local medical personnel.

Nikitin described the deceased man as “Prilepin’s assistant and comrade” while expressing condolences to his family and loved ones.

Russia’s Investigative Committee also published a picture of Prilepin’s severely damaged car. The vehicle appears to have been flipped over by the blast, with its front completely destroyed and front wheels missing. The car is seen lying on its roof near a crater that was apparently caused by the explosion.

Other videos and pictures on social media appear to show emergency services and law enforcement officers having arrived at the scene.

Source: Russia Today

Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay on Saturday congratulated Britain’s newly crowned King Charles III following the country’s first coronation service in nearly 70 years. “We attended the coronation ceremony of King Charles III of the UK. I extend my congratulations to King Charles III, the Royal family, the people and the government of the UK. I believe that Trkiye-UK relations will become even stronger in the new period,” Oktay said on Twitter. In the country’s first coronation service in nearly 70 years, Charles III was crowned on Saturday along with Queen Camilla at Westminster Abbey, the site of nearly a millennium of coronations in Britain since 1066. During the coronation service, conducted by the archbishop of Canterbury, the senior bishop of the Church of England, Charles was crowned with the historical St. Edward’s Crown, making him the 40th British monarch to take the traditional Oath of Faithful Service.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Ukraine’s attempts to exploit the Black Sea grain corridor to stage terrorist attacks on Crimea, Russia cannot be tolerated, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin said in an exclusive interview with RT released on Saturday.

Speaking after talks with the United Nations Trade and Development chief on the renewal of the landmark UN- and Türkiye-brokered grain deal with Ukraine, which is set to expire on May 18, Vershinin signaled that Russia is not satisfied with the way the agreement is being implemented.

He said that while the talks turned out to be useful, as they allowed the headway being made to be measured, Russia “is not happy with the progress.” Vershinin explained that the part of the agreement unblocking Ukrainian grain exports via the Black Sea has yielded “real results,” but not without caveats.

“We are drawing attention to the fact that the grain… is probably being exported to the most developed countries… However, the very idea that was put forward by the UN secretary general [Antonio Guterres] to ensure food security in the world, as it turns out, is not actually happening.”

Vershinin said the parties to the deal are working on the international humanitarian corridor to export grain, “but everyone knows that, unfortunately, it was used by the Ukrainian side, in particular, to organize terrorist attacks against Sevastopol, which is absolutely unacceptable.”

The deputy foreign minister went on to tout Russia’s potential in ensuring global food security. “It is well-known, if we remove barriers for our agricultural exports, and for the exports of our fertilizers, many countries of the world will benefit.”

Concluded last July, the landmark grain deal with Ukraine has since hit some stumbling blocks. Russian officials have repeatedly complained that while the deal indeed unblocked Ukrainian grain exports, it failed to unblock deliveries of Russian food and fertilizers to global markets, mostly due to the Western sanctions.

The deal has also been marred by several Ukrainian attacks using the grain corridor, resulting in Russia briefly suspending its participation in the agreement in October 2022.

In April, Russia’s Defense Ministry said that Ukraine had broken its promise not to use the grain corridor for military purposes after several unmanned boats attacked the Black Sea Fleet bases in Sevastopol, as well as civilian infrastructure on two occasions, potentially threatening the deal’s renewal.

Source: Russia Today

The French Senate’s website was inaccessible on Friday, with a pro-Russian hacker group calling itself NoName claiming responsibility for the cyberattack.

“Access to the Senate website has been disrupted since this morning,” the Senate said on Twitter, adding that a team was fully mobilized to fix the problem. “We apologize for the inconvenience caused.”

NoName claimed the attack on its Telegram messaging group, and lashed out at France for supporting Ukraine.

“We read in media reports that France works with Ukraine on a new assistance plan which might include armament, (…) and we have blocked the French Senate’s website,” it said.

The same group said it had taken down the French National Assembly website in March as well.

Source: Anadolu Agency