Sudan: Three UN aid workers among 97 killed as crisis talks under way
Crisis mediation is under way to de-escalate the armed violence in Sudan after at least 97 people were killed and 365 injured.
Violence broke out on Saturday in the capital Khartoum and across the country as armed forces and paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) clashed.
Three UN World Food Programme (WFP) workers were among those killed in clashes in Darfur.
Two more employees were injured while carrying out duties and a humanitarian aircraft was damaged, “seriously impacting” WFP’s work, a spokesperson said.
The programme has paused while security is reviewed as the spokesperson said there was “no excuse for targeting humanitarian workers”.
Tensions had been escalating between army head and de facto president Abdel Fattah al Burhan and RSF chief Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, better known as Hemedti.
South Sudan President Salva Kiir and Ethiopian prime minister Abiy Ahmed have had phone calls with both leaders in an attempt to calm the violence.
Egypt and South Sudan have offered to mediate between the army and paramilitary.
Kenyan President William Ruto and Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni have also had phone calls with General al Burhan.
Why has violence erupted in Sudan?
Two burning planes at Khartoum International Airport. Pic: Maxar/AP
Burned and heavily damaged general command of the Sudanese armed forces headquarter building. Pic: Maxar/AP
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has consulted with Saudi Arabian and Emirati counterparts and shared their agreement that it is “essential for all parties to immediately end hostilities”.
The two groups continued their battle for control on Sunday, signalling they were unwilling to end hostilities despite mounting diplomatic pressure.
Heavy fighting involving armoured vehicles, truck-mounted machine guns and war planes raged on Sunday in the capital of Khartoum, its sister city of Omdurman and in flashpoints across the country.
Fighting was reported around military headquarters, Khartoum International Airport and state television headquarters, prompting the channel to cut transmission.
A senior military official said RSF fighters clashed with troops at military headquarters early on Sunday and that a fire broke out at a facility for ground troops.
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Why tensions in Sudan could escalate into ‘all-out civil war’
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What’s going on in Sudan?
Former Sudanese prime minister Abdalla Hamdok said: “Peace remains the only feasible choice for the people of Sudan to avoid plunging the country into a civil war.
“We all witnessed the consequences of a civil war in many regions in Africa and in the Arab world. We must avoid that, and we can still avoid such a catastrophic situation. Therefore, I call for an immediate ceasefire and to reach an agreement, which leads to a permanent cessation (of hostilities).”
He also added other countries should not intervene in any negotiations.
Both sides signalled late on Saturday that they were unwilling to negotiate, but on Sunday a statement from the UN said General al Burhan and Hemedti agreed to a proposal for a three-hour pause in fighting (from 2pm to 5pm GMT), to allow the safe passage of humanitarian cases.
Despite the agreement, gunfire could be heard and plumes of smoke seen in the background of live broadcasts.
Hemedti previously told the satellite news network Al Arabiya that he ruled out negotiations and called on the army leader to surrender.
The military called for the RSF to be dismantled, labelling it a “rebellious militia”.
Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s former “thug” and “pit bull”, has been accused of lying about a phone call he says he made to the former US president about payments to ex porn star Stormy Daniels.
Cohen, a lawyer who worked for the Trump Organisation from 2006 to 2017, has been giving evidence in the case about hush money payments to Ms Daniels – in an attempt to cover up an alleged sexual encounter in 2006.
Trump’s lawyer, Todd Blanche, called into question an important detail – a phone call made by Cohen to Trump’s assistant, Keith Schiller, on 24 October 2016.
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Cohen, 57, has maintained that during that call he spoke to Trump (who was either given the phone by Mr Schiller or placed on loudspeaker – we don’t know which) and told him he had paid Ms Daniels $130,000 in hush money on his behalf.
But Mr Blanche called this into doubt – showing the jury a number of interactions suggesting Cohen was in contact with Mr Schiller about a different issue at the same time, namely that he was receiving harassing phone calls and texts from a 14-year-old child.
“That was a lie – you did not talk to President Trump on that night, you talked to Keith Schiller about what we just went through,” Mr Blanche said.
Cohen said that, based on his records, he believes he spoke to Trump about the Stormy Daniels matter.
“We are not asking for your belief,” Mr Blanche said. “This jury does not want to hear what you think happened.”
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Donald Trump in court on Thursday. Pic: Reuters
That exchange was part of several hours of questioning which apparently sought to paint a picture of Cohen as someone who is eager to see his former boss behind bars.
Mr Blanche played jurors audio clips of Cohen saying the case “fills me with delight” and that imagining Trump and his family in prison made him feel “giddy with hope and laughter”.
“Does the outcome of this trial affect you personally?” Mr Blanche asked.
“Yes,” Cohen replied. He is due to return to the witness stand on Monday.
Michael Cohen (right) was Donald Trump’s fixer. Pic: AP
Cohen worked as the former president’s fixer. He once described himself as Trump’s “spokesman, thug, pit bull and lawless lawyer”.
He once said he would take a bullet for his boss and admitted at the end of questioning on Tuesday that he “violated my moral compass” while working for Trump.
Hush money payouts are not illegal, but Trump is accused of falsifying business records to hide it – a claim he denies.
Cristiano Ronaldo has topped Forbes’ list of highest-paid athletes for the fourth time in his career.
Spanish golfer Jon Rahm took second place following his switch to Saudi-backed LIV Golf.
Ronaldo became the world’s highest-paid athlete after his move to Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr and Forbes said the 39-year-old’s estimated total earnings were around $260m (£205m) – an all-time high for a football player.
Jon Rahm came in second. Pic: Jeff Faughender/USA TODAY Sports/Reuters
His on-field earnings amounted to $200m (£158m) while off-field he earned $60m (£47m) thanks to sponsorship deals where brands make use of his 629 million Instagram followers.
Rahm earned $218m (£172m) and joins Ronaldo as the only two athletes to earn over $200m.
Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi. Pic: David Kirouac/USA TODAY Sports/Reuters
Third on the list is record eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi, who switched to Major League Soccer team Inter Miami, which helped the Argentine World Cup winner earn $135m (£107m).
The 36-year-old earned $65m (£51m) in on-field earnings but $70m (£55m) off it from deals with major sponsors such as Adidas and Apple.
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James came in fourth at $128m (£101m), while fellow NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks made fifth with $111m (£88m).
France football captain Kylian Mbappe dropped down to sixth with $110m (£87m).
Neymar, who also moved to the Saudi Pro League to join Al-Hilal, is seventh with $108m (£85m), despite sitting out the majority of the season with a torn ACL.
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French striker Karim Benzema, who also moved to Saudi Arabia, is eighth on the list with $106m (£84m), followed by Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry with $102m (£80m).
Lamar Jackson is the only NFL player on the list, in 10th place with $101m (£80m), thanks to the signing bonus negotiated into his new Baltimore Ravens contract last year.
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