Six In The Morning Sunday 16 April 2023

 

Fighting rages as air raids hit Khartoum

• At least 56 civilians have been killed in fighting between the army and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group, an independent doctors group reports. The Sudanese Doctors Union says dozens of soldiers have suffered casualties and at least 595 people have been wounded across the country.
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• Fighter jets were witnessed across various parts of Khartoum, seemingly targeting RSF locations using airstrikes.
• Residents report heavy air strikes on paramilitary positions in and around Khartoum.
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• The RSF says it is in control of the presidential place, Khartoum airport and other vital facilities – claims the army has denied.
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• US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says he consulted with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates and the three countries urge all parties to “end hostilities without pre-condition”.
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• The fighting broke out after months of escalating tensions between the military’s commander, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the head of the RSF, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, over the integration of the RSF into the army.

Will Turkey’s elections finally spell the end of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan?

Toppling the president and his AKP party in May is no longer unthinkable. But voters in Ankara seem finely balanced

Ruth Michaelson and Deniz Barış Narlı in Ankara

Sun 16 Apr 2023 13.00 BST

On the outskirts of the Turkish capital in a contested electoral district, two young voters tussled over the approaching election in a dessert shop, the smell of sugar and hot butter wafting through the air. Iflah Oluklu, a skinny 23-year-old with bleached hair, black jeans and a fitted black T-shirt, chastised his friend for disrespecting some supporters of the Turkish president while they were playing an online video game.

The two friends are split in their allegiances. Oluklu described himself as a nationalist, and said he intended to support Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in a tightly contested presidential election on 14 May. “Erdoğan is like a father figure for us in Turkey. He’s been running the country for 20 years. I don’t think it’s impossible to remove him as leader, but especially among this opposition, there’s no one who can replace him,” he said.

Seven, including a child, die after gunmen open fire at La Palma resort in Mexico

The attackers yanked off the security cameras at the resort and fled the scene

Maroosha Muzaffar

Seven, including a child, were killed when a band of gunmen opened fire at a resort in central Mexico on Saturday.

The gunmen invaded the La Palma resort and shot the vacationers at the swimming pool, according to reports.

The attack is said to have taken place around 4.30pm on Saturday.

Officials in the Cortazar municipality in Guanajuato state said in a statement that after the shooting, the attackers destroyed the spa shop and took the security cameras before fleeing the spot.

Wagner chief calls for end of Ukraine war in blog post

Yevgeny Prigozhin said the "ideal option" would be the end of Russia's war in Ukraine. After months of fighting, his mercenaries claim to control most of the eastern town of Bakhmut.

The head of Russia's mercenary Wagner group caused a stir by saying that an end to the war in Ukraine would be an "ideal result."

Yevgeny Prigozhin made the remark in a blog post published Friday that has only now come to light.

"The ideal option would be to announce the end of the special military operation and declare that Russia has achieved all of its planned goals — and, in some respects, we really have achieved them," Prigozhin wrote in comments that were picked up by Ukrainian media.

The text by the 61-year-old also said, "For state power and for society today, it is necessary to put a thick full stop behind the special military operation," referring to Russia's labeling of its invasion of and ongoing war in Ukraine.

Suspect’s home searched; bag seized at site of Kishida attack

THE ASAHI SHIMBUN

April 16, 2023 at 14:05 JST

Police on April 16 searched the home here of a man suspected of lobbing an explosive device while Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was campaigning for a Lower House by-election the previous day in Wakayama city.

Kishida was unharmed in the incident that occurred around 11:25 a.m. He was preparing to give a speech at Saikazaki fishing port when a cylindrical object landed behind him and exploded moments later. 

Video footage taken by a resident captured Kishida looking back as security officers rushed to protect him while members of the roughly 200-strong audience screamed.

Former Indian lawmaker killed live on TV while in police custody

Story by Reuters

Published 6:25 AM EDT, Sun April 16, 2023

A former lawmaker in India’s parliament, convicted of kidnapping, was shot dead along with his brother while police were escorting them for a medical check-up in a slaying caught on live television on Saturday.

The dramatic footage of the men being killed was shared across broadcast channels and social media. A gunman is seen reaching over the shoulders of police to point a pistol at the temple of the former lawmaker, Atiq Ahmed, whose turban is blown off as the gun discharges.

His brother, Ashraf Ahmed, was shot and the two victims died within minutes, while police quickly detained three men suspected of carrying out the slaying.