Shifting alliances in Sudan’s Darfur as new civil war fears rise
Locals in Darfur arm themselves, believing army-RSF conflict could reignite ethnic violence and open war in region.
In Sudan’s western region of Darfur, a place long synonymous with conflict, fears of a new civil war are on the rise.
Civilians have begun arming themselves, residents and humanitarian organisations have said, as they organise their own defence forces to protect themselves against attacks from rival tribes as well as the feared paramilitary known as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The RSF is currently involved in a violent power struggle with its former ally, the Sudanese army, resulting in a security vacuum that armed tribes are now exploiting.
Erdoğan’s Turkish election plans disrupted after being taken ill on live TV
President says he will rest at home as vice-president attends campaign events in his place
The Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has had to abruptly cancel election campaign events after being taken ill on live television during an interview.
Cameras abruptly cut away from Erdoğan to one of his interviewers, Hasan Öztürk, who looked perturbed and began to rise from his chair before the broadcast cut entirely. In footage distributed by the president’s Justice and Development party (AKP), shot in the same location, Erdoğan explains that he contracted stomach flu following intense work on the campaign trail weeks before the pivotal election.
He later tweeted: “Today I will rest at home upon the advice of my doctors … with God’s permission, we will continue our campaign from tomorrow onwards.” The vice-president, Fuat Oktay, said he would attend campaign events across central Turkey in his place.
Iran seizes oil tanker in Gulf of Oman, says US
The Marshall Islands-flagged vessel was seized in the Gulf of Oman while it was in transit, according to the US Navy's Middle East-based 5th Fleet.
The US Navy said on Thursday that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman.
"Iran's actions are contrary to international law and disruptive to regional security and stability," the Bahrain-based US 5th Fleet said in a statement. "Iran should immediately release the oil tanker."
The incident came days after the US, Britain and the European Union toughened sanctions against the Revolutionary Guard Corps over human rights violations.
Spain hit by summer-strength heat in April
An unusually early heatwave in drought-hit Spain is set to peak on Thursday and Friday with temperatures expected to break April records in the south of the country.
Since Monday, Spain has been enveloped by a mass of warm, dry air from North Africa that has driven up temperatures to "levels normally seen in summer and exceptionally high for this time of year," said Spain's state weather agency AEMET.
"It's highly likely (the heatwave) will peak on Thursday and Friday," it added, acknowledging many temperature records had already been beaten on Wednesday.
Australia to overhaul immigration system, with smooth entry for skilled workers
Australia proposed on Thursday overhauling its immigration system to speed up getting highly skilled workers into the country and smoothening the path to permanent residency.
The federal Labor government said the current system used to select skilled migrants - the points test - will be modified to identify people with the correct skill sets the Australian economy needs going forward.
"Our migration system ... is broken. It is failing our businesses, it is failing migrants themselves. And most importantly, it is failing Australians. That cannot continue," Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil said in a speech at the National Press Club.
Philippines: The paradise islands caught in the US-China crosshairs
The largest ever military exercises between the United States and the Philippines are drawing to a close. They began just days after China's military rehearsed a blockade of Taiwan - a display the US called disproportionate. With tensions high in the region, a handful of people on a few small islands find themselves caught between two superpowers.
The steep limestone cliffs and rolling hills that make up this tiny island on the northern edge of the Philippines rise out of the Luzon Strait.
Even on a good day, strong waves on the azure seas toss around tiny fishing boats hoping to hook some of the islanders' favourite flying fish.
Nearly 3,000 native Ivatans, fishermen and farmers, have survived here in the face of earthquakes, typhoons and drought. But now they face a new and different threat.
Their island home risks being caught in a conflict between the United States and China as the two militaries skirt ever closer to each other to gain the upper hand in the South China Sea.
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