Middle East & North Africa

KHARTOUM, April 18 (Xinhua) -- Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on Tuesday announced that it accepted an international initiative for a truce to stop the clashes with the Sudanese army for 24 hours for humanitarian reasons, while the Sudanese army said it was not aware of the truce.

"A 24-hour truce has been accepted after communication with friendly countries and the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken," Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the RSF commander, said on his Twitter account on Tuesday

DAMASCUS, April 18 (Xinhua) -- Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud arrived in the Syrian capital of Damascus Tuesday afternoon, the first visit of a Saudi official to Syria in 12 years, according to the state news agency SANA.

The visit comes days after Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad visited the kingdom as part of the efforts to restore normal relations between the two countries.

During Mekdad's visit to Saudi Arabia, an agreement was made to restore consulate services and resume air flights between the two countries.

BEIRUT (AP) — Saudi Arabia’s top diplomat arrived in the Syrian capital on Tuesday, the first official visit by an official from the kingdom in more than a decade, the Syrian government said.

The visit by Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan to Damascus follows that of his Syrian counterpart, Faisal Mikdad, to Riyadh last week. Syrian state news agency SANA reported that after his arrival, the Saudi top diplomat was received by Syrian President Bashar Assad.

BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon’s parliament Tuesday postponed municipal elections for up to a year for a second time amid concerns the government would not be able to secure the needed funding in time for polling.

The delay came as Lebanon’s economy and infrastructure continue to crumble, with legislators in the deeply divided parliament unable to reach a settlement to end a presidential vacuum for almost six months.

CAIRO (AP) — At the Khartoum Teaching Hospital, people wounded during street battles flowed into the wards. Supplies were running low, with doctors, nurses, patients and their relatives trapped inside for days as the Sudanese capital turned into a war zone.

Then early Monday, one of the wards was heavily damaged by shelling.

“We are running out of everything,” Dr. Amin Saad told The Associated Press. “We are working with the least possible capabilities. … We’re all exhausted, but there is a shortage of physicians.”

KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) — The Sudanese army and a rival paramilitary force that have been battling the past four days for control of the country agreed on Tuesday to a 24-hour cease-fire, Arab media reports said.

Hopes for at least a pause in the violence came as intensified fighting threatened to spiral even further into chaos. Millions of Sudanese in the capital and in other major cities have been hiding in their homes, caught in the crossfire as the two forces pounded residential areas with artillery and airstrikes and engaged in gunbattles in the street.

Jaipur, Apr 17 (PTI) Making clear that he is not backing down from the stand he has taken against his own government in Rajasthan, Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Monday renewed his demand for a probe into alleged corruption during the term of the previous BJP government.

The former deputy chief minister recently went on a daylong fast over this, defying the party's central leadership even after it termed his proposed move "anti-party activity".

17 Apr 2023; MEMO: The Tunisian Foreign Ministry yesterday announced that the visit of the Syrian foreign minister to Tunisia comes within the framework of restoring bilateral relations to their ordinary course.

17 Apr 2023; MEMO: Qatar Airways announced the suspension of its flights to Sudan due to the closure of Khartoum International Airport, Qatar News Agency said on Sunday, Reuters reports.

According to the report, the move followed the closure of the Khartoum International Airport due to the clashes in the country.

17 Apr 2023; MEMO: The Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs yesterday condemned Israel's attack on Christian monks, clerics and other worshippers participating in the Holy Saturday celebrations in occupied Jerusalem as "violations" of international law.