Sudan's warring factions not taking advantage of talks to achieve agreed truce - US

Sudan's warring factions are not taking advantage of talks initiated by the United States and Saudi Arabia meant to yield a permanent ceasefire as they originally agreed, a senior U.S. State Department official said on Tuesday.

The United States is consulting with Saudi Arabia and others in the Arab world and Africa about a path forward and hoped to announce a recommended approach in the next few days, the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told reporters in Washington.

"We think we've given them every shot. We've given them this venue to try and come together and try and find a way forward that doesn't involve achieving an outcome that's based on violence or military dominance," the official said.

"They are clearly not taking advantage of the format that we've given them. It's not succeeding in the way they had originally agreed in terms of this step by step process to reach a permanent cessation of hostilities."

The war between Sudan's regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) began in mid April and has forced almost 2 million people to flee and wrecked the economy.

The talks in the Saudi Red Sea city of Jeddah have failed to permanently end fighting and clashes intensified as soon as a ceasefire ended on Sunday. The army refused to extend that 24-hour ceasefire, the U.S. official said.

Airstrikes, artillery fire and gunfire erupted in the capital Khartoum and adjoining cities Bahri and Omdurman, killing civilians.

The violence continued in some areas of Khartoum on Monday, while some residents reported relative calm. The fighting has trapped civilians in a worsening humanitarian crisis in which people are frequently without electricity and water.

At least 866 people have been killed and over 6,000 injured in the fighting, the United Nations said on Thursday, citing government statistics.

A second senior State Department official told reporters there was a "dawning realization" among the warring parties that there was no acceptable military solution. This had not yet translated, however, into willingness to take tangible steps to lock in a longer ceasefire and a broader permanent cessation of hostilities, the official said.

U.S. CONSIDERS SCALING BACK TALKS

The second official said the United States is questioning how much more mileage they can get out of talks in Jeddah that could lead to a broader cessation of hostilities, or whether they would scale back talks and focus intently on humanitarian assistance.

"That's something we're actively talking about with partners," the official said.

The same official said the warring parties had not received much external support yet, despite concerns that the conflict would attract the interference of foreign actors, adding that work was being done to keep it that way.

"I think their previous partners are somewhat shocked. Everyone is shocked - like no one can believe that one would behave in such a suicidal manner. And they're concerned about the impact on their country and their region," the first official said.

The RSF said on Tuesday it had taken over the Um Dafog army base near the border with the Central African Republic and potentially a hub for supplies.

The extent of losses was unclear on either side but neither the army nor the RSF has appeared to establish the advantage.

The fighting has expanded to other parts of Sudan, in particular to the West Darfur city of El Geneina, where 1,100 people have been killed, according to activists.

Previous ceasefires had allowed some humanitarian access to the country, but aid agencies reported still being impeded by the fighting, bureaucracy and looting.

Reuters

At the end of 2022, Google implored Apple to “get the message” and end the green-versus-blue bubble controversy by adopting RCS messaging. Apple’s response eventually came at WWDC 2023, where it introduced a new iOS 17feature called Contact Posters, which instead of bringing everyone together, only furthers the us-versus-them split between Android and iOS.

If you thought the green/blue iMessage arguments could get fiery, there’s a lot more to come.

Blue good, green bad

Before we get into Contact Posters, it’s best to look at the green and blue message controversy. Apple’s iMessage messages appear in a blue bubble when sent and received by an iPhone, but when an iPhone receives an SMS message from an Android phone, it appears in a green bubble. Although it sounds innocuous enough, this difference has apparently caused rifts online, in schoolyards, in friendships, and even in relationships for years. Android’s green bubbles just aren’t as cool or desirable as blue ones, it seems.

To many people, this will sound pathetic, and in fact — to most people outside the U.S. — it’s viewed as an oddity due to the prevalence of messaging apps like WhatsApp, WeChat, and Line. Now, whether arguments about it really happen is up for debate, but there are enough stories out there to suggest it’s a big deal to some (unpleasantly narcissistic) people. A 2019 story published in the New York Post is a particular eye-opener, with some Tinder daters calling text conversations with a green bubble a turn-off, and a thread on Hacker News in 2022 seems to confirm it’s still a thing today.

But the problem goes back much further than this, with the author of this 2016 Gizmodo story saying they planned to buy an iPhone to increase their chances of relationship success. It’s not just dating life, it’s elsewhere too. In 2014, the coach of a basketball team punished players for one person’s green bubble in an otherwise “pure” blue bubble group chat. These are adults, and even such confrontations don’t happen as often as we’re led to believe, it doesn’t stop it being madness.

Contact Posters is coming

If Android phone owners are getting shunned over text messages, iOS 17 will now see them shunned by the same lunatics with voice calls too. A new feature called Contact Posters lets you completely customize the screen that appears on someone else’s iPhone when your iPhone is calling it.

You can use a Portrait mode selfie, different fonts and colors for your name, and even use a Memoji instead of your own photo. When an iPhone calls another iPhone with iOS 17, it’ll be pretty clear who it is and that the call is coming from another iPhone. And thanks to the new NameDrop feature, you’ll also be able to hold two iOS 17 iPhones together to share your Contact Poster with another person.

It could also be a way to weed out those unwanted, unclean Android calls. When an Android phone calls an iOS 17 iPhone, it will be pretty obvious it won’t be an iPhone calling. Is it a robocall, a misdial, or an Android phone? No one will know, and no one will care — they’ll just send it to voicemail. The chances of some people (Contact Posers, perhaps?) only accepting calls presented with a Contact Poster are entirely real because we live in that kind of world.

There are some who believe the iMessage’s hated green bubble has been deliberately engineered to look unappealing on an iPhone, so perhaps Apple will add a big green background to a non-iPhone call too? Whatever happens, at some point, there’s no way this won’t cause the same issue as the whole green/blue message bubble debacle. Once again, Apple has introduced a feature that clearly splits those who have an iPhone from those who don’t. It’s leveraging more personalizable, more interesting, and far more eye-catching visual tools to make you seem cool, fun, and exciting before the person you’ve called has even picked up.

What will the world do?

Why is Apple doing this when it should be bringing people together? It’s doing so because it can and because it’s entirely entitled to do so. Apple is making the iPhone ecosystem more appealing than the competition, and it’s working just as it always has. The walled garden that Apple devices live in is well-known and actually a solid reason for purchasing an Apple product in the first place. Contact Posters, like iMessage, is another benefit of being part of the club.

However, for whatever reason, some see features like these as nefarious and exclusionary. Google certainly does, probably because it has never had a clue how to make (and continue to run) a single, successful messaging platform.

So, what’s the solution? It’s actually incredibly simple. If you want iMessage and blue bubbles, Contact Posters, FaceTime calls without links, AirDrop, NameDrop, or any number of other iOS features, buy an iPhone. They are very good. What’s great is Android phones are also very good, and a normal, well-adjusted human being won’t care one way or the other what color a message is or what shows up on the screen when the phone rings. They’ll just want a good phone, and luckily, there are a lot to choose from these days.

Or you could just use WhatsApp, Line, Telegram, Signal, or any number of other apps like the rest of the world and forget about bubbles and call screens entirely.

Digitaltrends

Everyone who leads people wants, even if only deep inside, to be a great boss. The problem is, what you feel are the qualities of a great boss may be very different from what your employees want, and need. 

That's why Seth Godin, author of the just-released new book The Song of Significance: A New Manifesto for Teams, asked 10,000 people in 90 countries to describe the conditions at the best job they ever had. 

Here are the top four:

• I surprised myself with what I could accomplish
• I could work independently
• The team built something important
• People treated me with respect

"Surprised myself with what I could accomplish" and "work independently" were the runaway leaders at 60 and 50 percent of respondents, respectively. Makes sense; we all love to feel good about ourselves, and we all appreciate – even if we work for someone else – feeling a sense of responsibility and authority. (The two often don't go hand in hand.)

More surprising is the fact "I got paid a lot" was mentioned by less than 20 percent of respondents. Clearly money is important, but while higher pay is great, at a baseline level what matters is that we feel fairly compensated for the work we do. 

Yet clearly purpose, meaning, and respect matter more.

As Godin writes: 

What would today be like if you could honestly describe your job that way? And what if all your coworkers felt the same way? Imagine being an investor, a customer, a participant in that sort of organization.

What if we created the best job someone ever had? What if we built an organization people would genuinely miss if it were gone?

You've probably seen the Gallup research that shows people leave bosses, not companies. Once pay and benefits are fair – not industry-leading, just appropriate and reasonable – how you treat people makes a huge difference.

Want to improve your odds of keeping your best employees and hiring potential superstars? Get your pay and bonus systems in order, and then think longer term.

One example: a study of more than 400,000 people published in Harvard Business Review found that when employees believe promotions are managed effectively, employee turnover rates are half that of other companies in the same industry. But wait, there's more; Productivity, innovation, and growth metrics also outperform the competition. (For public companies, stock returns are almost three times the market average.)

Promoting the right people matters, because it shows you value integrity and equity. Promoting the right people shows you reward performance and potential.

Bottom line? Money matters... until it doesn't.

Because you can't buy great employees.

But you can definitely earn them, by giving your employees the responsibility, authority, and respect that will allow them to surprise themselves with what they can accomplish. 

And gain the satisfaction we all feel when we get to become even better versions of ourselves.   

Inc

President Bola Tinubu has signed the student loan bill into law.

Tinubu signed the bill on Monday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The legislation, which seeks to provide financial assistance to Nigerian students in tertiary institutions, passed the third reading in the lower chamber in May.

The bill was sponsored by Femi Gbajabiamila, immediate-past speaker of the house of representatives.

Dele Alake, a former Lagos commissioner of information and strategy, announced the signing of the bill to state house correspondents.

The legislation allows Nigerian students in tertiary institutions to access interest-free loans from the Nigerian education loan fund.

The legislation provides for the establishment of the Nigerian education bank, which will have the power to administer, supervise, coordinate, and monitor the management of student loans in the country.

Based on the provisions of the legislation, the bank is expected to receive applications for student loans through higher institutions on behalf of the applicants and screen them.

The Cable

Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) on Monday raised an alarm over the outbreak of a disease known as Anthrax which is in the West African sub-region and urged Nigerians to stop eating ‘pomo’ for now.

The FG through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) alerted Nigerians that Anthrax is in some neighbouring countries within West Africa, specifically, Northern Ghana bordering Burkina Faso and Togo.

The FMARD Permanent Secretary, Ernest Afolabi Umakhihe in an official statement explained that Anthrax which has claimed some lives is a bacterial disease that affects both animals and man which in turn makes it a zoonotic disease.

“Anthrax spores are naturally found in the soil and commonly affect domestic and Wild Animals,” Umakhihe disclosed in the statement.

According to him, people can get infected with anthrax spores if they come in contact with infected animals or contaminated animal products.

However, Umakhihe said that anthrax is not a contagious disease and as a result, one cannot get it by coming in close contact with an infected person.

“Signs of anthrax are flu-like symptoms such as cough, fever, muscle aches and if not diagnosed and treated early, lead to pneumonia, severe lung problems, difficulty in breathing, shock and death,” he added.

Umakhihe said that anthrax being a bacterial disease can respond to treatment with antibiotics and supportive therapy.

He further stated that it is primarily a disease of animals but because of man’s closeness to animals, non vaccinated animals with anthrax can easily be transmitted to man through the inhalation of anthrax spores or consumption of contaminated/infected animal products, such as hides and skin, meat or milk.

Umakhihe disclosed that annual vaccinations with anthrax spore vaccines are available at National Veterinary Research Institute Vom, Plateau State and is the cheapest and easiest means of prevention and control of the disease in animals.

“However, infected animals cannot be vaccinated but animals at risk can be vaccinated,” he added.

In this present case, according to him, there is the need to intensify animal vaccinations along border States of Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger, Kwara, Oyo, Ogun and Lagos because of their proximity to Burkina Faso, Togo and Ghana.

He also added that the other States of Nigeria are equally advised to join in the exercise.

Umakhihe in the statement said that infected dead animals should be buried deep into the soil along with equipment used in the burial after applying chemicals that will kill the anthrax spores.

He, however, warned that the general public is strongly advised to desist from the consumption of hides (pomo), smoked meat and bush meat as they pose serious risk until the situation is brought under control.

Umakhihe urged the public to remain calm and vigilant as the Federal Government has resuscitated a Standing Committee on the Control of Anthrax in the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

He said relevant institutions and collaborators have been contacted with the aim of controlling the outbreak, in addition to the sensitisation of State Directors of Veterinary Services nationwide.

The Guardian

Nigeria spent $3.47bn importing phones, generating sets, electrical transformers, and a host of other electrical equipment in 2022.

This is based on data culled from the International Trade Center. The ITC gets its data from the National Bureau of Statistics and the United Nations COMTRADE.

According to the multilateral agency, which has a joint mandate with the World Trade Organisation and the United Nations, Nigeria’s electrical importation bill grew by 11.90 per cent from the $3.09bn it was in 2022. Also, over the last three years, Nigeria has spent $10.26bn importing electrical equipment amid falling foreign exchange reserves.

Imports under the electrical machinery and equipment category on the ITC portal include, but are not limited to, electric motors and generators, electric generating sets, electrical transformers, vacuum cleaners, electric shavers, hair clippers, and telephone sets which include smartphones, facsimile machines for line telephony, teleprinters, and parts of telephone sets.

Total phone imports in 2022 was put at $773.56m, a 0.17 per cent year-on-year increase from $772.25m as of 2021. $468.65m worth of electric motors and electric generating, and $357.36m worth of electrical transformers were also imported.

Cumulatively, the three products constituted 46.06 per cent of total electrical equipment importation in 2022. Most of the equipment were imported from China, India, Germany, Türkiye, Sweden, United States of America, United Kingdom, Austria, Italy, Vietnam, and France.

Despite the liberalisation of its telecommunication sector over 20 years ago, Nigeria does not locally manufacture phones and most of the equipment needed in the telecom sector.

According to the Nigerian Communications Commission, about 63 million technology devices are sold in Nigeria yearly. Nigeria’s phone market is dominated by foreign players like Tecno, Samsung, Apple, and Itel. Despite having the seventh-highest number of phones in the world, buoyed by its large mobile subscribers, according to the World Population Review, the country’s local phone manufacturing industry is non-existent.

Recently, the IDC said, “Nigeria’s smartphone market declined 32.1 per cent YoY in Q4 2022 due to sustained high inflation and a shortage of U.S. dollars in the country.”

Nigeria’s smartphone market declined 32.1% YoY in Q4 2022 due to sustained high inflation and a shortage of US dollars in the country.

Punch

WATT Renewable Corp. aims to raise as much as $100 million by the end of 2024 to expand its business of providing solar power, mainly to telecommunications towers in Nigeria. 

The Canadian company, which has installed 12 megawatts of generation capacity at about 160 sites, has a pipeline of projects 10 times that size, Chief Investment Officer Sherisse Alexander said. WATT would prefer a major investor to take a stake, but will finance projects individually if need be, she said. 

“What we are looking at is a corporate raise,” Alexander said. WATT is talking to “companies that are already involved in the energy industry that have an understanding of renewable energy and specifically the African market,” she said, declining to be more specific. 

WATT is one of a number of energy startups trying to provide power solutions in Africa, where about 600 million people, or half the population, have no access to electricity. Businesses across the continent are offering services ranging from mini-grids to small hydro plants to reach areas that aren’t connected to national grids.

The company, which entered the West African market in 2018, initially planned to set up mini-grids for rural communities, but soon saw the opportunity to provide reliable power systems for corporate customers.

“We made our foray into the telecommunications industry where we transition telecommunication providers and towers from diesel-generated power over to a solar hybrid solution,” Alexander said. 

One of its main customers is Pan African Towers Ltd., a Nigerian provider of masts. In addition to telecommunications, WATT has also focused on financial institutions, and some commercial and industrial companies. 

The company lists 401 projects on its website, some of which are up and running, but most are in development. Of those all but 14 are in Nigeria, with the company having 13 projects in Canada and one in Texas. 

The need to raise money means that shareholders, including founder and Chief Executive Officer Oluwole Eweje, will reduce their stakes.

“Given the capital that we are looking to raise for our extensive pipeline of business, their shareholding will be diluted,” Alexander said. “It is in the best interest of future project development and deployment.”

Bloomberg

Chuma Nzeribe, a politician convicted of forgery and other crimes, has been freed from prison barely two months after he began a seven-year jail time.

Nzeribe was on the run for about a year after being convicted by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court until he was arrested and sentenced in March this year.

But barely two months after he began the seven years of jail time, the Chief Judge of FCT High Court, Husseini Baba-Yusuf, controversially freed him from the Kuje Correctional Centre, Abuja.

The Chief Judge, it was learnt, took the administrative decision anchored on the health conditions of the convict during his official tour of the prison facility for a decongestion exercise in May.

Baba-Yusuf’s decision pre-empted the ruling of another judge of the court, Halilu Yusuf, on the bail application which Nzeribe filed but had yet to be heard.

Some lawyers have argued that the Chief Judge’s action overstepped the limits of his administrative powers and breached the law stipulating the conditions for freeing prisoners, more so that the convict’s bail application was still pending in court for judicial determination.

The convict had been out of jail before the agency that prosecuted him – the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) – got to know of it.

Nzeribe, a former member of the House of Representatives, was convicted in absentia by Halilu Yusuf of the Federal Capital Territory High Court at Maitama, Abuja, in May 2022.

He was found guilty of impersonation, possessing federal government documents, and using the documents to acquire land in the Maitama district of Abuja fraudulently.

But Nzeribe could not be sentenced immediately after the judge pronounced him guilty due to his absence from court.

The EFCC could only apprehend and take him to court for sentencing on 24 March, nearly a year after his conviction.

At the sentencing proceedings, the judge, Yusuf, jailed the former lawmaker for seven years.

But within a short while after his sentencing, Nzeribe filed an appeal against the court’s decision and applied for post-conviction bail.

Parties were still anticipating a date to be fixed for the hearing when the EFCC team got the hint that the convict had been released from prison.

PREMIUM TIMES made attempts to confirm the development from the Chief Judge’s office to no avail.

Our reporter paid repeated visits to the offices of the Chief Judge and the court’s Chief Registrar, Hadiza Dodo, at the court complex in Maitama, Abuja, but was told on each occasion that the officials were not available.

‘Why Nzeribe was released’

But the FCT command of the Nigerian Correction Service, which supervises the Kuje facility where Nzeribe was held, confirmed the convict’s release to our reporter on Wednesday.

“The (Chief Judge’s) pronouncement (releasing Nzeribe) was made on 23 May 2023,” Adamu Duza, the spokesperson for the FCT Command of the Nigerian Correctional Service, said on Thursday.

Duza said Mr Nzeribe “was sentenced two months before the visit of the Chief Judge.”

PREMIUM TIMES learnt that the Chief Judge released the convict on health grounds, a controversial decision senior lawyers have called to question.

Confirming this to our reporter, Duza said, “The Chief Judge ordered his (Nzeribe’s) release based on medical grounds. There is medical proof to that.”

He added that “the Chief Judge used his discretion to pardon the convict (Nzeribe). Moreover, he is 64 years old.”

However, a constitutional lawyer and human rights activist, Femi Falana, said, “Chief Judges have no power to pardon convicts,” a legal point another senior lawyer, Sebastine Hon, had argued years ago.

Falana referenced the Criminal Justice (Release From Custody) (Special Provisions) Act.

The law, however, stipulates conditions upon which the Chief Justice or Chief Judge may release a prison detainee.

It says, “…a person whose detention is manifestly unlawful; or a person who has been detained in custody, whether on remand or otherwise, for a period longer than the maximum period of imprisonment which the person detained could have served had he been convicted of the offence in respect of which he was detained.”

Agreeing with Falana, another lawyer, Adebayo Akinlade, said there were criteria to be met by prison detainees before the Chief Judge can release them.

Akinlade explained that the law empowers the Chief Judge under the prerogative of mercy to order a prisoner’s release if such a person has been incarcerated for a while.

In addition, Chukwuemeka Clement, 2nd Vice President Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), said the Chief Judge could pardon a prison detainee on condition of “old age, illegal detention, long period of incarceration and ill-health.”

‘Politically Exposed Persons above the law?

Nzeribe’s release, again, calls attention to how Nigeria’s criminal justice system can be easily manipulated to the advantage of politically exposed persons (PEPs).

Sometimes PEPs pull their weight to derail investigations or keep their trial delayed for years in court.

On rare occasions when they are convicted, they can get out of prison, deploying unusual legal tactics.

Nzeribe’s release fits into the broader picture of a criminal justice system that allows both the judiciary and the executive arms of government to give high-profile suspects or criminal convicts some special treatment.

The administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, in 2022, pardoned Joshua Dariye and Jolly Nyame, former governors of Plateau and Taraba states, respectively, while they were still serving jail time imposed on them for looting public funds. They were serving their prison terms when the Buhari administration granted them a pardon.

Erstwhile governor of Abia State, Orji Kalu, wangled his way out of prison after he was convicted of N7.1 billion fraud.

Kalu, a serving senator representing Abia North, was already serving a 12-year jail term for the offences when the Supreme Court, on 8 May 2020, quashed the proceedings leading to his and his co-defendants’ conviction.

The Supreme Court’s judgement delivered on an appeal by Kalu’s co-defendant, Ude Udeogu, had ordered a retrial at the Federal High Court.

Orji Kalu got out of prison based on the Supreme Court’s judgement but quickly applied to the Federal High Court in Abuja to stop his retrial.

In 2021, the judge, Inyang Ekwo, before whom Kalu filed the request, barred Nigeria’s anti-corruption agency, EFCC, from retrying the lawmaker.

Judge not aware of convict’s release

Nzeribe was released without the trial court’s knowledge.

The trial judge, Yusuf, who sits in a courtroom at the Maitama Court complex, which also houses office of the Chief Judge, is currently out of the station.

A court official said he was serving on an election petition tribunal outside Abuja.

The source, who asked not to be named, disclosed that the trial judge was unaware of Nzeribe’s release.

“The judge (Yusuf) has been under immense pressure to grant the convict bail through the backdoor, but he declined.

“In fact, there is a pending post-conviction motion for bail filed by Nzeribe. But it has not been heard,” the source said.

Another source familiar with the case said the trial court had no jurisdiction to hear Nzeribe’s bail request.

“It (the court) doesn’t have jurisdiction to entertain any application from the applicant (Nzeribe) since …an appeal has been filed before the Court of Appeal,” the source said.

Background

In 2013, Nzeribe, a former governorship aspirant in Imo State, was alleged to be in possession of a document containing false pretence with reference number MFCT/LA/FCT 1302, dated June 18, 2003, bearing the name of Ramatu Alhassan.

He was, thus, accused of committing an offence contrary to Section 6, 8(b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Act.

The erstwhile lawmaker was accused of using the forged document as a genuine one, thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 366 of the Penal Code Act Cap 532 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (Abuja) and punishable under Section 364 of the same Act.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges at the beginning of the case.

In aid of its case, the EFCC called five witnesses while the defendant testified for himself.

Delivering judgement on the suit, the judge said the prosecution discharged the onus of proof against Nzeribe beyond any reasonable doubt.

Yusuf held that the convict indeed made false pretence and is guilty of forgery. He said Nzeribe also cheated by impersonation.

The judge ruled that the land in Maitama, acquired with the forged papers, should be taken over by the owner, Ishaya Madi, immediately.

The judge said Nzeribe had failed to attend three consecutive court sessions.

Instead, the politician sent a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to the EFCC, surrendering the land to the real owner, Madi.

Thereafter, the judge deferred sentencing until Nzeribe was arrested and brought before the court on 24 March this year.

PT

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Russia launches 'massive missile' attack on Kryvyi Rih in central Ukraine - officials

Russia launched a "massive missile" attack overnight on the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih, killing and wounding people and damaging civilian infrastructure, Ukrainian officials said early on Tuesday.

"There are dead and wounded," Serhiy Lisak, governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region where Kryvyi Rih is located, said on the Telegram messaging app.

"A massive missile attack on Kryvyi Rih."

Russian air strikes hit several civilian buildings in the city, including a five-storey building, the mayor of Kryvyi Rih, Oleksandr Vilkul, said earlier.

"Likely, there are people under the rubble," Vilkul said on Telegram.

Reuters could not independently verify the report. Vilkul did not provide any further detail.

Lisak posted a photograph of a five-storey apartment building with all windows blown out and smoke coming out of some.

There was no immediate comment from Russia about the reported strikes. Both Russia and Ukraine deny targeting civilians in the war which Russia launched on its neighbour nearly 16 months ago.

During the earli hours of Tuesday, air raid sirens blared across the whole of Ukraine, with Kyiv's military officials saying air defence forces destroyed all Russian missiles targeting the Ukrainian capital.

The mayor of the city of Kharkiv in Ukraine's east said on his Telegram channel that Russian drones hit civilian infrastructure there, striking a warehouse and a utility firm's building. There was no immediate information about casualties.

** Coalition aims to begin Ukrainian F-16 pilot training by summer - Dutch minister

Ukrainian pilots could begin training to fly U.S.-manufacture F-16 fighter jets as soon as this summer, the Dutch defense minister has told Reuters, a first step toward supplying Kyiv with a powerful, long-term capability in its war with Russia.

NATO allies the Netherlands and Denmark are leading an international coalition to train pilots and support staff, maintain aircraft and ultimately supply F-16s to Ukraine. Previously, the Netherlands had said it aimed to start training Ukrainian pilots "as soon as possible", but had stopped short of specifying when such training could get under way.

"This summer is our ambition. And we'll see if that's realistic" for the start of the training programme, Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren told Reuters in an interview.

She said the aim would be to have the training programme fully operational within six months. Denmark, where there are flight simulators, is a possible location to host the program.

A final decision has not yet been taken on a request from Kyiv to supply dozens of F-16s, Ollongren said. The U.S.-backed training program will include Belgium and Luxembourg, while France and Britain have offered assistance, she said.

While adopting F-16s will not impact the war in the short-term, it will bring Ukraine more in line with NATO military capabilities, which "is very important for the future," Ollongren said.

"When the war is over Ukraine has to be able to defend itself to deter Russia from trying again. And I think...that's what the Ukrainians also see."

"It is a very strong weapons system. It's a very strong capability. But it's not going to be available anytime soon and President (Volodymyr) Zelenskiy, of course, knows that," Ollongren said.

Two sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters the training would begin with two groups of 12 Ukrainian pilots, already experienced flying Soviet-era MiGs. The minister did not specify the initial size of the programme.

JUST AN AIRPLANE

Ukraine's Zelenskiy said last week he received "a serious, powerful" offer from leaders of countries ready to provide Kyiv with F-16 fighter jets and is awaiting final agreements with key allies.

The Netherlands, like other NATO members, is transitioning to newer F-35 fighters. The Dutch still have 24 F-16s in operation and more out of service which could be transferred to Ukraine.

It usually takes roughly 2.5 years to become a fighter pilot in the Netherlands. A U.S official, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said estimates on the training time are still being finalised, but that it could take as little as four months to teach basic F-16 skills to an experienced Ukrainian pilot.

Colonel Laurens-Jan Vijge, a Dutch F-35 pilot who flew F-16s for 15 years, including multiple missions to Afghanistan, is part of the team being assembled to train the Ukrainians.

"Flying-wise, well, technically, if you're a pilot, this is also just an airplane," he told Reuters at the Volkel air base in the southern Netherlands, the roar of landing F-35 jet planes in the background.

Ukrainian pilots would have to learn how to operate the F-16's so-called 'hands-on throttle and stick'.

"That means that both on the throttle which you use to accelerate and on a stick to control the airplane, there's a lot of buttons that you use to operate all the avionics. Usually in Soviet equipment that's non-existent, or at least less part of the design," he said.

The course will include language training and "simulator training where they learn how to deal with the different subsystems in the airplane," he said. "And that's before you start talking about how to operate it as a weapons platform. So that's really the last part of the training."

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Ukrainian unit loses most of its Bradley fighting vehicles in Zaporozhye

A Ukrainian military unit lost most of its US-made Bradley fighting vehicles (BFVs) during an offensive in Zaporozhye, the France-Presse news agency reported.

According to it, the fighting vehicles were eliminated near the town of Orekhovo.

The news agency said that "of nine vehicles attached to the group's mechanized infantry unit […] six were wrecked, three damaged but reparable, and one was unscathed."

Replying to the agency’s question about the offensive’s results, one of Ukrainian soldiers admitted that no serious progress was made.

On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed to reporters the onset of a Ukrainian counteroffensive. He noted that the Kiev regime had engaged its strategic reserves but the offensive had not been successful due to the courage and valor of Russian servicemen. In turn, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky at a joint press conference with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau dodged answering a question on the Ukrainian counteroffensive.

On June 10, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that Ukrainian troops had lost nine tanks over 24 hours south of Donetsk and in the Zaporozhye area, including four Leopard tanks, as well as 11 infantry fighting vehicles, including Bradleys.

** No pre-requisites exist for talks with Kiev regime, says Kremlin

Today there is no even ‘fragile foundation’ for talks with the Kiev regime, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Sunday.

"Today there are no pre-requisites for accords. Moreover, today there is no foundation, even fragile, for building any dialogue. We see: first, the regime is unwilling, second, it is unready and third, it is not allowed by its handlers [to hold negotiations], as we can say, without any equivoques," Peskov said in an interview with the Moscow. Kremlin. Putin program, an excerpt of which was posted by journalist Pavel Zarubin on his Telegram channel.

As the Kremlin press secretary pointed out, "that is why, there are no pre-requisites for negotiations now".

The Russian presidential spokesman earlier said that Russia would seek ensuring its own security, which excluded NATO’s expansion to the country’s borders and Ukraine’s admission to the military alliance. Peskov also earlier pointed out that Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s statement on Ukraine’s potential NATO membership suggested Kiev’s "unpreparedness, unwillingness and inability" to address existing problems at a negotiating table.

Reuters/Tass

Sudan war traps civilians after ceasefire ends

Air strikes, artillery and gunfire rocked several areas of Sudan's capital on Monday as fighting between warring factions intensified for a second day, trapping civilians in a worsening humanitarian crisis.

The war between the country's army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has raged for almost two months, forcing almost 2 million to flee and wrecking the economy, causing frequent electricity and water outages.

Talks in Jeddah have failed to permanently end fighting and clashes intensified as soon as a ceasefire ended on Sunday.

While the RSF has spread out across most of the capital, controlling main streets and setting up camp inside some homes, the army has the advantage of air and artillery weaponry.

Residents of eastern Khartoum reported being hit by air strikes, while in southern Khartoum as well as northern Omdurman reported being hit by artillery fighting. Eyewitnesses reported clashes in central Khartoum as well.

"Since yesterday, the war has come back and there's strikes from all direction," said Awatif Sidahmed, 43, living in Sharq el-Nil across the Nile from Khartoum.

"Our neighbourhood is a war zone so leaving is difficult and staying home is difficult. We don't know what to do."

Those who stay also struggle with dwindling funds as the government has stopped paying salaries and pensions.

More than 200,000 of the 1.9 million Sudanese who have managed to flee their homes have gone to Egypt, which this week imposed a visa requirement for children, women and the elderly who had previously been exempt.

Hundreds of Sudanese were turned back at Cairo airport and sent back on return flights, according to Cairo airport sources, after a similar exemption for those with residencies in western and Gulf states was removed.

DARFUR FIGHTING

No side has made clear progress, and the fighting has spread to several cities to the west in the Kordofan and Darfur regions.

In the westernmost city of El Geneina, militias backed by the RSF have launched attacks on the city, which has now lost access to power and running water. Tens of thousands have fled to Chad.

Activist Kamal Alzein told Reuters that he had heard from three activists in the city that has been largely cut off from telecom networks that 1,100 people had been killed and 3,000 injured since attacks began in April.

Reuters could not immediately verify the numbers. The highest official death toll from the Sudanese health ministry was 510, reported in late May.

The Darfur Bar Association, which monitors the conflict in the region, said that 17 people had been killed on Monday as a result of shelling, while 100 had died over the past five days.

“Geneina remains under siege,” it said.

In a statement on Sunday's intense fighting in Bahri, the army says that while they were able to make gains against the RSF and claim to have killed hundreds, it had also lost several soldiers. It blamed the RSF for deadly air strikes on civilians in southern Khartoum.

The RSF in turn said that the army had used the 24-hour ceasefire on Saturday to reposition troops and attack immediately after.

Kenyan President William Ruto said on Monday that East African countries would conduct face-to-face meetings with the heads of the army and RSF within 10 days to discuss stopping the war and humanitarian corridors.

The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said on Monday agencies had been able to deliver supplies for 2 million people including 57 cross-line movements.

That included medical supplies to 42,000 people living on the island of Tuti on the Nile, where residents have said their single bridge to the mainland was blocked by the RSF, cutting off food and medicine supplies.

Reuters