Trump urges China’s Xi to free jailed Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai
Trump appeals to Chinese leader Xi Jinping after Jimmy Lai convicted under Hong Kong’s national security law in case said to symbolises collapse of media freedoms in the city. United States President Donald Trump has personally appealed to Chinese President Xi Jinping to release imprisoned Hong Kong pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai, saying he was deeply concerned about the 78-year-old’s health following his conviction. On Monday, Hong Kong’s High Court found Lai guilty on three charges in his national security trial, a ruling condemned by rights groups as a decisive blow to press freedom in the Chinese financial hub. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list Prosecutors accused Lai of orchestrating conspiracies to encourage foreign governments to take action against Hong Kong or China, and of publishing material that “excited disaffection” against Chinese authorities. Lai pleaded not guilty and now faces a possible life sentence following his guilty verdict. “I spoke to President Xi about it, and I asked to consider his release,” Trump told reporters on Monday, without saying when he made the request to Xi. “He’s an older man, and he’s not well. So I did put that request out. We’ll see what happens,” Trump said. Trump met Xi in October in South Korea, where he is believed to have raised Lai’s case with the Chinese leader. Shortly after Trump’s comments on Monday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the verdict underscored Beijing’s determination to suppress dissent. Rubio said the conviction showed China’s resolve to “silence those who seek to protect freedom of speech and other fundamental rights”. Lai founded the now-defunct pro-democracy tabloid newspaper Apple Daily and became one of the most prominent pro-democracy figures targeted under Hong Kong’s national security law. Advertisement “Reports indicate that Mr. Lai’s health has severely deteriorated during more than 1,800 days in prison,” Rubio said in the statement. “We urge the authorities to bring this ordeal to an end as soon as possible and to release Mr. Lai on humanitarian grounds,” he said. Jimmy Lai has spent over 1,800 days in prison. I echo President Trump’s call for Beijing to conclude this ordeal and release Mr. Lai. — Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) December 15, 2025 The United Kingdom also criticised the conviction of Lai as a “politically motivated prosecution” and called for his immediate release. Lai, who has been detained since late 2020, is a British citizen. His son Sebastien said that the UK needed to increase pressure on Beijing. “It’s time to put action behind words and make my father’s release a precondition to closer relationships with China,” Lai’s son said at a news conference in London. Lai’s daughter, Claire, said her father would abandon political activism if freed from jail. “He just wants to reunite with his family. He wants to dedicate his life to serving our Lord, and he wants to dedicate the rest of his days to his family,” she told the Associated Press in Washington. “My father is fundamentally not a man who operates on illegal ground,” she said. A devout Catholic, Lai has drawn support in the US from a loose coalition of democracy advocates, press freedom groups and Christian activists, a constituency that forms a key part of Trump’s political base. The forced closure of Lai’s Apple Daily in 2021, once known for its fiercely critical reporting, marked a turning point for Hong Kong’s media landscape. News organisations have since scaled back critical coverage of China amid fears of prosecution in Hong Kong, while the city’s global press freedom ranking has fallen sharply, dropping to 140th out of 180 countries, according to advocacy group RFA. “Although it’s an expected verdict, when the news came out, the feeling of ‘finally it’s here’ hit us,” said Edward Li, a former editor at Apple Daily currently residing in Taiwan. “Not only does Hong Kong no longer have Apple Daily; Hong Kong no longer has a strong voice to criticise and monitor the government…, which is why we feel the need to fill that role,” Li said. Adblock test (Why?)
Russian court designates punk band Pussy Riot as ‘extremist’ group
Exiled punk band says its members are proud to be branded ‘extremists’ and hits back at Putin as an ‘aging sociopath’. A Moscow district court has designated Russian punk protest band Pussy Riot as an extremist organisation, according to the state TASS news agency. The exiled group’s lawyer, Leonid Solovyov, told TASS that Monday’s court ruling was made in response to claims brought by the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office and that the band plans to appeal. According to TASS, the case was heard in a closed session at the request of the Prosecutor General’s Office. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list The court said that it had upheld prosecution submissions “to recognise the punk band Pussy Riot as an extremist organisation and ban its activities on the territory of the Russian Federation”, the AFP news agency reports. An official Pussy Riot social media account shared a statement, responding defiantly to the ruling, saying the band’s members, who have lived in exile for years, were “freer than those who try to silence us”. “We can say what I think about putin — that he is an aging sociopath spreading his venom around the world like cancer,” the statement said. “In today’s Russia, telling the truth is extremism. So be it – we’re proud extremists, then.” The group’s designation will make it easier for the authorities to go after the band’s supporters in Russia or people who have worked with them in the past. “This court order is designed to erase the very existence of Pussy Riot from the minds of Russians,” the band said. “Owning a balaclava, having our song on your computer, or liking one of our posts could lead to prison time.” According to TASS, earlier reports said that the Prosecutor General’s Office had brought the case over Pussy Riot’s previous actions, including at Christ the Saviour Cathedral in February 2012, and the World Cup Final in Moscow in 2018. Today Russian court designated Pussy Riot as an extremist organization. And yet, we’re freer than those who try to silence us. We can say what I think about putin — that he is an aging sociopath spreading his venom around the world like cancer. In today’s Russia, telling the… pic.twitter.com/ymz3BbApTo — 𝖕𝖚𝖘𝖘𝖞 𝖗𝖎𝖔𝖙💦 (@pussyrrriot) December 15, 2025 Advertisement The band’s members have already served sentences for the 2012 protest at the cathedral in Moscow, where they played what they called a punk prayer, “Mother of God, Cast Putin Out!” Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina, who were jailed for two years on hooliganism charges over the cathedral protest, were released as part of a 2013 amnesty, which extended to some 26,000 people facing prosecution from Russian authorities, including 30 Greenpeace crew members. In September, a Russian court handed jail terms to five people linked with Pussy Riot – Maria Alyokhina, Taso Pletner, Olga Borisova, Diana Burkot and Alina Petrova – after finding them guilty of spreading “false information” about the Russian military, news outlet Mediazona reported. All have said the charges against them are politically motivated. Mediazona was founded by Alyokhina alongside fellow band member Tolokonnikova. The news outlet says that it is continuing to maintain a verified list of Russian military deaths in Moscow’s war on Ukraine. “We have confirmed 153,000 names, each supported by evidence, context, and documentation,” Mediazona said on Monday. Adblock test (Why?)
Trump sues BBC for $10bn over edited 2021 US Capitol riot speech
Lawyers for US President Donald Trump say the BBC caused him overwhelming reputational and financial harm. Published On 16 Dec 202516 Dec 2025 Click here to share on social media share2 Share United States President Donald Trump has filed a lawsuit seeking at least $10bn from the BBC over a documentary that edited his speech to supporters before the US Capitol riot in 2021. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Miami on Monday, seeks “damages in an amount not less than $5,000,000,000” for each of two counts against the United Kingdom broadcaster for alleged defamation and violation of the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list Earlier in the day, Trump confirmed his plans to file the lawsuit. “I’m suing the BBC for putting words in my mouth, literally… I guess they used AI or something,” he told reporters at the White House. “That’s called fake news .” President Trump: “I’m suing the BBC for putting words in my mouth, literally…I guess they used AI or something…they actually put terrible words in my mouth having to do with January 6th that I didn’t say.” pic.twitter.com/cUwXqBq3Zd — CSPAN (@cspan) December 15, 2025 Trump has accused the UK publicly-owned broadcaster of defaming him by splicing together parts of a January 6, 2021, speech, including one section where he told supporters to march on the Capitol, and another where he said, “Fight like hell”. The edited sections of his speech omitted words in which Trump also called for peaceful protest. Trump’s lawsuit alleges that the BBC defamed him, and his lawyers say the documentary caused him overwhelming reputational and financial harm. The BBC has already apologised to Trump, admitted an error of judgement and acknowledged that the edit gave the mistaken impression that he had made a direct call for violent action. Advertisement The broadcaster also said that there was no legal basis for the lawsuit, and that to overcome the US Constitution’s strong legal protections for free speech and the press, Trump will need to prove in court not only that the edit was false and defamatory, but also that the BBC knowingly misled viewers or acted recklessly. The broadcaster could argue that the documentary was substantially true and its editing decisions did not create a false impression, legal experts said. It could also claim the programme did not damage Trump’s reputation. Rioters attack the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on January 6, 2021, in an attempt to disrupt the certification of Electoral College votes and the election victory of President Joe Biden [File: John Minchillo/AP Photo] Trump, in his lawsuit, said that the BBC, despite its apology, “has made no showing of actual remorse for its wrongdoing nor meaningful institutional changes to prevent future journalistic abuses”. A spokesman for Trump’s legal team said in a statement that the BBC had “a long pattern of deceiving its audience in coverage of President Trump, all in service of its own leftist political agenda”. The BBC did not immediately respond to a request for comment after the lawsuit was filed on Monday. The dispute over the edited speech, featured on the BBC’s Panorama documentary show shortly before the 2024 presidential election, prompted a public relations crisis for the broadcaster, leading to the resignations of its two most senior officials. Other media organisations have settled with Trump, including CBS and ABC, when Trump sued them following his comeback win in the November 2024 election. Trump has also filed lawsuits against The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and a newspaper in Iowa, all of which have denied wrongdoing. Adblock test (Why?)
Why are Gaza’s war-damaged homes collapsing in winter?
The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip deteriorated sharply late last week during Storm Byron, which brought heavy rainfall and strong winds. Widely circulated video on social media showed Palestinian Civil Defence teams scrabbling through the rubble of fallen buildings, trying to rescue people trapped beneath. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list But why did those homes fall? And what has the impact been on people in Gaza? Here’s what we know: What is happening in Gaza? Many damaged homes in Gaza collapsed during the recent storm, trapping people in their rubble. At times, parts of buildings and walls fell onto nearby tents where displaced Palestinians were living, compounding the risks for civilians already enduring precarious conditions. Thousands of Gaza families are sheltering in structurally compromised buildings, having lost their own homes during the war, with no safe alternatives available. The heavy rainfall of Storm Byron turned these weakened structures into direct threats as floodwaters inundated tens of thousands of tents. Why are these houses falling? It’s not just the rain that caused the collapses, rather it is because two years of intense bombing during Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza have made these structures unstable. In addition, Israel has imposed a siege on Gaza that prevents the entry of any building materials people can use to fix their homes. Thousands of residential buildings were damaged by direct strikes, nearby bombardments and ground incursions, leaving cracks in columns and foundations, separation of load-bearing walls and partial roof collapses. Advertisement People with nowhere to go have little choice other than to shelter wherever they can, including in homes that are only partially standing. Heavy rain exacerbates the damage. Water seeps into cracks, weakening foundations and columns while saturated soil erodes beneath buildings, increasing the risk of sudden collapses. Overcrowding inside damaged homes further stresses weakened structures as multiple families are often forced to live together in a single house or floor. In many cases, displaced residents pitch tents next to or even on top of the ruins of damaged buildings, exposing themselves to falling walls and concrete blocks during storms. Displaced people often cannot leave, even when they know the risks. Often, they have no other option, or they see damaged homes as better shelter than deteriorating tents. In late September, Gaza’s Government Media Office estimated that 93 percent of tents (about 125,000 out of 135,000) were no longer suitable for habitation. How many people have been hurt or killed by these collapsing homes? The recent storm killed 11 Palestinians in less than 24 hours and caused widespread structural damage. According to the Government Media Office, 13 homes collapsed and 27,000 tents were flooded or swept away. Civil Defence and Ministry of Health sources said the 11 victims were found dead under rubble in collapsed homes or in nearby tents. Another six were injured. Fatalities included children, women and elderly people, and officials confirmed a baby girl died from extreme cold. Incidents were reported in Gaza City, northern Gaza, and central and southern areas of the Gaza Strip. Collapses occurred in Gaza City’s Nassr neighbourhood, Shati refugee camp and Tal al-Hawa neighbourhood. One man was killed when a wall collapsed in the Shati camp. During the storm, the Civil Defence received more than 2,500 distress calls from displaced people. Authorities warned that the death toll is likely to rise as further low-pressure systems and rainfall continue to cause homes to collapse. Has there been any help for these impacted people? Because of the conditions imposed by Israel, the emergency response has been limited. Civil Defence teams struggled to evacuate those trapped under rubble because they face a shortage of heavy machinery, rescue equipment and fuel as well as flooded roads. The Civil Defence has urged residents to get out of damaged homes during the storms. Authorities stressed that the continuation of Israel’s blockade increases the likelihood of similar incidents during future storms. Advertisement Authorities have not been able to provide alternative shelters or habitable tents for unhoused families. In some areas, aid has been limited to small distributions of blankets and basic relief items that are insufficient to meet the needs of Palestinians facing falling temperatures and widespread infrastructure damage. Municipalities have been unable to carry out preventive drainage or repair work due to the destroyed infrastructure and a lack of resources, so the people of Gaza remain vulnerable to future storms. Is there anything that people in Gaza can do to stay safe? Unfortunately, options are extremely limited or nonexistent. Thousands of people are unable to relocate due to the absence of safe housing or shelters. There are also restrictions on movement imposed by the “yellow line” demarcating the portion of Gaza under Israeli army control. People in at-risk areas cannot move to safer locations. On top of that, people lack tools for structural reinforcement, waterproofing or heating. People can take only minimal measures, such as moving children to more stable areas, using blankets or raising their belongings off the ground, but these do not prevent collapses or flooding. UNRWA, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, said the suffering could be reduced if humanitarian aid were allowed to enter Gaza without obstacles. It said flooded streets and soaked tents are worsening already dire living conditions and increasing health risks. Despite a ceasefire that began on October 10, conditions for Palestinians in Gaza have not improved due to Israel’s obstruction of aid, which violates the truce. Adblock test (Why?)
England’s resident doctors to strike for five days
Physicians are seeking a return of salaries to their 2008-2009 levels before they were eroded by inflation. Published On 15 Dec 202515 Dec 2025 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Resident doctors in England will go ahead with a five-day strike this week after rejecting the government’s latest offer aimed at ending a long-running dispute over pay and working conditions. Formerly known as junior doctors, the physicians, who make up nearly half of England’s medical workforce, will walk out from 07:00 GMT on Wednesday until 07:00 GMT next Monday. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list The action follows an online survey by the British Medical Association (BMA) in which members voted to reject the proposal. “Tens of thousands of frontline doctors have come together to say ‘no’ to what is clearly too little, too late,” BMA resident doctors committee chairman Jack Fletcher said in a statement, adding that members had rejected the government’s latest offer on working conditions. Fletcher said the union remained willing to work towards a resolution. Health Secretary Wes Streeting appealed to doctors to call off the strike. “There is no need for these strikes to go ahead this week, and it reveals the BMA’s shocking disregard for patient safety,” he said, describing the action as “self-indulgent, irresponsible and dangerous”. Speaking to Sky News, Streeting said the government was open to the BMA rescheduling the strike to reduce risks to patients during a surge in flu cases. Flu-related hospitalisations in England rose by more than 50 percent in early December, reaching an average of 2,660 patients a day, the highest level for this time of year. Health leaders have warned there is still no clear peak in sight. Advertisement Across Europe, health authorities are grappling with an unusually early and severe flu season, warning of rising cases across the continent. The BMA said 83 percent of resident doctors voted to reject the government’s offer with a turnout of 65 percent among its more than 50,000 members. The offer, made on Wednesday, did not include new pay terms. The BMA has been campaigning for improved pay even before the Labour Party won last year’s general election. Shortly after taking office, Streeting agreed a deal offering doctors a 22 percent pay rise, short of the 29 percent sought by the union. The BMA has also called for improvements beyond the 5.4 percent pay increase announced earlier this year, arguing resident doctors continue to suffer from years of pay erosion. Doctors are seeking “full pay restoration”, meaning a return of salaries to their 2008-2009 levels in real terms before they were eroded by inflation. Adblock test (Why?)
Palestinians in Gaza fear rain as war-damaged buildings collapse
NewsFeed Storms in Gaza have caused war-damaged buildings to collapse, killing civilians and leaving many Palestinians afraid to stay in their homes. With tents offering little protection, residents say rain now brings fear instead of relief. Published On 15 Dec 202515 Dec 2025 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Adblock test (Why?)
Person of interest held in hunt for gunman who killed 2 at Brown University
Police are not looking for anyone else over the shooting that wounded nine people at the Ivy League school in the northeastern US. By News Agencies Published On 14 Dec 202514 Dec 2025 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Police in Providence, Rhode Island, have detained a “person of interest” after a manhunt for a gunman who killed two people at Brown University, officials say. At a news conference on Sunday, Police Colonel Oscar Perez said the individual had been detained that morning and officers were not currently looking for anyone else in relation to the shooting at the Ivy League university in the northeastern United States. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list Officials have not released the identity of the person of interest. Nine people were wounded on Saturday, seven of them critically, when a suspect with a firearm entered a building where students were taking exams and opened fire. The shooting sparked a manhunt involving more than 400 law enforcement personnel, including agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, while the campus was placed under lockdown as the search took place. Students hid under desks for hours after warnings of an active shooter were released. Brown said in an advisory on Sunday that police had lifted a shelter-in-place order for the campus although police remained at the location and still considered it an active crime scene. Access to parts of the campus remained restricted on Sunday as police maintained a security perimeter around Minden Hall and nearby apartment buildings, the university said. Officials had earlier released a video of the suspect, a male, possibly in his 30s, who was dressed in black. Providence Deputy Police Chief Timothy O’Hara said on Saturday that the gunman may have worn a mask and investigators had retrieved shell casings from the scene. Police are deployed in Providence on December 13, 2025, during the hunt for the shooter [Mark Stockwell/AP] Detectives were looking into why the location was targeted, Perez told reporters. The incident was the second deadly gun attack at a US university in recent days after a shooting at Kentucky State University on Tuesday. Advertisement The Gun Violence Archive, which defines mass shootings as any incident in which four or more people are shot, has documented 389 such incidents in the US so far this year, including at least six at schools. Last year, more than 500 mass shootings were recorded in the US. Adblock test (Why?)
‘Hero’ bystander tackles attacker at Australia Jewish festival shooting
Officials, social media users hail bystander, identified by Australian media as Ahmed al Ahmed, who disarmed gunman. Published On 14 Dec 202514 Dec 2025 Click here to share on social media share2 Share A bystander who has been filmed tackling and disarming an assailant during a shooting in which at least 11 people were killed at a Jewish holiday event in Sydney, Australia, has been praised as a hero whose actions may have saved lives. Footage uploaded to social media on Sunday shows a man in a car park running up to a man holding a rifle. He then tackles the armed man, wrestles the rifle away from him and points the weapon back at him. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list The video then shows the disarmed man losing his footing and backing away towards a bridge where another shooter was located while the bystander places the gun down on the ground. One suspected attacker was killed and another was in a critical condition after Sunday’s shooting while police said they were investigating whether a third gunman was involved. The footage of the bystander’s intervention was shared widely on social media, and many users praised the man for his bravery, saying his actions may have saved lives. According to Australian media reports, the bystander was identified as Ahmed al Ahmed, a 43-year-old Sydney man. Al Jazeera was unable to immediately confirm his identity. A cousin of al Ahmed was quoted as telling the Australian television news service 7News that he was shot twice during the incident. “He’s in hospital, and we don’t know exactly what’s going on inside,” the man named Mustafa told the outlet. “We do hope he will be fine. He’s a hero 100 per cent.” Al Ahmed was due to undergo surgery on Sunday night, he said. “Australian hero (random civilian) wrestles gun off attacker and disarms him. Some people are brave and then some people are … whatever this is,” one person said in a post on the X platform that shared the video. Advertisement “This Australian man saved countless lives by stripping the gun off one of the terrorists at Bondi beach. HERO,” another said. Chris Minns, the premier of New South Wales state, where Sydney is located, said it was the “most unbelievable scene I’ve ever seen”. “That man is a genuine hero, and I’ve got no doubt that there are many, many people alive tonight as a result of his bravery.” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese praised the actions of Australians who had “run towards danger in order to help others”. “These Australians are heroes and their bravery has saved lives,” he said at a news conference. Adblock test (Why?)
Zelenskyy says willing to drop NATO membership bid ahead of peace talks
The Ukrainian president says Kyiv could drop its long-held ambition of joining NATO in exchange for Western security guarantees. Ukraine has indicated it is prepared to drop its long-held ambition of joining NATO in exchange for Western security guarantees, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said ahead of meetings with US envoys and European allies in Berlin. Zelenskyy described the proposal on Sunday as a concession by Kyiv, after years of pressing for NATO membership as the strongest deterrent against future Russian attacks. He said the United States, European partners and other allies could instead provide legally binding security guarantees. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list “From the very beginning, Ukraine’s desire was to join NATO; these are real security guarantees. Some partners from the US and Europe did not support this direction,” Zelenskyy said in response to questions from reporters in a WhatsApp chat. “Thus, today, bilateral security guarantees between Ukraine and the US, Article 5-like guarantees for us from the US, and security guarantees from European colleagues, as well as other countries – Canada, Japan – are an opportunity to prevent another Russian invasion,” he said. “And it is already a compromise from our part,” Zelenskyy added, stressing that such guarantees must be legally binding. The shift would mark a significant change for Ukraine, which has long sought NATO membership despite Moscow viewing the alliance’s expansion as a threat. While the move aligns with one of Russia’s stated war objectives, Kyiv has continued to reject demands to cede territory. Zelenskyy said he was seeking a “dignified” peace and firm assurances that Russia would not launch another attack, as diplomats gathered to discuss what could become Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II. He also accused Moscow of prolonging the war through sustained attacks on Ukrainian cities and critical infrastructure. Pressure to reach a settlement The talks come amid pressure from US President Donald Trump to reach a settlement. Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner on Sunday arrived in the German capital city of Berlin for discussions involving Ukrainian and European representatives. Advertisement The decision to send Witkoff, who has previously led negotiations with both Kyiv and Moscow, suggested Washington saw scope for progress. Zelenskyy said Ukraine, Europe and the US were reviewing a 20-point plan that could culminate in a ceasefire, though he reiterated that Kyiv was not holding direct talks with Russia. He said a truce along current front lines could be considered fair, while noting that Russia continues to demand a Ukrainian withdrawal from parts of Donetsk and Luhansk still under Kyiv’s control. Despite diplomatic efforts, Russian attacks have continued, leaving thousands without electricity in recent strikes. Ukrainian officials say Moscow is deliberately targeting the power grid to deprive civilians of heat and water during winter. Fighting has also intensified in the Black Sea. Russian forces recently struck Ukrainian ports, damaging Turkish-owned vessels, including a ship carrying food supplies. An attack on Odesa set grain silos ablaze, according to Deputy Prime Minister Oleksii Kuleba. Zelenskyy said the strikes “had no … military purpose whatsoever”. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned against further escalation, saying the Black Sea should not become an “area of confrontation”. “Everyone needs safe navigation in the Black Sea,” Erdogan said, calling for a “limited ceasefire” covering ports and energy facilities. Turkiye controls the Bosphorus Strait, a vital route for Ukrainian grain and Russian oil exports. Adblock test (Why?)
RSF drone strike kills at least three in central Sudan, injures several
Paramilitary force intensifies offensive in Kordofan region after seizing control of Darfur in October. Published On 13 Dec 202513 Dec 2025 Click here to share on social media share2 Share At least three people have been killed and nine others wounded, when the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) launched a drone attack on a central Sudanese city, as fighting intensifies across the vast strategic region of Kordofan that could determine the war’s outcome. The strike hit a square near a police station in the Tayba neighbourhood of el-Obeid on Saturday afternoon, military sources told Al Jazeera. Several of the wounded are in critical condition, they said. Recommended Stories list of 2 itemsend of list The attack underscores the RSF’s expanding use of air power as it shifts its offensive from Darfur to the sprawling Kordofan region, home to critical oil infrastructure that has generated revenue for both Sudan and neighbouring South Sudan. Military sources reported that the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) had earlier struck RSF positions in the town of Um Adara in South Kordofan, while RSF forces shelled the city of Um Rawaba in the north, causing civilian casualties. An RSF drone also targeted army positions in Kosti city in White Nile state, in southeastern Sudan, destroying a military vehicle and injuring its crew, the sources added. The three Kordofan states have witnessed fierce clashes in recent weeks, forcing tens of thousands to flee their homes and compounding what aid agencies describe as one of the world’s worst humanitarian emergencies. The United Nations’ World Food Programme warned it will be forced to slash food rations by up to 70 percent for communities facing starvation starting in January due to critical funding shortages. Advertisement Ross Smith, the agency’s emergency preparedness director, said the cuts would affect those already “on the brink of famine” as well as vulnerable communities at risk of sliding into hunger. The WFP said 20 million Sudanese are suffering from malnutrition, with six million facing famine-like conditions. Smith warned that funding could “collapse” by April, threatening the programme’s ability to continue operations. Sudan’s war between the army and RSF has killed tens of thousands and displaced nearly 13 million people since fighting erupted in April 2023, according to international organisations. Adblock test (Why?)