Sudan Council Agrees with US Officials on Amending Democracy Transition Document

People burn tires and chant slogans during a demonstration against the killing of dozens by Sudanese security forces since the Oct. 25, 2021 military takeover, in Khartoum, Sudan, Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022. (AP Photo/Marwan Ali)
People burn tires and chant slogans during a demonstration against the killing of dozens by Sudanese security forces since the Oct. 25, 2021 military takeover, in Khartoum, Sudan, Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022. (AP Photo/Marwan Ali)
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Sudan Council Agrees with US Officials on Amending Democracy Transition Document

People burn tires and chant slogans during a demonstration against the killing of dozens by Sudanese security forces since the Oct. 25, 2021 military takeover, in Khartoum, Sudan, Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022. (AP Photo/Marwan Ali)
People burn tires and chant slogans during a demonstration against the killing of dozens by Sudanese security forces since the Oct. 25, 2021 military takeover, in Khartoum, Sudan, Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022. (AP Photo/Marwan Ali)

Sudan's Sovereign Council has agreed with a US delegation on amending the constitutional document governing Sudan's transition to democracy to bring it into line with new developments in the country, it said in a statement on Thursday.

The Sovereign Council, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, also agreed on forming a national independent technocratic government and starting a comprehensive national dialogue to end the current political crisis.

A statement posted by the US embassy in Khartoum on Thursday said that Washington will not resume economic assistance to Sudan that was paused after a coup unless there is an end to violence and a civilian-led government is restored.

The statement on a visit to Sudan by Assistant Secretary of State Molly Phee and Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa David Satterfield said the United States would consider measures to hold accountable those responsible for failure to move forward on a political process.

Meanwhile, dozens of Sudanese judges and prosecutors have condemned the killing of more than 70 protesters since a military takeover in October and have called for investigations, in rare public statements released on Thursday.

Frequent protests since the Oct. 25 takeover have been met with live gunfire and tear gas. At least 72 civilians have died and more than 2,000 have been injured, according to medics aligned with the protest movement.

Military leaders have said the right to peaceful protest is protected and have commissioned investigations into the bloodshed. Sudanese police say they have faced aggression from protesters.

A statement from 55 judges to the head of the judiciary said military leaders had "violated agreements and covenants since the October 25 coup, as they have carried out the most heinous violations against defenseless protesters".

They called for an end to the violence and a criminal investigation.

Separately, more than 100 prosecutors announced they would stop work from Thursday in support of their call for security forces to cease violations and lift a state of emergency. They stated their opposition to a recent emergency order that offered immunity and wider powers to security forces.

They also noted that prosecutors had been unable to carry out their legal duty to accompany police to protests and determine the acceptable use of force.

A further group of 48 other prosecutors called for an investigation of alleged violations against protesters, and for prosecutors to be able to monitor protests.



Rescue Teams Search for Survivors in Building Collapse that Killed at Least 2 in Northern Lebanon

A Lebanese flag is pictured, in the aftermath of a massive explosion, in Beirut's damaged port area, Lebanon August 17, 2020. REUTERS/Hannah McKay
A Lebanese flag is pictured, in the aftermath of a massive explosion, in Beirut's damaged port area, Lebanon August 17, 2020. REUTERS/Hannah McKay
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Rescue Teams Search for Survivors in Building Collapse that Killed at Least 2 in Northern Lebanon

A Lebanese flag is pictured, in the aftermath of a massive explosion, in Beirut's damaged port area, Lebanon August 17, 2020. REUTERS/Hannah McKay
A Lebanese flag is pictured, in the aftermath of a massive explosion, in Beirut's damaged port area, Lebanon August 17, 2020. REUTERS/Hannah McKay

At least two people were killed and four rescued from the rubble of a multistory apartment building that collapsed Sunday in the city of Tripoli in northern Lebanon, state media reported.

Rescue teams were continuing to dig through the rubble. It was not immediately clear how many people were in the building when it fell.

The bodies pulled out were of a child and a woman, the state-run National News Agency reported.

Dozens of people crowded around the site of the crater left by the collapsed building, with some shooting in the air.

The building was in the neighborhood of Bab Tabbaneh, one of the poorest areas in Lebanon’s second largest city, where residents have long complained of government neglect and shoddy infrastructure. Building collapses are not uncommon in Tripoli due to poor building standards, according to The AP news.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry announced that those injured in the collapse would receive treatment at the state’s expense.

The national syndicate for property owners in a statement called the collapse the result of “blatant negligence and shortcomings of the Lebanese state toward the safety of citizens and their housing security,” and said it is “not an isolated incident.”

The syndicate called for the government to launch a comprehensive national survey of buildings at risk of collapse.


Israel to Take More West Bank Powers and Relax Settler Land Buys

A view of Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim, in the West Bank, Sunday, June 18, 2023. (AP)
A view of Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim, in the West Bank, Sunday, June 18, 2023. (AP)
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Israel to Take More West Bank Powers and Relax Settler Land Buys

A view of Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim, in the West Bank, Sunday, June 18, 2023. (AP)
A view of Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim, in the West Bank, Sunday, June 18, 2023. (AP)

Israel's security cabinet approved a series of steps on Sunday that would make it easier for settlers in the occupied West Bank to buy land while granting Israeli authorities more enforcement powers over Palestinians, Israeli media reported.

The West Bank is among the territories that the Palestinians seek for a future independent state. Much of it is under Israeli military control, with limited Palestinian self-rule in some areas run by the Western-backed Palestinian Authority (PA).

Citing statements by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Defense Minister Israel Katz, Israeli news sites Ynet and Haaretz said the measures included scrapping decades-old regulations that prevent Jewish private citizens buying land in the West Bank, The AP news reported.

They were also reported to include allowing Israeli authorities to administer some religious sites, and expand supervision and enforcement in areas under PA administration in matters of environmental hazards, water offences and damage to archaeological sites.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said the new measures were dangerous, illegal and tantamount to de-facto annexation.

The Israeli ministers did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The new measures come three days before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to meet in Washington with US President Donald Trump.

Trump has ruled out Israeli annexation of the West Bank but his administration has not sought to curb Israel's accelerated settlement building, which the Palestinians say denies them a potential state by eating away at its territory.

Netanyahu, who is facing an election later this year, deems the establishment of any Palestinian state a security threat.

His ruling coalition includes many pro-settler members who want Israel to annex the West Bank, land captured in the 1967 Middle East war to which Israel cites biblical and historical ties.

The United Nations' highest court said in a non-binding advisory opinion in 2024 that Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories and settlements there is illegal and should be ended as soon as possible. Israel disputes this view.


Arab League Condemns Attack on Aid Convoys in Sudan

A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
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Arab League Condemns Attack on Aid Convoys in Sudan

A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit strongly condemned the attack by the Rapid Support Forces on humanitarian aid convoys and relief workers in North Kordofan State, Sudan.

In a statement reported by SPA, secretary-general's spokesperson Jamal Rushdi quoted Aboul Gheit as saying the attack constitutes a war crime under international humanitarian law, which prohibits the deliberate targeting of civilians and depriving them of their means of survival.

Aboul Gheit stressed the need to hold those responsible accountable, end impunity, and ensure the full protection of civilians, humanitarian workers, and relief facilities in Sudan.