KHARTOUM: The head of the Sudanese army, General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, made a televised speech on Tuesday to announce a “unilateral” cease-fire on the first day of Eid Al-Adha.

“The conspiracy requires of everyone to be awake and ready to respond to the existential threats to our country, and so we call on all the young men and who can defend to not hesitate to play this role, either from where he lives or by joining the armed forces,” Burhan said during the speech.

JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday he had been invited to China and his office had informed close ally the US about the planned trip to Beijing.
The announcement comes during tense ties between Israel and the US, whose President Joe Biden failed to invite Netanyahu for a visit after the Israeli’s reelection in November.
“The projected visit will be Prime Minister Netanyahu’s fourth visit to China,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement, noting “the American administration was updated one month ago.”

WAD MADANI: For many Sudanese struggling to survive the war, a taste of the sheep people traditionally sacrifice for the feast of Eid Al-Adha is but a distant memory.
The conflict, now in its third month, has brought death and turmoil and displaced millions in the country that was already poverty-stricken before the fighting erupted.
Like many Khartoum residents, Hanan Adam fled with her six children when the battles broke out in mid-April between the regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces or RSF.

MOSCOW: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi gave “his full support” to Vladimir Putin during a telephone call, the Kremlin announced in a statement on Monday, two days after an aborted mutiny in Russia.

“The Iranian president has expressed his full support for the Russian leadership in connection with the June 24 events,” the Kremlin said in an announcement.

After a phone call between Putin and Raisi, the Iranian president’s political deputy, Mohammed Jamshidi, quoted the Iranian president in a tweet, saying “Iran supports Russian sovereignty.”

TEHRAN: Iran said on Monday it was hoping indirect talks with the US could lead to a “positive” outcome for a prisoner swap.

Iran announced earlier this month that it was engaged in Oman-mediated talks with the US over its nuclear deal and a possible prisoner exchange.

“We are negotiating for the release of Iranian citizens through parties who play a role in good faith,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said on Monday.