South Sudan at ‘critical tipping point’ as extreme hunger reaches its peak, World Food Program warns

Special South Sudan at ‘critical tipping point’ as extreme hunger reaches its peak, World Food Program warns
Clinical Officer Geofrey Onen conducts a Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) session at a treatment center in Lekuangole, Pibor region, South Sudan, Mar. 23, 2025. (Reuters)
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Updated 09 April 2025
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South Sudan at ‘critical tipping point’ as extreme hunger reaches its peak, World Food Program warns

South Sudan at ‘critical tipping point’ as extreme hunger reaches its peak, World Food Program warns
  • The UN food agency says nearly 7.7m people, more than half the country’s population, are facing crisis, emergency or catastrophic levels of hunger
  • The nation is also grappling with a cholera outbreak as ongoing violence and mass displacement drive the spread of disease, and war in neighboring Sudan adds to the challenges

NEW YORK CITY: South Sudan is grappling with an unprecedented humanitarian crisis as escalating violence in the country, particularly in the conflict-ridden Greater Upper Nile region, exacerbates a dire situation of food insecurity, the UN’s food agency said on Wednesday.

The World Food Program warned that nearly 7.7 million people, more half of the country’s population, are currently facing crisis, emergency or catastrophic levels of hunger.

Mary-Ellen McGroarty, the WFP’s representative and country director for South Sudan, painted a grim picture of the deteriorating situation as she highlighted the compounded challenges the country faces as it enters its annual lean season, the time of year when hunger reaches its peak.

Tens of thousands of people have been displaced from their homes by the violence, political fragmentation and security instability, including more than 100,000 in the Upper Nile region alone.

“These are some of the most vulnerable and food-insecure areas of South Sudan, and the impact of conflict is only making matters worse,” McGroarty said.

More than 40 percent of the 7.7 million food-insecure people are concentrated in the Greater Upper Nile area, she added, where more than 60 percent of the population struggles to find a meal.

The worsening violence has also hindered humanitarian efforts, forcing the WFP to pause its operations in several regions. In total, more than 213,000 people in six counties are cut off from critical food aid. These areas, which lack roads or transportation infrastructure, rely on deliveries by river and air but active conflict means access is nearly impossible.

“The situation is catastrophic,” McGroarty said. “We’ve seen over 100 metric tons of food, including vital nutrition supplies for children, looted during recent clashes.

“These resources, which we cannot replace, were meant to feed children in a country where 17 percent of children are already malnourished.”

Beyond hunger, South Sudan is also grappling with a cholera outbreak that has compounded the public health crisis. The ongoing violence, coupled with mass displacement, is driving the spread of disease, further endangering the lives of vulnerable populations.

The war in neighboring Sudan adds an additional level of complexity. Since the conflict there began, more than 1.1 million refugees and South Sudanese returnees have fled across the border, many of them arriving with few or no possessions. McGroarty said that these individuals, who have endured harrowing journeys, add to the already immense pressure on resources and infrastructure in South Sudan.

“The economic toll of the Sudanese conflict is also being felt here,” she added. “Food prices in the border states have soared, with some rising by as much as 200 percent. Disrupted supply chains are forcing us to bring food from the south, significantly increasing costs.”

South Sudan’s vulnerability to climate change, manifested in both severe flooding and droughts, has further eroded the resilience of the country, leaving it ill-equipped to cope with escalating conflict.

“We are at a critical tipping point,” McGroarty warned. “The people of South Sudan, already trapped in the cycle of conflict and hunger, deserve freedom from these crises. They need our attention and support now more than ever.”

With humanitarian resources stretched thin and urgent needs continuing to rise, McGroarty told Arab News that the WFP needs $396 million in funding to enable it to reach 4.5 million people in need.

“That means, out of 7.7 million people, we will be leaving people behind,” she said.

Her organization needs to “preposition the food stocks as we approach the rainy season, so that communities that are food insecure have resources throughout (that) season,” she added.


Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs jury to be seated in hip-hop mogul’s sex trafficking trial

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs jury to be seated in hip-hop mogul’s sex trafficking trial
Updated 09 May 2025
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Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs jury to be seated in hip-hop mogul’s sex trafficking trial

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs jury to be seated in hip-hop mogul’s sex trafficking trial
  • Combs pleads not guilty to racketeering, sex trafficking
  • Twelve jurors and six alternates to be chosen

NEW YORK: A jury of 12 New Yorkers is due to be chosen on Friday in the racketeering and sex trafficking trial of hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, who could face decades or even life in prison if convicted.
The rapper has pleaded not guilty to one count of racketeering conspiracy, two counts of sex trafficking and two counts of transportation for prostitution — all felonies.
Over three days this week, the judge overseeing the case questioned nearly 100 prospective jurors on subjects including what they had heard about Combs’ case and any experiences they had had with sexual assault.
With input from defense lawyers and prosecutors, US District Judge Arun Subramanian in Manhattan dismissed the jurors he deemed unfit to serve and settled on 45 candidates qualified to serve fairly and impartially.
On Friday, lawyers for each side will take turns striking candidates until a panel of 12 jurors and six alternates is chosen — a chess match with potentially decisive implications in the outcome of the trial.
Combs, a Harlem native who founded the pioneering record label Bad Boy Records and discovered iconic rappers including the Notorious B.I.G., was arrested last September and has been held in a Brooklyn federal lockup since then.
The charges marked the stunning downfall of a titan of the music industry who once held a ceremonial key to the city of New York and was known for throwing lavish parties for A-list celebrities.
Prosecutors with the Manhattan US Attorney’s office say that for two decades Combs used his business empire to lure women into his orbit with promises of romantic relationships or financial support, then violently coerced them to take part in days-long, drug-fueled sexual performances known as “Freak Offs.”
In court papers, prosecutors allege Combs kept his victims obedient by drugging and blackmailing them. He is accused of kidnapping a person at gunpoint, dropping a Molotov cocktail into a car and hitting, choking and dragging victims in acts of violence dating back to the 1990s.
Combs’ lawyers have said prosecutors are improperly seeking to criminalize Combs’ “swinger lifestyle.” They have signaled they plan to attack the credibility of the alleged victims who will testify by seeking to show they had financial incentives to accuse Combs. They have said the women gave inconsistent accounts of the alleged assaults to investigators.
Subramanian has said the trial will last around eight weeks, with the alternate jurors serving as backups in case jurors are unable to finish. Any verdict must be unanimous.
The trial is expected to feature testimony from three, or possibly four, accusers including Combs’ ex-girlfriend Casandra Ventura, a rhythm and blues singer known professionally as Cassie.
Combs faces more than 50 civil lawsuits accusing him of sexual assault, including one by a plaintiff who says he was 10 years old at the time of the alleged attack.
Combs has denied wrongdoing in those cases and claimed his accusers are seeking a payday.


Ukraine says it uncovered a Hungarian espionage network, two suspects arrested

Ukraine says it uncovered a Hungarian espionage network, two suspects arrested
Updated 09 May 2025
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Ukraine says it uncovered a Hungarian espionage network, two suspects arrested

Ukraine says it uncovered a Hungarian espionage network, two suspects arrested
  • The activities of the suspected spies were focused on the western Ukraine region of Zakarpattia
  • The Hungarian government, led by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, has also threatened to bloc EU financial assistance to Ukraine

KYIV, Ukraine: Ukraine’s main security agency said Friday it had arrested two people on suspicion of spying for Hungary by gathering intelligence on Ukraine’s military in the west of the country.
In a statement, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said that two suspects, both former members of the Ukrainian military, had been detained and face charges of treason, which is punishable by life imprisonment. It was the first time in Ukraine’s history that a Hungarian espionage operation had been discovered, the statement said.
The activities of the suspected spies were focused on the western Ukraine region of Zakarpattia, which borders Hungary and is home to a sizeable Hungarian ethnic minority. Budapest and Kyiv have clashed over the rights of Hungarians in Zakarpattia, most of which was part of Hungary until the end of World War I.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó did not directly deny the allegations of a Hungarian espionage cell operating in Ukraine, but suggested that the SBU’s claims could be classified as “anti-Hungarian propaganda.”
“I urge everyone to exercise caution against any news that appears in Ukrainian propaganda,” Szijjártó told a news conference on Friday. “If we get any details or official information, then we can deal with it.”
Hungary, a member of NATO and the European Union, has taken an adversarial approach to Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, refusing to supply Kyiv with weaponry or to allow its transfer across Hungarian territory.
The Hungarian government, led by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, has also threatened to bloc EU financial assistance to Ukraine, argued against sanctions on Russia and opposed Ukraine’s eventual membership in the EU.
Orbán is widely seen as having the warmest relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin among EU leaders, though he has acknowledged that the war was a result of Russian aggression.
The SBU said both suspected spies were overseen by a career officer of Hungary’s military intelligence, whose identity had also been established. That officer supplied the network with cash and a special device for covert communication to support the operation, and had attempted to recruit other individuals into the network, the SBU said.
The Hungarian Defense Ministry and Military National Security Service did not immediately respond to requests for comment.


Sri Lanka helicopter crash kills six military personnel

Sri Lanka helicopter crash kills six military personnel
Updated 09 May 2025
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Sri Lanka helicopter crash kills six military personnel

Sri Lanka helicopter crash kills six military personnel
  • The crash took place halfway through the ceremony in Maduru Oya, nearly 300 kilometers (187 miles) east of Colombo
  • Friday’s tragedy is the worst for the Air Force since a Chinese-built Y-12 aircraft crashed at Haputale in January 2020

COLOMBO: A Sri Lankan Air Force helicopter crashed during a graduation ceremony on Friday, plunging into a reservoir and killing six of the 12 people on board, a military official said.
The personnel were preparing for a grappling demonstration when their Bell 212 careened into the reservoir at the Maduru Oya national park, the official told AFP.
“There were 12 people on board, and six of them survived with minor injuries,” said the official, who declined to be named.
Those killed included four special forces commandos and two Air Force gunners.
The survivors were admitted to hospital.
The crash took place halfway through the ceremony in Maduru Oya, nearly 300 kilometers (187 miles) east of Colombo.
After a slew of parades, the chopper crew were expected to perform a “fast-roping” maneuver, showcasing their skills in descending from the helicopter while it hovered just above roof height.
After the crash, the graduation ceremony was called off and an investigation into the cause of the incident was launched.
“The Commander of the Air Force has appointed a special nine-member committee to conduct a detailed investigation,” the military said in a statement.
The Air Force operates a small fleet of Bell, Mi-17, and Mi-24 helicopters. Much of the Mi-24 attack helicopter fleet has been grounded since the end of the country’s protracted Tamil separatist war in May 2009.
Friday’s tragedy is the worst for the Air Force since a Chinese-built Y-12 aircraft crashed at Haputale in January 2020, killing all four crew members on board.
In September 2000, an Mi-17 helicopter crashed in central Sri Lanka, killing all 15 people on board — including the country’s then top Muslim political leader — making it the worst helicopter crash in the island’s history.


First mass celebrated by new Pope Leo XIV begins

First mass celebrated by new Pope Leo XIV begins
Updated 09 May 2025
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First mass celebrated by new Pope Leo XIV begins

First mass celebrated by new Pope Leo XIV begins

VATICAN CITY: New Pope Leo XIV began celebrating his first mass as head of the Catholic Church on Friday, a private gathering for cardinals in the Sistine Chapel, according to video footage broadcast by the Vatican.
US-born Robert Francis Prevost will deliver his much-anticipated first homily as pontiff.


China, Russia vow to strengthen cooperation on international law matters, state media reports

China, Russia vow to strengthen cooperation on international law matters, state media reports
Updated 09 May 2025
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China, Russia vow to strengthen cooperation on international law matters, state media reports

China, Russia vow to strengthen cooperation on international law matters, state media reports
  • China, Russia vow to strengthen cooperation on international law matters, state media reports

BEIJING: China and Russia have agreed to strengthen cooperation in matters of international law, according to a joint statement released on Friday following Chinese President Xi Jinping’s meeting with Russia’s Vladimir Putin.
The two countries both stated their opposition to unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction, Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported the statement as saying, and will work together to defend the United Nations’ central role in international affairs.