Sudan may very well return to war, with or without sanctions

Sudan may return to war if US keeps sanctions: minister.  Sudan could fall back into war if Washington fails to lift decades-old sanctions, Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour has said, insisting that Khartoum sees the embargo as "unacceptable."  US President Donald Trump is due to decide Wednesday whether to permanently lift the sanctions, which his predecessor Barack Obama eased in January.  News24

How many religiously-motivated murder groups are there in one country?

Bloodthirsty Nigeria 'cult' killings spark fear.  People cover their noses at the stench of death in the Crystal Church of God in Owode Onirin, just outside Lagos, where bloody clothes, drums, bibles and hymn books still litter the bare floor.  Three days earlier, four worshippers were killed as they prayed, in the latest murders blamed on a shadowy gang dubbed the Badoo, believed to have killed 30 people since June last year.  Daily Times

Djibouti could start a special social club for foreign military bases at this point.

​​Djibouti: Chinese troops depart for first overseas military base. Ships carrying Chinese troops are heading to Djibouti to set up Beijing's first overseas military base, reports state media.  China says the support base will be used for peacekeeping and humanitarian aid in Africa and West Asia.  It will also be used for military co-operation, naval exercises and rescue missions, Xinhua said. BBC

The second arrest of a US official in two months

An active duty U.S. soldier was arrested on terrorism charges after authorities say he pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group and said he wanted to "kill a bunch of people."  The FBI arrested Sgt. 1st Class Ikaika Kang, 34, in a suburb of Honolulu over the weekend after a yearlong investigation involving multiple undercover officers and confidential informants. He made an initial appearance in federal court on Monday.  Associated Press

Waiting to fill the vacuum?

Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorist group is constructing at least two underground facilities in Lebanon for manufacturing missiles and other weaponry, a report by French Intelligence Online magazine has revealed.  Intelligence Online quoted sources saying that the first factory is being built in northern Lebanon, near the town of Hermel in the eastern Bekaa Valley. The second facility is reportedly being constructed along the southern coast, between the towns of Sidon and Tyre.  Al Arabiya

We've all got it somewhere in us.

Portugal charges 18 policemen over alleged racist conduct.   Authorities in Portugal are ringing charges of torture, assault, providing false statements and other crimes against 18 police officers over alleged racist conduct.  The Lisbon attorney general’s office says the crimes refer to an incident in 2015, when police clashed with young black men in a poor neighborhood near Lisbon.  A brief statement on the attorney general’s website Tuesday said the police officers are suspected of “severe abuse” of their position and neglecting their duty. It accuses them of offensive acts and insults, without describing the alleged crimes in detail.   WTOP

It's been a year, get over it.

Turkey orders 72 university staff detained in coup-related probe.  Turkey issued arrest warrants for 72 university staff, state media said on Monday, including a former adviser to the main opposition leader who staged a mass rally on Sunday to protest a crackdown since a failed military coup last year.  The warrants were issued under an investigation into the movement of the U.S.-based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, who is accused of orchestrating the attempted coup on July 15, state-run Anadolu news agency reported. Reuters

Spoiler alert: They finally got their dang visas

Afghan students denied US visa to attend robot competition.  Six female students from war-torn Afghanistan who had hoped to participate in an international robotics competition in the U.S. this month will have to watch via video link after their visa applications were denied not once, but twice.  The girls wanted to show the world that Afghans can also construct a hand-made robot. But of 162 teams who planned to participate, the Afghan girls are the only nation’s team to be denied visas by the U.S. and must participate from afar, watching from their hometown in western Afghanistan.   WTOP

Even Somalia can't function without Internet

Somalia's government says an ongoing internet outage is costing the country $10m (£7.7m) each day.  The outage affects southern Somalia, and was caused by damage to an undersea fibre-optic cable more than two weeks ago.  Somali Post and Telecommunications Minister Abdi Anshur Hassan has called the incident a "major disaster", costing Somalia "more than $130m".  BBC

Maybe next year? Or not, whatever.

Congo election head says presidential vote unlikely this year.  The president of Democratic Republic of Congo's electoral commission said on Sunday that a vote to replace President Joseph Kabila will probably not be possible this year, violating a deal that let Kabila stay on past the end of his mandate.  Kabila's refusal to step down at the end of his second elected term in December sparked protests that killed dozens of people. The opposition quickly denounced commission president Corneille Nangaa's announcement on Sunday as a declaration of "war".  Reuters

Nothing like a credible judiciary...

Kenya's president warns judiciary not to help opposition. Kenya's president has warned the country's judiciary not to help the opposition throw the next election into disarray. The presidential poll will take place next month and Uhuru Kenyatta is seeking re-election.  On Friday, after a case brought by the opposition, the High Court ordered the electoral commission not to print ballot papers.  Mr Kenyatta insisted the election would go ahead as planned.  BBC

Out of their f-ing minds.

​​El Salvador teen rape victim sentenced to 30 years in prison after stillbirth.  A high school student was convicted on the grounds that failing to seek antenatal care amounted to murder, after giving birth in a bathroom in 2016.  The Guardian

Portugal?!?

Days after weapons and explosives were taken from a military warehouse in Portugal, the scale of the theft is becoming clear. A Spanish website has revealed an extensive list of grenades, ammunition and explosives seized from the Tancos site, north-east of Lisbon.  BBC

Had they stopped in Portugal by any chance?

A haul of firearms has been seized in France from a car heading to the UK. Seventy-nine "viable" weapons were recovered from the car's trailer when it was stopped by UK Border Force officers at Coquelles near the Channel Tunnel terminal on Saturday. Two men, a Polish and a Czech national, have been remanded in custody at Uxbridge magistrates' court in connection with the operation.  BBC

That took long enough...

Faced with a series of terror attacks, Pakistan is fighting back against Islamic State-affiliated militants after repeatedly claiming that Islamic State has been unable to establish a foothold in the country, analysts say. "Pakistan no longer denies IS’s presence as it used to,” Michael Kugelman, deputy director and senior associate for South Asia at Wilson Center in Washington, told VOA.  VOA

Helicopter attack in Caracas, now this in Brazil -- what is *up*, Latin America??

A car has rammed the gate of the Brazilian president's palace as calls grow on Michel Temer to resign amid a corruption scandal and single-digit popularity.  A statement from Temer's office said that a vehicle drove at high speed towards the Alvorada Palace in the capital Brasilia late on Wednesday, forcing guards to fire at the car.  Al Jazeera

I guess the two Papa Bears weren't able to hug this one out

Moscow is preparing measures to retaliate against Washington's decision to seize two Russian diplomatic compounds in the United States last year, Russia's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said on June 28.  In December, the United States seized two Russian diplomatic compounds in the New York and Maryland countryside and ordered the expulsion of 35 Russians and their family members in retaliation for harassment of U.S. diplomats in Moscow and alleged Russian interference in the U.S. presidential election campaign.  Radio Free Europe

They still have a military government, so what exactly has changed?

The United States plans to sell four Black Hawk helicopters to Thailand after initially suspending their sale following a 2014 military coup.  "The United States government has approved our purchase order for the four helicopters," army chief General Chalermchai Sitthisart told reporters on Thursday, adding that the army already had 12 Black Hawk helicopters.  Reuters

I know it's not meant to be funny, but...

Thousands of people have turned out in protests across India against a wave of attacks on Muslims by mobs that accuse them of killing cows or eating beef.  Waving "Not in My Name" banners and "Stop Cow Terrorism" placards on Wednesday, protesters braved monsoon rains in at least 10 cities including Mumbai, Kolkata and New Delhi where a cast of intellectuals and activists were joined by relatives of recent lynching victims.  Al Jazeera

Yowza.

A year ago it was Greece and Turkey that bore the brunt of the world's worst refugee crisis. Newspapers and television bulletins were full of stories about the influx of a million people in Europe, fleeing conflict in Syria, Iraq and other parts of the Middle East or Africa.  Now, an even bigger refugee crisis is unfolding, not in Europe but in Africa. But it has had far less media coverage, and it is questionable whether Australians know much about it.  Uganda is now the centre of the world's fastest growing refugee crisis.  ABC

It would be more worrying if this decision was *not* because of the economic crisis...

South Sudan is recalling its top diplomats from seven countries, but says the recalls have nothing to do with the country's economic crisis. The crisis, sparked by three and a half years of civil war, has left South Sudan's government strapped for cash, and most of the country's envoys around the world have not received salaries for up to six months.  A letter dated June 14, signed by Minister for Foreign Affairs Deng Alor, gave 60 days' notice to ambassadors in Britain, Sudan and Uganda, as well as the heads of missions in Germany, India, Eritrea and Egypt to report back to Juba.  VOA

Fake news is a jailable offense in Gabon

A Gabonese opposition figure who earlier this month threatened violence if President Ali Bongo failed to resign has been placed in preventive custody, the state prosecutor said Wednesday.  Roland Desire Aba'a Minko "was placed in preventive detention ... Tuesday night after being charged with threatening state security, inciting rebellion and circulating fake news to undermine public order," prosecutor Steeve Ndong Essame Ndong told AFP.  Daily Nation

Well, then, that IS serious.

China National Petroleum Corp has suspended sales of fuel to North Korea over concerns the state-owned oil company won't get paid, as pressure mounts on Pyongyang to rein in its nuclear and missile programmes, three sources told Reuters.  It's unclear how long the suspension will last. A prolonged cut would threaten critical supplies of fuel and force North Korea to find alternatives to its main supplier of diesel and gasoline, as scrutiny of China's close commercial ties with its increasingly isolated neighbour intensifies. Channel News Asia

Except it's the opposite of shocking

Zimbabwe’s auditor general has revealed shocking details of the abuse of public funds at state-owned institutions and government ministries. In her latest report, Zimbabwe’s auditor general Mildred Chiri disclosed how government-owned institutions could not account for huge sums of money under their watch.  News 24