April 17, 2023

*) US naval destroyer sails through Taiwan Strait The US Navy said its guided-missile destroyer the USS Milius had sailed through the Taiwan Strait in a "freedom of navigation" operation carried out days after China staged massive war games around the island. China views Taiwan as part of its territory and has vowed to bring the self-ruled island under its control one day. Beijing launched three days of military exercises around Taiwan on April 8 in which it simulated targeted strikes and practised a blockade of the island. *) UN chief demands justice for staff deaths as fighting rages in Sudan UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned clashes in Sudan that have left dozens of civilians dead including three workers for the global body's food agency, demanding swift justice over the killings. Guterres "strongly condemns the deaths and injuries of civilians, including the death of three staff members of the World Food Programme in North Darfur, with a further two seriously injured," the UN chief's spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a statement. The top UN official also reiterated his call for an immediate halt to the fighting and "a return to dialogue," stressing he remains engaged with regional leaders and with Sudanese stakeholders "to find a way out of this crisis," he added. *) Tens of security forces members killed in Burkina Faso At least 40 people were killed and 33 others were wounded in an attack by gunmen on an army detachment in northern Burkina Faso, local authorities said. The attack by unidentified armed men targeted a detachment of soldiers and the civilian volunteers on Saturday. Burkina Faso remains plagued by insecurity, largely due to an insurgency that has spilled over from neighbouring Mali. *) Saudi Arabia to host Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh visits Saudi Arabia for the first such visit in years, according to a Palestinian source. There was no official confirmation yet from Riyadh. The delegation will hold talks with Saudi offici