JUBA, South Sudan: Thousands of civilians in towns and villages across Sudan have been forced to flee in recent weeks to escape the worsening conflict in the country, which has entered its second bloody month, leading to fears of a new global refugee crisis.

Initial clashes between former allies the Sudanese Armed Forces and paramilitary group the Rapid Support Forces have escalated into heavy combat, displacing hundreds of thousands of people from their homes.

MILAN: A photograph of a woman, wearing a white chador with an ornate pattern and standing in front of a hanging Persian rug, is perhaps the most striking image of a new exhibition in Milan that aims to shed light on women’s lives in today’s Iran.

The woman is photographed from behind and the pattern of her chador, which completely covers her, seems to intertwine with the dense floral design of the rug.

The image is part of the first solo exhibition by Iranian photographer Farnaz Damnabi, which opened at Milan’s 29 ARTS IN PROGRESS gallery on Tuesday.

ANKARA: With neither presidential candidate passing the 50 percent threshold needed for an outright win, Turkiye’s voters head for a second round on Sunday to decide who will be their next leader.
In the first round, incumbent 69-year-old President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gained around 2.5 million more votes than his 74-year-old rival Kemal Kilicdaroglu. However, Erdogan’s 49.5 percent of the votes was not enough for an outright victory against Kilicdaroglu’s 44.9 percent.

RAMALLAH: Palestinians are outraged by the Israeli government’s move to hold a weekly Cabinet meeting on May 21 inside the tunnels it has dug under Al-Aqsa Mosque.

On Tuesday, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh called on UNESCO to take note of the Israeli excavations in East Jerusalem.

For decades, Israel has been excavating under Al-Aqsa as part of a vague, historically motivated search for “Solomon’s Temple” in an attempt to justify the occupation through archeology.

NEW YORK: Palestinian refugees in the Middle East are facing a rising mental health crisis, with women and children particularly vulnerable, the leading official at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees has warned.

Dr. Akihiro Seita, UNRWA director of health, told a press conference at the UN offices in Geneva on Tuesday that the mental health crisis is one of several challenges facing the agency in the region.