The New York Times: Οι πραγματικοί παίκτες πολέμου της Ουκρανίας – Δεν υπάρχει τρόπος να φτάσει κανείς σε πόλεις της Τζαμάικα – Εκατονταετείς που απλά δεν θέλουν να συνταξιοδοτηθούν – Μια νέα μάχη σε ένα παλιό πεδίο μάχης – Πώς παραμένουν ζωηροί… στην Ιαπωνία

A new struggle on an old battlefield

Since the city of El Fasher in Sudan fell to a paramilitary force last week, verified images and witness accounts have pointed to an unfolding massacre in the country’s Darfur region.

Residents were shot as they tried to flee the city. Videos show paramilitary forces casually executing civilians. Those who made the arduous escape to a town 65 kilometers away brought accounts of terror, starvation and death.

Two decades ago, the word “Darfur” rippled across the world as a symbol of unchecked atrocities in a distant land. Today, it is happening again.

A wave of killings is sweeping one of the region’s biggest cities. The same ethnic rivalries seem to be fueling the chaos. The paramilitaries unleashing the terror descended from the Janjaweed, the predominantly Arab militias that ran rampant two decades ago.

The first time Darfur tipped into chaos, there was at least some degree of Western pressure. This time, there’s little celebrity activism or political attention, and impunity for abuses is rife.

Then and now

The fighters rampaging across Darfur are armed, organized and funded better than ever. And they are backed by one of the wealthiest countries in the wider region, the United Arab Emirates, which is also a close partner of the United States. (The Emirates has denied backing either side in the conflict.)

Then, fighters rode mainly on horses and camels; today, they drive armored vehicles and pickups. Before, they torched villages; now, they fire heavy artillery and fly sophisticated drones.

In the last war, the paramilitaries fought on the same side as the Sudanese Army. Now, though, the paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces, or R.S.F., is fighting the national army in a battle that has ripped Sudan apart and caused, by many measures, the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

The civil war between the Sudanese Army and the R.S.F., which erupted in April 2023, stemmed in part from the political ambitions of the group’s leader, Lt. Gen. Mohamed Hamdan. He has declared his own parallel government in the state of South Darfur.

His troops have perpetrated atrocities that the United Nations calls war crimes and the Biden administration called genocide, often targeting members of the Zaghawa ethnic group. Sexual violence is also widespread, the U.N. says.

Until this week, El Fasher was the only city in Darfur that the R.S.F. did not control. A contingent of Sudanese soldiers and allied Darfuri militiamen clung to a garrison near the airport, their last foothold in the region.

As the R.S.F. tightened its siege, fighters built a high earthen berm that looped around the city, trapping about a quarter-million residents inside. Civilians who tried to smuggle food or medicine over the berm were beaten or killed. Residents began to starve. In the city’s last functioning hospital, doctors resorted to giving malnourished children animal feed.

“Everybody knew what would happen when El Fasher fell — that in addition to the horrors of a starvation siege, the R.S.F. would massacre people,” said Michelle Gavin, a senior fellow for Africa studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Limited outrage

Twenty years ago, celebrity activists like George Clooney made Darfur a cause célèbre. The crisis there was a foreign policy priority for President George W. Bush and became a source of friction with China, which had oil investments in Sudan.

The latest atrocities have brought strident condemnation, but it has been largely limited to policy circles — the U.N. Security Council, some members of the U.S. Congress and a handful of politicians elsewhere.

President Trump’s special adviser to Africa is trying to broker a cease-fire. But so far there has been little sign of success. One reason is that participants include diplomats from the Emirates, Egypt and Saudi Arabia — the same Arab powers that are fueling the conflict.

Despite the American accusations of genocide, few officials have been willing to openly criticize the Emirati role in stoking the conflict, Gavin said. “The U.A.E. is arming and supporting a genocidal force,” she said. But there has been complete unwillingness to acknowledge it.

Gamifying the war

The Ukrainian military has a point-scoring system for drone operators who hit enemy targets. Wound a Russian soldier? Eight points. Capturing a Russian soldier alive with the help of a drone is the jackpot: 120 points.

Officials argue that the competition is keeping troops energized after three and a half years of war. My colleague Kim Barker described the incentive program in the video above.

Running: Two Kenyans won the New York City Marathon. Benson Kipruto won the men’s race by three-hundredths of a second, and Hellen Obiri obliterated the course record for women by more than two minutes.

Baseball: The Los Angeles Dodgers repeated as World Series champion after beating the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 7.

Tennis: The doubles champion Rohan Bopanna is retiring after a record-breaking career.

“You can check if there’s a backdoor.”

— China’s leader, Xi Jinping, joked about espionage after he presented two cellphones as a gift to South Korea’s president. The backdoor refers to software that allows access to monitor a cellphone.

Gratuities are taken for granted in Egypt. You hand over some cash to thank parking valets, waiters and delivery workers. But “tipping” in the country goes beyond service workers to people like government clerks. Even some hospital nurses request money for performing basic tasks like bringing their patients water.

It’s long been part of life. But now, as high inflation takes a toll, Egyptians are finding these payments increasingly hard to afford. Read more.

How they stay spry … in Japan

Japan has about 100,000 people who have lived for a century or more, the most in the world. For some, reaching 100 is just another milestone in a full life. My colleagues spoke to five centenarians who have never retired.

One is Fuku Amakawa, 102, who works at her family’s ramen restaurant. One of her biggest fears is losing the ability to walk and she says the work helps her stay fit. “It is really beautiful that I can still work,” she said. “Physically and emotionally, it changes the quality of my life.” Read more.

Read: Margaret Atwood’s new memoir reveals the experiences and slights that have shaped her work.

Travel: These stylish hotels offer the perfect base to explore Umbria, one of Italy’s most underrated regions.

Play: Video games like Rusty’s Retirement take up a small space on your screen. And they might help you focus.

Exercise: Here are five ways to make your run faster, healthier and more enjoyable.

This vibrant, savory oven-baked rice from Yotam Ottolenghi’s kitchen is all about contrast. The rice bakes slowly, absorbing the flavors of thyme, sweet onions and lemon, while a Tuscan kale purée brings an earthy depth. Just before serving, slices of halloumi are nestled on top, steaming until softened to give salty bursts.