At least five people have been killed and several others wounded in an attack on an aid convoy in Sudan’s Darfur region on Tuesday, the United Nations has said, with the warring parties in the northeast African nation trading blame for the attack.

The attack on the 15-truck convoy carrying desperately needed food and nutrition supplies happened on Monday night near the Rapid Support Forces (RSF)-controlled town of Koma in North Dafur province.

It was trying to reach besieged el-Fasher city, according to a joint statement from the World Food Programme and UNICEF. Both agencies called for an investigation into the attack.

“This was the first UN humanitarian convoy that was going to make it to el-Fasher in over one year,” UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters at in New York.

Monday night’s attack burned many trucks and damaged the aid they were carrying, the statement said. It didn’t say who was responsible for the attack.

The WFP and UNICEF said they were negotiating to complete the trip to el-Fasher from the eastern city of Port Sudan on the Red Sea, which serves as an interim seat for the country’s military-allied government.

“It is devastating that the supplies have not reached the vulnerable children and families they were intended to,” the statement said.

Dujarric said all those killed and injured were Sudanese contractors working for the WFP and UNICEF.

“They were 80 kilometres from el-Fasher, after having travelled 1,800 kilometres for days in incredibly difficult terrain, incredibly dangerous terrain,” he said. “They were parked on the side of the road waiting for clearances and they were attacked.”

“It was an air attack, most likely drones. But we don’t know who the perpetrators were.”

Trading blame

The RSF said in a statement the convoy was hit by a military aircraft in a “pre-planned attack.” Footage shared by the RSF showed burned vehicles carrying what appeared to be flour bags.

The military-led government, however, rejected the accusation and said in a statement that aid trucks were “treacherously attacked by assault drones operated by the rebel Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia.”

The Resistance Committees in el-Fasher tracked the fighting in and around the city and blamed the paramilitaries for the attack, saying the RSF statement aimed to “mislead public opinion and evade accountability.”

The UN demanded a halt to attacks on humanitarian personnel, facilities and vehicles.

El-Fasher, more than 800 kilometres southwest of the capital Khartoum, is one of the last strongholds of the Sudanese military in Darfur. The region has been under RSF siege since May 2024.

Sudan was plunged into a war more than two years ago, when tensions between the army and its rival paramilitary RSF exploded with street battles in the capital of Khartoum that quickly spread across the country.

The war has created the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. It has driven about 13 million people from their homes, including over four million who crossed into neighbouring countries.

Parts of Sudan have been pushed into famine.

The fighting has been marked by atrocities including mass rape and ethnically motivated killings that amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, especially in Darfur, according to the UN and international rights groups.

Pornhub blocks access in France to protest age restrictions

What is Aylo’s issue with the age-verification law?

How many minors watch porn in France?

Pornhub, Redtube and Youporn were scheduled to be suspended in France on Wednesday, according to parent company Aylo.Instead of porn, the company will only display a statement on France’s new regulations that require porn sites to verify that their users are 18 or older, a Pornhub spokesperson said on Tuesday.Alyo’s sites, like other porn sites available in France, has until June 7, 2025, to implement a rigorous new age verification standard.It’s part of a French government push to shield minors from inappropriate content.France’s Deputy Minister for Digital Technology Clara Chappaz defended the government’s move late on Tuesday.”We’re not stigmatizing adults who want to consume this content, but we mustn’t do so at the expense of protecting our children,” she told France’s Europe 1 TV.The sites aren’t protecting children, so it is now the government’s responsibility, she said.Currently, users to explicit sites can click a a box declaring they are over 18, but their age isn’t actually verified.France’s new standard requires explicit websitesto verify a user’s age using a credit card or a government-issued ID document.And to protect users’ identities, the standard requires porn sites to use an external site for this age verification.Using a principle known as double anonymity, the porn sites will then only receive confirmation that the person is of legal age and will not know their identity. The external service provider will know the identity of the user but not the reason for the age check or the sites the user visits.Alyo has said that it is in favor of age verification but says it should be done on the devices used rather than on the websites visited.The porn industry giant has called the French government’s measure potentially privacy infringing and ineffective.In a post on X on Tuesday, deputy minister Chappaz said the standard, with its double anonymity, guaranteed privacy.”It’s unacceptable to lie when you don’t want to respect the law,” she posted. “If Aylo would rather leave France than apply our law, they are free to do so.”Users in France account for Pornhub’s second largest audience after the United States, according to Pornhub’s own statistics for 2024.And, says France’s digital and audiovisual communication regulator Arcom, some 2.3 million minors access porn websites every month in the country.That’s 12% of France’s total number of porn users.Adult content platforms have come under fire elsewhere in the European Union.EU regulators said last month that they would investigate several porn sites, including Pornhub, for failing to comply with rules to protect children.

MADRID: Spain, which has strongly criticised Israel’s offensive in Gaza, has cancelled a contract to buy 168 firing posts and 1,680 anti-tank missiles from Israeli defence company Rafael, Spanish media reported Wednesday.

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The deal was worth 287.5 million euros ($327 million), according to top-selling daily Spanish newspaper El Pais, which cited unnamed government sources.

The equipment was to be manufactured in Spain under licence from Rafael.

Spanish defence ministry sources told AFP that the government “has begun a process to revoke licences of Israeli origin” and was working to redirect its procurement programmes “with the goal of achieving greater technological independence and autonomy”.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s criticisms of the offensive in Gaza infuriated Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government last year by recognising a Palestinian state.

In late April, Spain cancelled a contract to buy bullets from another Israeli company, IMI Systems, following pressure from the Socialist-led government’s far-left coalition partner Sumar a move swiftly condemned by Israel.

Labour Minister Yolanda Diaz, the founder of Sumar, said at the time that Spain could not engage in “business with a genocidal government… that is massacring the Palestinian people”.

Sanchez’s government said it halted weapons transactions with Israel after the start of the war following Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

But according to Centre Delas, a Barcelona-based think tank specialising in security and defence, the government has granted 46 contracts worth more than 1 billion euros to Israeli companies based on data published on a public tenders platform.

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Why Ejari Matters for Tenants and Landlords

Tenants need it to set up DEWA utilities and validate tenancy status.

Landlords benefit from legally protected agreements.

It offers a recorded proof of tenancy in case of disputes.

Many property and facility management companies require a valid Ejari certificate for service provision.

Digital Leap: Ejari via WhatsApp on AQARI Platform

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Users interact with one of 10 approved Service Trustees via WhatsApp.

Services are available worldwide, removing the need for in-person visits.

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Ejari registration and updates

Title deed data amendments

Ownership registration

Property valuations and map issuance

Personal and company data updates

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All services are conducted through government-linked secure channels.

Processes are designed to be fast, reliable, and transparent.

The system supports Dubai’s vision for a smart, paperless, and globally accessible real estate ecosystem.

Digital Ejari Launch Shows Government-Private Sector Synergy

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It is one of the most trusted service providers in the region, playing a key role in Dubai’s property transaction ecosystem.

Dubai has taken a major leap in real estate services with Ejari registration now available fully online via WhatsApp , thanks to a collaboration between Injaz Real Estate Registration Trustee and the Dubai Land Department (DLD). The move is part of the emirate’s broader push for smart governance, digital transformation, and customer convenience.Ejari (Arabic for) is a mandatory rental contract registration system introduced by RERA (Real Estate Regulatory Authority) under the Dubai Land Department (DLD) in 2007. It ensures every rental agreement in Dubai, whether residential or commercial, is legally documented and officially recorded.The system is:A requirement for accessing key services like:Ejari ensures the transparency and legality of Dubai’s rental market, providing clarity in contract terms and accountability for all parties. Key reasons why it’s crucial:In a major innovation, Ejari registration can now be done remotely and entirely online through WhatsApp using the AQARI platform , operated by Injaz Real Estate Registration Trustee in partnership with the Dubai Land Department.To begin the process, users can visit the AQARI platform , where they’ll find a WhatsApp chat icon. Clicking the icon redirects them to WhatsApp, where they can initiate the Ejari registration through an automated chat. The platform offers a range of guided options and services that users can select from to complete their transaction smoothly.The launch of remote Ejari registration through WhatsApp is not just a technological upgrade, it also represents a broader effort to enhance cooperation between government and the private sector in modernising Dubai’s real estate ecosystem.The AQARI platform, first introduced in August 2024, was initially developed to facilitate services such as title deed data amendments, property valuations etc. With the June 2025 integration of Ejari registration, it has now become one of the most comprehensive remote property service platforms available in the UAE.Commenting on the expanded platform, Khalifa Alsalfa, then Director of Real Estate Services Pioneering Department at the Dubai Land Department (DLD), said:“The Dubai Land Department firmly believes that partnerships and cooperation with the private sector are crucial for realising our ambitious objectives. Our aim is to reinforce Dubai’s leading position in the global real estate market. This new platform underscores the significance of such collaborations, aligning with the vision of our leadership to foster integration and joint efforts between government and private organizations.This vision was echoed by Ahmed Al Suwaidi, Director General of Injaz Real Estate Registration Trustee, who emphasised the platform’s user-focused mission:“At Injaz Real Estate Registration Trustee, we are proud to collaborate with the Dubai Land Department to launch the new remote Ejari service through the AQARI platform. This milestone reflects our ongoing commitment to digital transformation and enhanced customer convenience.”In practical terms, the new WhatsApp-based service eliminates the need for physical visits to trustee offices, a key benefit noted by Majid Almazrouei, General Manager of Injaz:“Our goal is to simplify and modernize real estate transactions for properties in Dubai. With this new feature, clients can now complete essential steps such as Ejari registration entirely online, no matter where they are in the world, ensuring convenience, efficiency, and global accessibility.”Injaz is a government-registered real estate trustee offering a full suite of real estate registration services in Dubai. Known for:

UNICEF and the World Food Programme have condemned an attack on an aid convoy in Sudan’s restive Darfur region. The trucks were carrying much-needed food as two years of conflict has cut off supply.

Five aid workers were killed in an attack on a convoy in Sudan, preventing food deliveries to families who face starvation in the war-torn Darfur region, UN agencies said on Tuesday.

The attack on the 15-truck convoy happened Monday night near the Rapid Support Forces (RSF)-controlled town of Koma in North Darfur province.

“Five members of the convoy were killed and several more people were injured. Multiple trucks were burned, and critical humanitarian supplies were damaged,” UNICEF and the World Food Programme (WFP) said in a joint statement.

Both agencies called for an investigation into the attack, which they said was a violation of international humanitarian law.

“It is devastating that the supplies have not reached the vulnerable children and families they were intended to,” the statement added.

The agencies did not specify who was behind the attack. The UN said those killed and injured were Sudanese contractors working for WFP and UNICEF.

Warring parties trade blame for attack

The aid agencies said the convoy was attacked while trying to access el-Fasher city, which is one of the last strongholds of the Sudanese military in Darfur. Since 2024, el-Fasher has been under siege by RSF forces.

The trucks had traveled more than 1,800 kilometers (1,100 miles) from the eastern city of Port Sudan on the Red Sea.

“This was the first UN humanitarian convoy that was going to make it to el-Fasher in over one year,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters at UN headquarters in New York.

The RSF claimed in a statement the convoy was hit by a military aircraft in a “pre-planned attack.”

However, Sudan’s military-led government rejected this and said in a statement that aid trucks were “treacherously attacked by assault drones operated by the rebel Rapid Support Forces militia.”

Neither of the reports could be independently verified.

Famine ravaging Sudan

Since fighting between RSF paramilitary group and Sudan’s military-controlled government began two years ago, Sudan has been engulfed by what the UN has called the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, with more than a million people on the brink of starvation in the North Darfur state alone.

The fighting has killed tens of thousands of people, uprooted 13 million people and created dire hunger and displacement crises. Four million people have fled across Sudan’s borders, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said on Tuesday.

Health facilities targeted by both sides in Sudan war To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

Edited by: Wesley Rahn