South Sudan

Greece's basketball team has reached the quarterfinals at the Olympics as Serbia defeated South Sudan 96-85 Saturday night.

Canada, already secure in their standing, decisively defeated Spain, knocking them out of the competition. Spain paid dearly for their 12-point loss to Australia in the Olympic opener.

A ship carrying over 2,400 tons of humanitarian aid left the Turkish port of the southern province of Mersin on Saturday, bound for the war-torn African nation of Sudan.

The warring factions in Sudan have agreed to the seven-day truce, South Sudan's foreign ministry in Juba said in an official statement on Tuesday.

Sudan's army and its rival paramilitary said Sunday they will extend a humanitarian cease-fire a further 72 hours. The decision follows international pressure to allow the safe passage of civilians and aid, but the shaky truce has not so far stopped the clashes.

Fighting in Sudan continues despite a 72-hour ceasefire.

There is a shortage of fuel, doctors and medicine are lacking, access to food and money is limited.

Sudan's army chief has agreed to extend the ceasefire beyond tomorrow.

China has deployed its navy to rescue citizens from conflict-hit Sudan, the defence ministry in Beijing said on Thursday.

Multiple nations have scrambled to evacuate embassy staff and citizens by road, air and sea from Sudan, where fighting between the army and paramilitaries has killed hundreds and led to acute shortages of water, food, medicines and fuel.

The first Turkish civilians evacuated from Sudan returned to Turkey on Wednesday, with more than 100 people arriving by plane at Istanbul Airport, Reuters footage showed.

The Turks came from the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, where they had arrived overland from the Sudanese capital Khartoum.

A boat with 1,687 civilians from more than 50 countries fleeing violence in Sudan arrived in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, the foreign ministry said, the largest rescue effort by the Gulf kingdom to date.

South Sudan's defense minister on Aug. 24 said Turkey has agreed to strengthen and support the unification of forces after years of conflict in South Sudan.

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