Turkey has historical ties with Sudan that date back to the Ottoman period. Ankara recognize the government in Khartoum after independence in 1956 and soon established an embassy in Khartoum, while Sudan put an embassy in Ankara much later . The two countries began signing trade, cultural and technical cooperation agreement in the 1980s, a trend those countries. They established an inter parliamentary friendship group in 1999. However, Sudan has strong political relations with Turkey , two countries work hard in order to develop the commercial relations through mutual visits by Turkish and Sudanese businessmen , Sudan took place on a strategic location of Africa , and Sudan was ready to pursue lobbying activities both with African and Arab , the distinguished location of the Sudan makes its diplomatic movement easy to communicate with the world states .
Political relations between Turkey and Sudan are at excellent level and cooperation between the two countries in international organizations and platform is maintained. Turkey and Sudan have embassies in their respective capital cities. Turkey has established a consulate general on 8 January 2011. Sudan has a consulate general in Istanbul. Turkey has honorary consulate general in the seaport city of port Sudan since 12 August 2003.
Turkey was among the first countries to recognize the independence of Sudan in 1956 . The reciprocal high level visits and various cooperation agreement signed on the occasion of those visits , which cover the fields of agriculture , health , security and training , constitute an important ground for the development of relations between Turkey and Sudan.
Established in 1999, the Turkey – Sudan inter-parliamentary friendship group is active and contributing to further developing the relations. Turkish National police provides various training courses every year to Sudanese police officers in the frame work of the security cooperation between the two countries. Turkey contributed unarmed military personnel and police officers to the UN peace keeping mission in Sudan (UNMIS). There is a great exchanging in the field of trade the main export items of Turkey to Sudan are electrical machines, steel plant, automotive by products, boilers steel equipments , plastic products , textile and paper . On the other hand, Turkey main imports from Sudan are oil seed and fruits, sugar and sugar products, unfinished leather, Arabic gum , resin , volatile oils and cotton .
Turkish investments in Sudan are mostly concentrated in steel, cement, curtain, furniture, intercity transformation textile and home appliances relations. Turkey assistance to Sudan in the health sector , both vocational training and provision of equipment , continues with an increasing trend in the frame work of the protocol on Health and Medical Cooperation between the government of Republic of Turkey and the government of the Republic of Sudan which entered into force in 2009 . In this respect, training programs are provided to health personnel of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Sudan . Within the mentioned protocol , 100 Sudanese patients , who cannot be treated in Sudan are treated in Turkey every year without any charges.
Turkish international cooperation and development agency and Turkish NGOs are carrying out both development and early recovery projects along with the emergency humanitarian assistance for the local people , especially in Darfur region , in close cooperation and coordination with the relevant Sudanese authorities in this context Turkey along with many other projects , is building a 150 bed hospital in Nyala , capital of southern Darfur state in order to strengthen relations in the field of health , in the field of education , the Turkish government provides 10 MA and 10 PHD scholarship every year . Sudan and Turkey have agreed on increase of Turkish investment in Sudan as well as boosting coordination in international relations. The two sides further agreed to boost the bilateral relations as well as developing commercial exchange between the two countries as well as developmental projects being established by Turkey in support of the Sudanese people.

Published: 22 May 2013 (SUNA)

An Australian zoo said Tuesday the birth of a southern white rhinoceros was a “sign of hope” for the species given the escalation of poaching in Africa.
Taronga Western Plains Zoo said the yet-to-be-named male calf was born to first-time mother Mopani in the safari-style animal park in Dubbo, 400 kilometres (250 miles) west of Sydney, on May 14.
“It seems the first rain we had in Dubbo in a number of months helped bring on the birth of this calf, which was spotted by a staff member on Tuesday morning,” senior keeper Pascale Benoit said.
Taronga said every birth was important given unprecedented poaching in Africa, with close to 2,000 rhinos estimated to have been slaughtered since 2006, resulting in population growth slumping to some of the lowest levels in decades.
“He is a sign of hope to all of us to help stop the worst rhino poaching crisis in half a century,” Taronga chief executive Cameron Kerr said.
The zoo hopes the delivery heralds a new start for its breeding programme after it last year suffered the devastating loss of four white rhinos from a mysterious illness that caused neurological abnormalities.
The cause of the disease has never been determined.
Mopani contracted the illness while pregnant but survived to give birth to the healthy 45-50 kilogram (99-110 pound) calf.
Zoo general manager Matt Fuller said nine white rhinos had been born at the facility since 2003 but the latest was “incredibly special” given the recent escalation in poaching, driven by demand from Asia for rhino horn.
“We are hearing that in excess of 300 animals have succumbed this year already,” he said.
“If that’s to continue then very soon, in fact something like 2015 or 2016, we will be seeing a tipping point where the deaths brought on by illegal poaching and hunting outweigh the number of births that are happening in the wild.
“And that really puts rhinos on one clear path, and that is the path towards extinction.”
The zoo’s rhinos are southern whites, the less endangered of the two white rhinoceros species. There are estimated to be some 20,000 southern whites surviving in the wild, according to environmental group WWF.

CANNES- After countless broken bones and smashed teeth, Jackie Chan has given up doing his own stunts and wants more serious roles but the Kung Fu actor says he will never stop being an action star despite earlier plans to quit big action movies.
At the Cannes film festival to promote his upcoming film “Skiptrace”, the Hong Kong actor said at 59 he could no longer do his own stunts as it took so long to recover from any injury.
“I am not a superhero,” Chan, in a white polo-necked shirt and Chinese-style jacket, told Reuters on Friday in an interview at a beachfront restaurant on the French Riviera.
“I really want to be like an Asian Robert de Niro who can do all kinds of things – comedy, drama, heavy roles,” he said, adding that he would love the chance to play a villain.
Chan, who has starred in more than 150 films in a career spanning more than 40 years, last year said he would retire from big action movies after “Chinese Zodiac 2012″, released in December.
It was quite an announcement from an actor who made his name flying across the big screen in hand-to-hand combat and car chases in films like “Rush Hour” and “Police Story”.
“I am not young any more … and I don’t want to break my ankle or my arm again,” he said, adding that he currently needed a shoulder operation.
His next film is an action movie, “New Police Story 2013″, the sixth in the franchise, that had its first public screening last month at a film festival in Beijing where Chan now lives, and will hit theatres later this year.
“Skiptrace” is an action comedy in which he joins forces with rising Chinese actress Fan Bingbing, known from “X-Men: Days of Future Past”. The film is due to start shooting in September for release next year.
The story follows a Hong Kong detective who forms an unlikely partnership with an American gambler as they try to track down Hong Kong’s most notorious criminal and embark on a wild journey across China.
Chan said he had wanted to write “Skiptrace”, a road movie through China, for about 20 years but it was only now that the time was right to make the film as China was now more accessible and well equipped for the film industry.
But he admitted it was another action movie.
“Every action star always wants to say they (will stop) but at the end they have to do it again. Like (Sylvester) Stallone. He never stops. Like me, I will never stop,” said Chan.
“But an action star’s life is so short. I want to let audiences knows that I am an actor who can fight. I am not an action star who can act.”
Chan was one of a crowd of Chinese actors and directors at Cannes for the world’s largest film festival where the main competition of 20 films includes “Tian Zhu Ding” (“A Touch of Sin”) by director Jia Zhangke. The film received mixed reviews.
A new film by Chinese filmmaker Johnnie To called “Blind Detective” will be screened at a midnight showing on May 19.

The meeting commended level of relations and cooperation between the two countries at international arenas and that the two sides agreed on cooperation on training of diplomatic cadres and capability building.
The Committee also assured on achievement being scored in economic and trade cooperation between the two countries , affirming importance of coming meeting of the Joint Sudanese-Russian Ministerial Committee for Economic Cooperation.
The Minister of State met on the sideline of the Committee’s meetings with Director Railways in Russia and officials of Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and discussed with them aspects of cooperation between Sudan and Russia on industrial and economic fields.