Author: Steven Sahiounie

According to The Wall Street Journal, US President Joe Biden is unlikely to secure a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas before the upcoming election, despite months of negotiation efforts. American officials revealed that the chance of reaching a deal soon appears slim, contradicting previous optimism from the administration. US Mediation Efforts The US, alongside mediators from Qatar and Egypt, has been pushing for an agreement that would see Hamas release Israeli hostages in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. This would also involve Israel halting its military operations in Gaza. Despite these efforts, both sides have blamed…

The UK’s national debt stands at 100% of the country’s annual economic output and is at its highest level since the 1960s, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed on Friday. Government borrowing surged to £13.7 billion ($18.2 billion) in August, equaling to the annual value of total economic production, according to the ONS. “Borrowing was up by over £3 billion last month on 2023’s figure, and was the third highest August borrowing on record,” ONS chief economist Grant Fitzner said. The data reflects the alarming state of public finances left by the Conservatives, according to Treasury Chief Secretary Darren Jones.…

Germany’s GDP could stagnate or even decline in the third quarter, Bundesbank has warned The German economy has been shrinking over the past two years and will remain stagnant for the rest of the year as it continues to grapple with economic malaise, Bloomberg reported on Friday. According to a survey conducted by the outlet, the EU’s top economy has been stalling in the three months through September, marking a deeper-than-expected decline. Economists have already started downgrading their forecasts for this year, with some now seeing protracted stagnation or even another downturn. “While we expect the market to see a…

Ernst & Young has come under fire after a 26-year-old employee died, allegedly due to excessive workloadA UK consulting firm is facing scrutiny in India after the mother of a 26-year-old employee linked her child’s death to work-related stress. Anna Sebastian Perayil joined Ernst & Young’s (EY) audit and assurance team in Pune in March this year and passed away four months later. In an email to EY India chairman Rajiv Memani—allegedly leaked by company employees and shared on social media— Perayil’s mother, Anita Augustine, urged the firm’s leadership to change a work culture that “seems to glorify overwork while neglecting the…

A recent Reuters report sheds light on Christiana Barsony Archidiacono, the Hungarian woman linked to Tuesday’s pager explosions in Lebanon, which targeted Hezbollah members. Background and Education Christiana, 49, holds dual Italian and Hungarian citizenship. She speaks seven languages and has a Ph.D. in particle physics. Her Budapest apartment is filled with self-painted artwork, and her career spans humanitarian work across Africa and Europe. She holds the role of CEO at “PAC Consulting,” which has a license to design pagers from the Taiwanese company, Gold Apollo. Her Role in the Explosions Despite being associated with the company, Christiana denied manufacturing…

Lebanon’s Hezbollah confirmed the death of one of its senior leaders, Ahmad Mahmoud Wahbi, following an Israeli strike on Beirut’s southern suburb on Friday. Earlier, the group also announced the death of another top leader, Ibrahim Aqil, in the same strike. The Lebanese Ministry of Health reported that 14 others were killed, with the toll expected to rise as rescue teams work through the night. Hezbollah released a statement detailing Wahbi’s background and key positions he held until his death: In a brief statement shared by Israeli media, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commented that Israel’s objectives are clear, and its…

Japanese company Icom has strongly denied that the wireless devices involved in recent explosions in Lebanon were its products. Despite labels showing “Icom” and “Made in Japan” appearing on the exploded walkie-talkie devices used by Hezbollah, the company stated on Friday that it is “highly unlikely” that these were genuine Icom products. In an official statement, Icom said, “Based on the multiple pieces of information that have been revealed, the chances are extremely slim that the wireless devices that exploded in Lebanon were manufactured by us.” The explosions, which occurred on Wednesday, targeted Hezbollah’s communication devices, killing 20 people and…

Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib condemned the recent explosions of thousands of portable communication devices in Lebanon, labeling the incident as a “terrorist attack” and holding Israel responsible. Speaking before the United Nations Security Council on Friday, Bou Habib described the explosions, which claimed dozens of lives across Lebanon over two days, as an “unprecedented act of warfare in its brutality and terror.” He emphasized that “targeting thousands of civilians in their homes, streets, workplaces, and shopping centers is simply terrorism.” Bou Habib warned that any new Israeli offensive against Lebanon could displace more residents from the northern region…

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate, announced her intention to pursue a second debate with her Republican opponent, Donald Trump. Speaking before an audience of around 600 people at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in Atlanta, Georgia, Harris stated, “I am aiming for another debate. We’ll see.” The first debate between the candidates took place on September 10, after which Trump publicly rejected the idea of a follow-up debate with Harris on his platform, Truth Social. The former U.S. president declared, “There will be no third debate,” following his first debate with President Joe Biden in…

A former friend of the Hungarian businesswoman linked to the coordinated “exploding pager” attacks in Lebanon has shared new insights into her life. The woman in question, Christiana Parsoney Archediacono, is the CEO of the company that supplied the devices, “PAC.” According to a report by the British newspaper Daily Mail, a close former friend described Christiana as “mysterious” and revealed that “she always hid the nature of her work.” Her name made headlines after it was revealed that the pagers used in the explosions on Tuesday in Lebanon were produced by the company “PAC,” headquartered in Budapest. Christiana’s involvement…