Author: Steven Sahiounie

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office clarified on Thursday that reports of a ceasefire with Hezbollah are inaccurate. The statement emphasized that Netanyahu has not responded to the U.S.-French proposal for de-escalation. The Prime Minister’s office further clarified that claims about instructions to de-escalate military operations in the north are untrue, asserting that Netanyahu has directed the military to continue fighting with full force according to the planned strategy. Earlier, Israeli media reported that a senior official in Netanyahu’s office had indicated a green light for a ceasefire on the northern front to allow space for negotiations. In a joint…

In a remarkable turn of events, a Japanese man who spent the longest time on death row in the world was acquitted after nearly 60 years of wrongful conviction. The Japanese public broadcaster, NHK, reported that on Thursday, Iwao Hakamada, now 88, was cleared of charges for which he was initially sentenced to death, marking a triumph for his family’s long battle for justice. The Shizuoka District Court acquitted Hakamada during a retrial for the 1966 murders of four people in central Japan. Hakamada had spent 45 years awaiting execution before the court ordered his release in 2014, citing doubts…

An individual impersonated a former Ukrainian official in an attempt to deceive U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman, Ben Cardin, through a Zoom video call. According to a notice circulated to Senate offices as a warning against similar attempts, the unidentified caller posed as former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. The notice detailed an email received by Cardin’s office on September 19 from someone claiming to be Kuleba, which led to a conversation laced with what the notice described as “politically charged questions regarding upcoming elections.” The incident highlights the growing risks of digital impersonation, particularly involving high-profile political figures,…

The technical meeting for the African Super Cup match between Al Ahly and Zamalek, scheduled for Friday, concluded with agreements on the teams’ kits. Al Ahly will wear their traditional red jersey paired with white shorts, while the goalkeeper will don a light green outfit. On the other hand, Zamalek will step onto the pitch in their alternate kit, featuring an all-black jersey and shorts, with their goalkeeper dressed in yellow and black. During the meeting, all organizational aspects of the match were finalized, including the teams’ arrival times at Kingdom Arena. It was also confirmed that if the match…

Witnesses and military sources reported that the Sudanese army launched a significant artillery and air offensive in the capital, Khartoum, on Thursday. This marks the largest operation by the army to reclaim territory in the region since the conflict with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) began 17 months ago. The offensive comes as the armed forces, which lost control of most of the capital at the start of the conflict, prepare for a speech by their leader, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, at the United Nations General Assembly in New York later today. According to witnesses, intense shelling and clashes erupted…

A South Korean lawmaker, citing intelligence reports, revealed on Thursday that North Korea possesses enough plutonium and uranium to produce at least dozens of nuclear weapons. Lee Seong-kuyon, a member of the parliamentary intelligence committee, stated that South Korea’s intelligence agency believes it is also likely that North Korea could conduct a seventh nuclear test after the U.S. presidential election scheduled for November 5th. A report by the Federation of American Scientists in July estimated that Pyongyang might have produced enough fissile material to create up to 90 nuclear warheads, although it may have assembled only around 50 of them.…

Real Madrid, currently second in La Liga, announced on Wednesday that their star French forward Kylian Mbappe has sustained an injury to his left thigh during Tuesday’s match against Deportivo Alavés, which ended in a 3-2 victory for the team. In an official statement, the Spanish giants said, “After the medical tests conducted today on our player Kylian Mbappe by Real Madrid’s medical staff, he has been diagnosed with an injury to the left biceps femoris muscle.” While Real Madrid did not specify how long Mbappe would be sidelined, Spanish media outlets have reported that he could be out for…

Israeli Chief of Staff, Herzi Halevi, urged his forces on Wednesday to prepare for a “potential entry” into Lebanon, signaling an escalation in the ongoing tensions. In a video released by the Israeli military, Halevi addressed members of an Israeli armored brigade, saying, “You can hear the planes here. We are attacking all day long. The goal is to prepare the ground for your potential entry and to continue striking Hezbollah.” He further stated, “This is to prepare the ground for your possible entry and to continue weakening Hezbollah.” Halevi emphasized that airstrikes would persist with the dual purpose of…

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reported on Wednesday that pregnant women, mothers, and newborns are dying at an alarming rate in South Darfur, Sudan. Thousands of malnourished children are also on the brink of starvation. According to MSF’s report, the health crisis in South Darfur is among the worst globally, largely due to the ongoing conflict between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which erupted in April of last year. The report described the situation in South Darfur as a “snapshot of what is likely unfolding at a horrific scale in isolated, war-torn areas across Sudan.” MSF documented…

A senior NATO commander revealed on Wednesday that the alliance is preparing detailed plans to coordinate in the event of a war with Russia. General Alexander Sollfrank, head of NATO’s logistics command, informed Reuters that the alliance is planning for the large-scale evacuation of injured soldiers from conflict zones if a war with Russia were to break out. Sollfrank explained that such evacuations might involve the use of specially equipped hospital trains, as air evacuation might not always be feasible. He added that the medical evacuation scenarios in the future would differ significantly from NATO’s previous experiences in Afghanistan and…