U.S. sanctions 10 individuals for "transferring cash" to Hezbollah
The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said Thursday it has imposed sanctions on 10 individuals who are "part of a network responsible for transferring cash" to Hezbollah.
The network utilizes couriers travelling on commercial airline flights between Lebanon, Türkiye, the UAE, and Iran to move up to hundreds of millions of dollars between jurisdictions, providing an avenue outside the formal financial system for Hezbollah to obtain foreign currency and evade sanctions, OFAC claimed in a press release posted on the website of the Department of the Treasury.
Magnitude 7.2 quake shakes southern Peru
A magnitude 7.2 earthquake shook Peru's southern region of Ayacucho on Thursday afternoon, with no immediate reports of casualties or damage, authorities said.
According to the Geophysical Institute of Peru, the quake struck at 1 p.m. local time. Its epicenter was 35 km north of Coracora, in Parinacochas province, at a depth of 108 km.
The institute said the quake had an intensity of III-IV in Coracora.
Leaders of six European nations condemn Israeli settlement plan in West Bank
Leaders of six European nations on Thursday condemned the Israeli government's decision to publish construction tenders for the E1 settlement project in the West Bank, calling on Israel to immediately retract the plans.
In a joint statement released by the Elysee Palace, leaders of France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, and Britain described the move as "unacceptable," warning that it will sever the West Bank, harm the territorial contiguity of the Palestinian Territories, and undermine the prospects of a two-state solution.
Reaffirming that Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal under international law and UN Security Council resolutions, the leaders noted that the decision came at a time of severe instability, marked by unprecedented levels of violence against civilians and heavy restrictions on the Palestinian economy.
Houthis claim drone attacks on airport, oil facility in S. Saudi Arabia
Yemen's Houthi group said Thursday it had carried out two drone attacks targeting an airport and an oil facility in Saudi Arabia's southern region of Najran.
In a statement on social media platform X, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said the group launched two drone strikes, one hitting a "sensitive target" at Najran airport and the other hitting a facility belonging to Saudi state oil giant Aramco.
Sarea claimed both attacks "achieved their objectives," without providing further details on possible casualties or damage.
Over 100 killed in gold mine collapse on Cameroon-CAR border
More than 100 miners were killed Tuesday after a gold mine caved in at a border village between Cameroon and the Central African Republic (CAR), Cameroonian officials and local media have said.
Gregoire Mvongo, governor of Cameroon's East Region, which borders CAR, said Wednesday that the collapse happened around 2:00 p.m. local time in the village of Zamboye.
"Zamboye is a border village, but the mine collapsed on the CAR side. About three to five Cameroonians died. We are doing everything possible to rescue victims," Mvongo told Xinhua by phone.
Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir elected Bangladesh's new president
Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, candidate of the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), was elected Bangladesh's 23rd president in a presidential election held on Thursday, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin announced.
Alamgir secured 255 votes, while his rival Oli Ahmad, chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and candidate of the alliance led by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, received 88 votes.
Voting was held in the chamber of the Jatiya Sangsad, or parliament, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. local time. A total of 349 members of parliament were eligible to vote, and 343 valid votes were cast.■
