International

Hezbulá appoints Naim Qassem as its new secretary general

The Shira Council of Hizbula, the highest governing body of the Lebanese Shii Islamist group, announced the appointment of Naim Qassem as its new secretary general to replace Hasan Nazralá, who died in a bombing of Israel on September 27.

In a statement issued by the leadership of Hezbulá, the group assured that “according to the mechanism approved for the election of the general secretary, the Council of the Shura of Hezbulá agreed to elect His Eminence Sheikh Naim Qassem as secretary general of Hezbulá, carrying the blessed banner on this journey, asking God Almighty to guide him in this noble mission at the head of Hezbulah and his Islamic resistance.”

In the note, the armed formation promised that with the appointment of Qassem “they will work together to achieve the principles of Hezbullah and the goals of their path, and keep the flame of resistance shining and its banner high until victory is achieved.”

Number two of Hizbula since 1991

Just over a month after Nasrala’s murder, the group has decided to choose the number two of the formation and who has been in charge of delivering the three television speeches offered after the death of the previous head of Hezbulá, who was in charge for three decades.

This decision has been made after last week Hezbulá confirmed the death of Hashem Safi al Din, head of the Executive Council of the formation and considered one of the main candidates to succeed the clergy Nasrala.

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Qassem, whose location is unknown, was appointed deputy chief of Hizbulá in 1991, when Nasrala was not yet the leader of the formation.

He has been considered one of the main spokesmen of the Shiite group and the highest level figure who has even given interviews to foreign media.

Rocket rand against Israel after appointment

After the announcement of the appointment of its new leader, Hezbulá launched a fly of rockets from Lebanon against northern Israel that, according to Jewish emergency services, caused the death of one man.

“It was a difficult scene, there was great destruction in the place and we started looking. We saw a man unconscious, without a pulse and without breathing. His injury was critical and we had to declare him dead,” reported a spokesman for the Maguen emergency services David Adom (MDA).

In addition, they had to treat several people with anxiety crises, according to the MDA.

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The Army detected the launch of about 50 rockets towards various locations in northern Israel. Some of them were intercepted, but several fell in the city of Maalot Tarshiha.

The projectiles set off the alarms in at least 30 locations.

After more than a year of exchange of fire between the Israeli Army and Hezbullah on the border between the two countries, Israeli troops embarked on a ground incursion into Lebanon on October 1 after escalating the conflict days earlier with intense bombings that killed numerous Hezbulah fighters, but also civilians.

International

IEA warns Middle East conflict could spark worst energy crisis in decades

The ongoing conflict in the Middle East could trigger the worst energy crisis in decades, warned Fatih Birol, head of the International Energy Agency (IEA), who described the situation as “very serious.”

Speaking at the National Press Club in Canberra, Birol compared the current scenario to the oil crises of the 1970s, noting that during those events the world lost around five million barrels of oil per day in each crisis.

“Today, we have lost 11 million barrels per day—more than the two major oil shocks combined,” he said.

The Turkish economist referred to the conflict that began on February 28, following attacks by the United States and Israel against Iran, which have significantly disrupted global energy markets and driven oil prices higher.

Birol warned that the global economy is facing a “very, very serious threat” and expressed hope that the crisis will be resolved soon.

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“No country will be immune to the effects of this crisis if it continues in this direction. Global efforts are urgently needed,” he emphasized.

International

Colombian Air Force Hercules plane crashes during takeoff with troops onboard

A Lockheed C-130 Hercules operated by the Colombian Air Force was involved in a “tragic accident” while taking off from Puerto Leguízamo, in the Putumayo department of southern Colombia, as it was transporting troops, Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez reported on Monday.

The minister stated on social media that the exact number of victims and the causes of the crash have not yet been determined. He also extended his condolences to the families affected and urged the public to avoid speculation until official information is confirmed.

“This is a deeply painful event for the country. Our prayers are with the victims and their families,” Sánchez said, adding that emergency protocols have been activated and an investigation is underway.

Meanwhile, President Gustavo Petro expressed hope that there would be no fatalities in what he described as a “horrific accident that should not have happened.”

Petro also highlighted ongoing efforts to modernize the country’s air fleet and reiterated the need to acquire new helicopters and transport aircraft to strengthen military mobility, particularly in remote regions.

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According to local media reports, approximately 110 soldiers were on board the aircraft. So far, at least 20 injured military personnel have been rescued.

International

Paris prosecutors alert U.S. over alleged deepfake strategy linked to Elon Musk

The Paris Prosecutor’s Office said on Saturday that it had alerted authorities in the United States over suspicions that tech entrepreneur Elon Musk may have encouraged the spread of sexualized deepfake content on the social platform X to artificially boost the company’s valuation.

According to prosecutors, the controversy surrounding explicit AI-generated videos—reportedly linked to Grok, the platform’s artificial intelligence system—may have been deliberately triggered to increase the market value of X and X AI.

The office added that the alleged strategy could be tied to the planned June 2026 public listing of a new entity formed through the merger of SpaceX and X AI.

French authorities said they contacted the U.S. Department of Justice as well as legal representatives at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) earlier this week to share their concerns.

Responding on X in French to a report about the case, Musk referred to French prosecutors using an offensive term.

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When contacted, X’s legal representative in France did not immediately comment.

Grok, the platform’s AI system, has its own account on X, allowing users to interact with it or request content generation. For a period, users were able to tag the bot in posts to generate or edit images, a feature that may have facilitated the spread of such material.