Author: starconnect
By SCM International Desk I Thursday, August 27, 2026 KYIV, Ukraine — Russian forces launched a coordinated overnight assault utilizing suicide drones and ballistic missiles, targeting critical energy infrastructure and residential areas across several Ukrainian regions, local officials and emergency workers said on Thursday. The strikes struck vital facilities in the Poltava, Sumy, and Kherson regions, while heavy damage was reported in residential areas of Kharkiv. In Kramatorsk, a guided aerial bomb struck a high-rise apartment building, prompting a search-and-rescue operation that successfully pulled four survivors from the rubble. Casualties were reported in Zaprizhzhia and Kryvyi Rih, while emergency…
By SCM International Desk I Thursday, August 27,2026 WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has designated the United Kingdom-based direct-action group Palestine Action as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT), dramatically expanding its domestic and international enforcement efforts against activists targeting defense contractors connected to Israel. The decision, announced Wednesday by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) under Executive Order 13224, effectively blocks any U.S.-linked assets owned by the group and imposes severe secondary sanctions on foreign financial institutions and individuals that provide financial, material, or technological support to the network. The Treasury Department…
By SCM International Desk I Thursday, August 27, 2026 JERUSALEM — Defying intensifying international condemnation and escalating regional friction, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to accelerate the establishment and expansion of Jewish settlements across the occupied West Bank, while predicting a major influx of Israeli newcomers to the territory. Addressing an audience of settler leaders and right-wing figures, Mr. Netanyahu signaled an unyielding commitment to deepening Israeli control over the area, framing the drive as both a historic responsibility and a security imperative. “We cannot ignore the numbers: together we have established and legalized 104 settlements and 160 farms,…
By SCM Sports Desk I Thursday, August 27, 2026 MADRID — Kylian Mbappé delivered an absolute masterclass on home turf, hammering home a sensational hat-trick as Real Madrid demolished Real Sociedad 4-1 at a rocking Santiago Bernabéu. Alongside a dazzling performance from Vinícius Júnior, Los Blancos put on a second-half spectacle to kick off their home LaLiga campaign in breathtaking, star-studded style. The evening had all the drama of a classic Bernabéu night. Real Sociedad threatened early when Takefusa Kubo picked off a stray pass and set up Mikel Oyarzabal, forcing a sharp save from Thibaut Courtois. As tension…
By IfeanyiChukwu Afuba I Wednesday, August 26,2026 ANAMBRA – An Executive Director of Nigerian Maritime, Administration and Safety Agency, (NIMASA), Chudi Offodile, says erosion and environmental issues, low internally generated revenue, soaring house rent and brain drain are some of the major challenges facing Anambra State as it marks 35 years of creation. In a congratulatory message to Ndi Anambra on the State’s 35th anniversary, Offodile described the State’s development journey as a bag of mixed stuff. He noted that while appreciable progress had been made in the past 35 years, there were still serious work to be done to…
By SCM International Desk I Wednesday, August 26, 2026 TEHRAN — Iran has formally demanded financial compensation from the United States, accusing Washington of waging a campaign of “economic terrorism” through unilateral sanctions that Tehran says have crippled its economy and inflicted widespread harm on its citizens. In an official letter addressed to United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and the Security Council, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that Washington must be held legally and morally accountable under international law for decades of extraterritorial financial restrictions. “Washington bears responsibility for its unlawful actions and for compensating us for all…
By SCM International Desk I Wednesday, August 26, 2026 ’ PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Armed gang members launched a nighttime raid on a church compound serving as a temporary shelter for displaced families, killing more than 40 people—some in execution-style slayings—in one of the deadliest recent assaults on the outskirts of the Haitian capital. The attack occurred in Kenscoff, a mountainous commune southeast of Port-au-Prince. Local officials reported that heavily armed assailants stormed the sanctuary, opening fire on families who had fled violence in other parts of the country. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) expressed outrage over…
By SCM International Desk I Wednesday, August 26, 2026 KATHMANDU, Nepal — A catastrophic surge of water roared down a narrow river valley near Nepal’s northern border with China on Wednesday morning, obliterating mountain settlements, severing vital trade corridors, and leaving at least 95 people dead. Local authorities reported that 384 tourists and guides—including dozens of foreign nationals—were unaccounted for as emergency crews struggled through torrents of mud and debris. The disaster struck Nepal’s Rasuwa district around 9:00 a.m. local time. High in the rugged terrain along the Bhote Koshi River, the sudden wall of water slammed into…
By SCM Entertainment Desk I Wednesday, August 26, 2026 LOS ANGELES – Tim Curry, the English actor whose theatrical grandiosity, velvety baritone, and gleefully sinister charisma made him a quintessential icon of screen and stage, died on Tuesday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 80. His death was confirmed by Jimmy Franco, senior director of publicity at Grand Central Publishing. Mr. Curry had recently published his autobiography, Vagabond, with the imprint. A cause of death was not immediately specified, though Mr. Curry had used a wheelchair since suffering a severe stroke in July 2012. Equally adept…
By SCM International Desk I Wednesday, August 26, 2026 OAKLAND, Calif. — Meta, the tech giant behind Facebook and Instagram, has agreed to pay up to $17 billion and implement sweeping operational overhauls aimed at protecting minors, bringing a sudden halt to a high-stakes federal trial over claims that its platforms intentionally addict and harm children. The settlement, brokered between Meta and a bipartisan coalition representing 29 states, resolves allegations that the company engineered features like endless scrolling, push notifications, and image-altering filters to capture young users’ attention while ignoring internal data pointing to youth mental health risks. Under…