Features

Israeli Army Taps Deserters, Diaspora Amid Troop Shortage

Israeli Army Taps Deserters, Diaspora Amid Troop Shortage

August 21, 2025 3:55 pm

Israel is exploring new avenues to recruit soldiers as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) face a shortage of up to 12,000 personnel, Israeli Army Radio reported this week. After 23 months of continuous conflict—the longest in Israeli history—the army is turning to the Jewish diaspora, the Orthodox community, and even former deserters, offering a one-time amnesty for those who re-enlist.

The IDF is particularly targeting young volunteers from Jewish communities in the United States and France, focusing on individuals aged 18 to 25. Officials hope to recruit roughly 600 to 700 soldiers per year from abroad to help address the …

Research Links Common Supplement To Alzheimer’s Protection

Research Links Common Supplement To Alzheimer’s Protection

August 20, 2025 6:00 pm

A common supplement costing less than 10p per pill could help protect women from Alzheimer’s disease, according to new research by British scientists.

The study, led by experts from King’s College London and Queen Mary University London, examined the role of omega fatty acids—found naturally in oily fish such as salmon and mackerel, or available as dietary supplements—in reducing dementia risk.

In what is being hailed as a first-of-its-kind investigation, researchers analysed fat molecules in the body, known as lipids, to understand their link with memory decline. They discovered that women with Alzheimer’s had significantly fewer healthy unsaturated fats, including …

Israel Reopens Zambia Embassy, Expands Africa Ties

August 20, 2025 5:40 pm

Israel officially reopened its embassy in Zambia on Wednesday, marking the end of more than five decades without a permanent diplomatic presence in the southern African nation. The announcement was reported by Israeli media, with the mission inaugurated in Lusaka by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, alongside Zambia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mulambo Haimbe.

“This is the beginning of a new chapter between the countries,” Saar said during the inauguration ceremony.

As part of the event, the two ministers signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) focused on enhancing bilateral cooperation. The agreement covers areas such as agriculture, …

Oil Flows Resume To Hungary And Slovakia After Strike

Oil Flows Resume To Hungary And Slovakia After Strike

August 20, 2025 12:21 pm

Oil shipments to Hungary and Slovakia via the Druzhba pipeline have resumed, officials from both countries confirmed late Tuesday, following a temporary halt caused by a Ukrainian drone strike on an oil pumping station in Russia’s Tambov region.

The attack was part of a broader Ukrainian effort to target Russia’s energy infrastructure, a critical source of revenue for Moscow’s war effort. Oil and gas sales make up roughly a quarter of Russia’s state budget, making such strikes strategically significant.

Despite broader EU efforts to reduce reliance on Russian energy, Slovakia and neighboring Hungary have remained dependent on crude supplied through …

Spain Battles Raging Wildfires As Heatwave Finally Eases

Spain Battles Raging Wildfires As Heatwave Finally Eases

August 19, 2025 5:01 pm

Spain battled multiple major wildfires on Tuesday in what has become one of its most destructive fire seasons in recent decades, even as temperatures eased across the Iberian Peninsula.

Thousands of firefighters, supported by soldiers and water-dropping aircraft, worked to contain blazes ripping through parched woodlands. Conditions were especially severe in northwestern Spain, where the national weather agency AEMET warned of a “very high or extreme” fire risk, particularly in the Galicia region.

In Galicia, fires have devastated small, sparsely populated towns, often forcing residents to act before firefighters could reach them.

Spain’s Interior Ministry announced that German firefighting units …

UN: Violence And Funding Cuts Threaten Global Aid

UN: Violence And Funding Cuts Threaten Global Aid

August 19, 2025 4:43 pm

The people who risk their lives to deliver food, medicine, and hope to those caught in war zones and natural disasters are facing a crisis of their own. Humanitarian workers are being killed in record numbers, while the international system that supports them is buckling under historic funding shortfalls, the United Nations humanitarian office warned ahead of World Humanitarian Day.

Observed each year on August 19, the day honors aid workers who have been killed or injured in the line of duty, while recognizing those who continue to serve despite the dangers. The date was established in 2008 to mark …

Greek Opposition Slams Sale To Israel’s SK Group

Greek Opposition Slams Sale To Israel’s SK Group

August 19, 2025 3:49 pm

A left-wing opposition party in Greece sharply criticized the government on Tuesday over the sale of the country’s main defense vehicle manufacturer to Israel’s SK Group, describing the move as a betrayal of national security and a dangerous alignment with Israel’s policies.

The New Left party issued a blistering statement after the Israeli holding company announced it had completed a full takeover of ELVO (Hellenic Vehicle Industry), based in Thessaloniki. The party accused Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’s government of “complicity” in what it called the genocide of Palestinians, saying the sale ties Greece “to Israel’s chariot” at a time of …

Unusual Eye Colour Shifts Observed In Beauty Product Users

Unusual Eye Colour Shifts Observed In Beauty Product Users

August 18, 2025 6:13 pm

In the booming world of beauty trends, the promise of fuller, darker lashes has never been more alluring. Scroll through social media and you’ll see it everywhere, serums marketed as a hassle-free alternative to eyelash extensions, promising dramatic results without the salon price tag.

But health experts are sounding the alarm. Behind the glossy marketing lies a risk few consumers realize: many lash serums contain potent pharmaceutical ingredients that can burn, irritate, and in some cases, permanently change the color of the eye itself — blue eyes, for instance, may gradually shift to brown.

The roots of this beauty trend …

Flight Attendants Share The One Thing Passengers Do Wrong

Flight Attendants Share The One Thing Passengers Do Wrong

August 18, 2025 5:50 pm

On a crowded flight, the smallest spaces often carry the greatest potential for chaos. Ask any flight attendant, and they will tell you: the airplane lavatory, no bigger than a broom closet, can quickly become the scene of disproportionate confusion — and it often begins with a simple oversight.

The culprit, according to several cabin crew members who spoke candidly, is surprisingly mundane: passengers forget to lock the door. Sometimes they step inside without sliding the latch. Other times, they finish up and walk out, leaving the door ajar as if the space were still in use. Either way, the …

Egypt, Qatar, US continue Mediation For Gaza Ceasefire

Egypt, Qatar, US continue Mediation For Gaza Ceasefire

August 18, 2025 3:54 pm

Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Aati reaffirmed his country’s commitment to mediating a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, stressing that Cairo would continue its diplomatic engagement with both Qatar and the United States.

Speaking on Monday during a joint press conference with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa at the Rafah border crossing, Abdel Aati criticized what he described as Israel’s deliberate campaign to starve Gaza’s residents.

“The Israeli occupation is working to change the reality in the Gaza Strip by pushing the population southwards,” Abdel Aati told reporters. He emphasized Egypt’s rejection of all attempts to displace Palestinians from their …

Ryazan Factory Blast Leaves 20 Dead And 130 Injured

Ryazan Factory Blast Leaves 20 Dead And 130 Injured

August 18, 2025 2:34 pm

A devastating explosion at a factory in Russia’s Ryazan region has claimed the lives of 20 people, with more than 130 others injured, authorities confirmed Monday. The blast, which occurred last week, has left a community in mourning and prompted a criminal investigation into possible industrial safety violations.

“As of 7 a.m. on August 18, 20 people died as a result of the emergency in the Shilovsky district. There are 134 injured, of which 31 patients are in hospitals in Ryazan and Moscow,” the region’s operational headquarters reported via Telegram. The remaining 103 injured are undergoing outpatient treatment, while …

Air Canada

10,000 Air Canada Flight Attendants’ Strike Ruled Illegal

August 18, 2025 1:41 pm

Canada’s largest airline found itself at the center of growing summer travel chaos on Monday as the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) declared the strike by 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants illegal and ordered them back to work. The move comes after the union ignored a previous directive to return and submit to government-directed arbitration.

The strike, now in its third day, has left roughly 130,000 travelers daily facing delays or cancellations during one of the busiest travel periods of the year. Air Canada, which operates approximately 700 flights a day, had initially planned to resume operations on Sunday, but …

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𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚 𝐃𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬, 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐘𝐨𝐫𝐤, is a nonpartisan online news portal founded on the truth to provide you with weekly, insightful articles written with precision and current updates on current events from Africa in particular and the rest of the world in general. All of our reports undergo extensive fact-checking to ensure their veracity, and we adhere strictly to the facts, no matter whose ox is gored.

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