Creative Media News
British prisoner released from Russia believed he was ‘taken to his execution’
Dual UK–Russian citizen Vladimir Kara-Murza and American journalist Evan Gershkovich were among those released on Thursday in the largest East-West prisoner exchange since the Cold War. A British citizen who was released in the largest prisoner swap with Russia since the Cold War has said that he believed he was being led to his death. Speaking in Bonn, Germany, Vladimir Kara-Murza stated that on the day he was abducted from his jail cell in Siberia and transferred to the Russian capital, he had no knowledge he was part of the prisoner swap.
Ukraine receives F-16 fighter jets to defend against Russia
According to Lithuania's foreign minister and a US official, the first batch of long-awaited F-16 planes has arrived in Ukraine as part of an effort to rebuild the country's decimated air force. Due to their devastating capacity and global availability, Ukraine is eager to buy Lockheed Martin F-16s. These fighter jets are armed with a 20mm gun and can transport bombs, rockets, and missiles. "F-16s are in Ukraine." "Another impossible thing turned out to be completely possible," Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis posted on X on Wednesday.
‘It was the same old show’: Kamala Harris on Trump’s racial insults
At a rally in Texas, Kamala Harris dismissed Donald Trump's questioning of her racial identity, claiming it was "the same old show" and that "America deserves better." On Wednesday, at an appearance at the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), Trump attacked senior Black journalists and questioned Harris' race, claiming, "She was always of Indian origin, and she was only pushing Indian heritage. I had no idea she was Black until a few years ago when she unexpectedly turned Black."
After Haniyeh’s murder in Iran, UNSC members fear conflict
Countries on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) have denounced the death of Hamas' political chief, Ismail Haniyeh, in Iran and urged increased diplomatic efforts to prevent a full-fledged war in the Middle East. The UN Security Council's emergency meeting on Wednesday came as Iran and Hamas, the Palestinian group that governs the war-torn Gaza Strip, accused Israel of Haniyeh's killing and promised to exact retribution. Israel has not accepted responsibility for the strike in Tehran.
Netanyahu warns Israel’s aggressors of ‘heavy price’ as Hamas threatens ‘major repercussions’ after political leader’s murder
Hamas' armed branch has stated that the assassination of its top political leader will "take the battle to new dimensions and have major repercussions," while Iran has promised to retaliate. Israel's prime minister has warned that aggressors will pay a "heavy price" following separate attacks that killed Hamas' political head and a senior Hezbollah commander. Hamas and Iran's Revolutionary Guards reported that Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Tehran on Wednesday morning.
Israel claims July strike killed Hamas military head
Israel's military claims it has confirmed that Hamas' military chief, Mohammed Deif, was killed in an air attack in Gaza last month. Deif was targeted in a strike on a compound in Khan Younis on July 13. Hamas has yet to confirm his death. Israel claims Deif was a crucial figure in the preparation of the October 7 attacks in southern Israel, which murdered 1,200 people.
Trump’s questioning of Kamala Harris’s race sparks gasps
The Republican nominee's comments drew fire for incorrectly implying that Kamala Harris had misled people about her color, claiming the vice president was "always of Indian heritage" until "she happened to turn black." During a conversation with a black journalist, Donald Trump questioned Vice President Kamala Harris's racial identification, asking, "Is she Indian or black?" The Republican nominee's remarks at the National Association of Black Journalists convention in Chicago elicited gasps from the crowd.
Hamas leader’s funeral draws throngs in Iran
Thousands have attended the funeral procession in Iran for Hamas political chairman Ismail Haniyeh, who was murdered in a strike in Tehran on Wednesday. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's Supreme Leader, conducted prayers for the Hamas leader, whose remains will be interred in Qatar. Iranian officials have told US media that the supreme commander has ordered a direct attack on Israel, which they blame for the attack on Iranian land.
Israeli ministers authorize Netanyahu’s Hezbollah reprisal
Israel's security council has given Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his defense minister the authority to determine when and how to respond to a deadly rocket attack blamed on the Lebanese Shia militant group Hezbollah by Israel and the United States. Ministers convened an emergency session following Saturday evening's strike on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, which murdered 12 Druze children and teens. Hezbollah has denied responsibility. It was the deadliest cross-border incident in months of gunfire between the two sides.
Regulators pressure Elon Musk’s X for Grok AI data harvesting
Elon Musk's X platform is under fire from data regulators after discovering that users consent to their postings being used to construct artificial intelligence systems through a default setting on the app. The UK and Irish data watchdogs said they had contacted X without their knowledge regarding the apparent attempt to obtain user consent for data collection.
UNRWA is about to become a terrorist organization under Israeli legislation
Neither the provisional measures ordered by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the United Nations' highest judicial organ, to halt its "plausible" genocide in Gaza, nor the damning advisory opinion of the same court ordering it to end its illegal occupation of Palestine and apartheid policies against Palestinians, gave Israel pause. The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC)'s request that arrest warrants be issued for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Defense Minister Yoav Gallant had no impact on its actions. In reality, not even the growing condemnation from some of its supporters is forcing Israel to reconsider its homicidal apartheid and genocidal tactics.
Russia wants to boycott the Olympics, but athletes ‘desperate’ to compete
Last year, the International Olympic Committee declared that individual Russian and Belarusian athletes who qualified for the Olympics might compete, but only as neutrals. In terms of artistic swimming, Russia is an Olympic superpower. For the past six games, the national team has won every single event, both team and duet.