Former Egyptian minister Khaled El-Enany elected UNESCO director-general

Former Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Khaled El-Enany was elected the director-general of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the UNESCO General Conference announced on Thursday in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Opening on Oct. 30 and running through Nov. 13, the 43rd session of UNESCO focuses on setting the organization's future priorities. As part of its agenda, the plenary meeting, held on Thursday, reviewed El-Enany's nomination as the new director-general and confirmed his election by vote.

Israel strikes S. Lebanon

Israel launched a new wave of airstrikes in southern Lebanon on Thursday, warning residents of several villages to evacuate as tensions continued to rise despite an almost year-long ceasefire.

Analysts believed that the escalation is part of Israel's calculated pressure campaign against Hezbollah.

The Israeli military said Thursday in a statement that it has "begun a series of strikes on Hezbollah military targets in southern Lebanon," with army spokesperson Avichay Adraee issuing specific evacuation warnings for the villages of Al-Tayyiba, Tayr Debba, and Aita al-Jabal.

Russia's GDP growth estimated to slow to 0.4 pct in Q3: central bank

Russia's GDP growth is estimated to slow to 0.4 percent year on year in the third quarter of 2025, lower than the previous forecast of 1.6 percent in July, Russia's central bank said Thursday.

According to the central bank, in the fourth quarter, the year-on-year GDP growth rate is expected to be in the range of minus 0.5 to 0.5 percent, due to factors including the high base effect.

Sudan's paramilitary forces agree to proposal of humanitarian truce

Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) said Thursday that it has agreed to "enter into the humanitarian truce" proposed by the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt.

The truce aims to "address the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of the war and enhance the protection of civilians," RSF spokesperson Al-Fateh Qurashi said in a statement.

"We look forward to implementing the agreement and immediately beginning discussions on arrangements for a cessation of hostilities," he said.