Members of Sudanese ‘Sovereign Council’

  Sudanese civilians wave their national flags during celebrations of the signing of Sudan's power-sharing deal in Khartoum, Sudan, August 17, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah
Sudanese civilians wave their national flags during celebrations of the signing of Sudan's power-sharing deal in Khartoum, Sudan, August 17, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah
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Members of Sudanese ‘Sovereign Council’

  Sudanese civilians wave their national flags during celebrations of the signing of Sudan's power-sharing deal in Khartoum, Sudan, August 17, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah
Sudanese civilians wave their national flags during celebrations of the signing of Sudan's power-sharing deal in Khartoum, Sudan, August 17, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah

After a 12-hour meeting and under increasing popular pressures, leaders of the Forces of the Freedom and Change (FFC) agreed on the six candidates list at the sovereignty council. The council would run the country during the transitional phase of three years and three months.

Muhammad Hassan Taayashi, residing in the UK and candidate of Sudanese Professionals Association, returned to the candidates’ list at the council after he was dismissed earlier – his dismissal sparked a debate over social media.

He was joined by Prof. Siddique Taur, Legal Expert Hassan Mohammed Sheikh Idris, Journalist Mohamed Elfaki Soliman, Dr. Aisha Musa al-Saeed and Legal Counsel Rajaa Nicolas Issa Abdul Masih.

Muhammad Hassan Taayashi

Born in 1973 in Rihed Al Birdi, Darfur, he received his high-school education at Buram then at the University of Khartoum. He joined students of National Umma Party and appeared as an experienced politician. Taayashi left the party in 2009 and moved to the UK, directing his work to the civil sector especially conflicts and wars resolution.

Rajaa Nicolas Issa Abdul Masih

The Transitional Military Council and the FFC agreed on Rajaa Nicolas Issa Abdul Masih as the 11th figure at the council. She is a Christian born in Omdurman, where she received her primary education.

Rajaa received a bachelor in law from Cairo University in 1980, and was appointed at the Ministry of Justice then promoted to become a legal counsel at the ministry.

Dr. Aisha Musa al-Saeed

Born in El-Obeid, north of Kurdufan, Aisha received Education Certificate from Teacher Training Institute in Omdurman and a Masters from the University of Manchester, a higher diploma from Leeds University and Training Teachers to Teach Languages Certificate from the US.

Journalist Mohamed Elfaki Soliman

He politically belongs to the Unionist Alliance, one of the main factions that participated in the popular movement. Elfaki is the youngest at the council, born in 1979. He studied political sciences at the University of Khartoum.

Legal Expert Hassan Mohammed Sheikh Idris

He is from Kassala, east of Sudan, and graduated from the Faculty of Law at the University of Khartoum in 1972. Then he got involved in state institutions.

Prof. Siddique Taur

He was chosen by the FFC as a member at the sovereign council, and is known for belonging to the Arab Socialist Baath Party.



Israel to Allocate $338 Million for West Bank Settlement Expansion, Rights Group Says

FILE PHOTO: A general view picture shows the Israeli settlement of Efrat in the Gush Etzion settlement block as Bethlehem is seen in the background, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank January 28, 2020. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A general view picture shows the Israeli settlement of Efrat in the Gush Etzion settlement block as Bethlehem is seen in the background, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank January 28, 2020. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/File Photo
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Israel to Allocate $338 Million for West Bank Settlement Expansion, Rights Group Says

FILE PHOTO: A general view picture shows the Israeli settlement of Efrat in the Gush Etzion settlement block as Bethlehem is seen in the background, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank January 28, 2020. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A general view picture shows the Israeli settlement of Efrat in the Gush Etzion settlement block as Bethlehem is seen in the background, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank January 28, 2020. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/File Photo

Israel is expected to approve on ‌Thursday the allocation of 1 billion shekels ($337.8 million) to build new settlements and connect them to infrastructure in the occupied West Bank, Israeli anti-settlement group Peace Now said.

The plan is being promoted by Israel's far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, a proponent of Israeli settlement expansion who has said he wants to bury the idea of Palestinian statehood, reported Reuters.

According to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet schedule, ministers are expected to discuss the establishment of temporary sites that have already been approved in the West Bank.

The schedule did not say whether ‌the ministers would ‌approve new funding. Netanyahu's office did not immediately ‌respond ⁠to a request for ⁠comment.

FUNDING FOR ROADS, WATER, RIGHTS GROUP SAYS

About 700,000 Israeli settlers live among 2.7 million Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Israel annexed East Jerusalem in 1980, a move not recognized by most countries, but has not formally extended sovereignty over the West Bank.

UN bodies and most countries view the West Bank settlements as ⁠illegal, citing international conventions. Israel disputes this, saying ‌a Jewish presence has existed ‌in the West Bank for thousands of years.

In a statement, Peace Now said ‌the cabinet vote would bypass the standard settlement planning process. ‌It said the settlements in question had been approved by Netanyahu's government over the past three years.

Both Peace Now and the news website Axios, citing a draft resolution, said the allocation of funds would include construction of ‌infrastructure such as access roads, land preparation, sewage systems, water connections and related works, as well as ⁠temporary residential ⁠compounds.

A spokesperson for Smotrich, the finance minister, did not provide specifics but said the cabinet vote would strengthen Israeli settlements and that these are not new settlements, but rather existing sites. Smotrich last week announced a major expansion by more than 2,000 homes of three Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

Palestinians and many countries view the settlements as a primary obstacle to peace, saying they eat into West Bank land that could make up a potential State of Palestine. The expansion of settlements and smaller settler outposts has been accompanied in recent years by a rise in Israeli settler violence, with settlers staging sometimes deadly attacks on Palestinians.


All 3 Missing Indian Seafarers Dead after US Strike on Tanker Off Oman


An F-35B Lighting II, attached to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 121, prepares to take off from the flight deck of America-class amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli (LHA 7), May 13, 2026. (US Navy photo)
An F-35B Lighting II, attached to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 121, prepares to take off from the flight deck of America-class amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli (LHA 7), May 13, 2026. (US Navy photo)
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All 3 Missing Indian Seafarers Dead after US Strike on Tanker Off Oman


An F-35B Lighting II, attached to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 121, prepares to take off from the flight deck of America-class amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli (LHA 7), May 13, 2026. (US Navy photo)
An F-35B Lighting II, attached to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 121, prepares to take off from the flight deck of America-class amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli (LHA 7), May 13, 2026. (US Navy photo)

All three missing Indian seafarers have died after a US military strike on a tanker in the Gulf of Oman, ⁠Indian Shipping Minister ⁠Sarbananda Sonoma said on Thursday.

The US said its military carried ⁠out a "precision" strike on the vessel that failed to follow its instructions and was carrying oil from Iran.

Indian sources told Reuters that ⁠New ⁠Delhi had summoned the US deputy chief of mission after lodging a "strong protest" on the strike.


Israeli Military Says Two 'Launches' Fall near Israeli Troops in Southern Lebanon

Lebanese army remove the rubble of a house that was destroyed in the recent clashes between Hezbollah fighters and Israeli troops in Dibbine village, southeast Lebanon, Friday, June 5, 2026, a day after Israeli forces withdrew. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Lebanese army remove the rubble of a house that was destroyed in the recent clashes between Hezbollah fighters and Israeli troops in Dibbine village, southeast Lebanon, Friday, June 5, 2026, a day after Israeli forces withdrew. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
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Israeli Military Says Two 'Launches' Fall near Israeli Troops in Southern Lebanon

Lebanese army remove the rubble of a house that was destroyed in the recent clashes between Hezbollah fighters and Israeli troops in Dibbine village, southeast Lebanon, Friday, June 5, 2026, a day after Israeli forces withdrew. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Lebanese army remove the rubble of a house that was destroyed in the recent clashes between Hezbollah fighters and Israeli troops in Dibbine village, southeast Lebanon, Friday, June 5, 2026, a day after Israeli forces withdrew. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

The Israeli military said on Thursday that two "launches" were identified falling adjacent to an ‌area where ‌Israeli troops ‌are ⁠operating in southern ⁠Lebanon, after sirens sounded in several areas of northern Israel.

Earlier, the military ⁠said Home Front ‌Command ‌had issued a precautionary ‌directive after detecting "launches" ‌from Lebanon toward several communities in northern Israel, urging residents to ‌enter protected spaces.

More than three ⁠months ⁠since the US-Israeli attack on Iran ignited conflict around the Middle East, Lebanon remains a major frontline in the war.