By Justin Salhani Share Save On September 17, 2024, a series of small explosions echoed along many of Lebanon’s streets. The incident, which sparked confusion and terror throughout the country, came to be known as the pager attack – and was a definitive day in Israel’s war on Lebanon. The attack wounded many operatives with connections to Hezbollah in Lebanon and Syria but also hurt and killed civilians, including two children. What followed in the days, weeks and months after was a whirlwind of intensifying violence, political assassinations and mass displacement in Lebanon as Israel expanded a relatively controlled war with the Iran-backed, armed political group Hezbollah into an all-out assault on southern Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley in the east and Beirut. One year on, the political reality on the ground has been flipped on its head. Hezbollah, which was first formed in 1982 to resist Israel’s occupation of southern Lebanon, is no longer the military and political force it had been in recent years. Now, a battle is under way to disarm the group altogether. In its bid to achieve this, Israel has unleashed its military might on southern Lebanon and continues to occupy at least five points in the area, bringing back the trauma of its occupation from 1982 to 2000. Tens of thousands of people are still unable to return to their villages as a result. On the first anniversary of the pager attack, this is a timeline of events in Lebanon’s difficult year under Israeli aggression and occupation: In the months leading up to the attack, Israeli intelligence was able to place devices implanted with small explosives into Hezbollah’s pager supply chains. When thousands of these pagers were detonated by Israeli operatives, more than 3,000 people were wounded – many lost body parts, eyes and hands mostly – and at least 12 people were killed. “Every five to 10 seconds, I heard another [explosion],” 40-year-old Ali who was in Beirut’s southern suburbs when the attack took place told Al Jazeera the following day as he sat outside the American University of Beirut Medical Center. The day after the pager attack, walkie-talkies with explosives embedded in them were detonated, striking further fear into the Lebanese public. Twenty people were killed and more than 450 wounded in the attack that ostensibly targeted Hezbollah members but also counted civilians among the casualties. Legal experts told Al Jazeera that the Israeli attacks violated international law. “We seem to be living in a Netflix series or in a dystopia,” Lebanese political analyst Karim Emile Bitar said at the time. In the following days, Israeli jets began flying low over Beirut, causing frequent sonic booms. Hezbollah and Israeli forces had been exchanging near-daily fire across the Lebanese border since the onset of Israel’s war on Gaza in October 2023. Until the week of September 23, these exchanges had been relatively controlled and followed certain rules of engagement. Hezbollah mostly attacked military targets while Israel predominantly executed targeted strikes on Hezbollah operatives although civilians, including journalists, had been killed. Israel also targeted villages and towns in southern Lebanon with white phosphorus with the aim of creating a buffer zone between northern Israel and southern Lebanon that would be uninhabitable for local residents. But on this day, the rules of engagement appeared to be set aside as Israel killed upwards of 500 people in Lebanon, marking the country’s deadliest single day since its 1975-1990 civil war, in the first of a series of air strikes. Israel’s widespread bombing campaign continued on for more than two months, killing more than 3,000 people and displacing nearly a million, including thousands of foreign nationals and labourers. On the evening of September 27, residents of Beirut heard a ground-shaking explosion. After initial confusion about where the explosion had occurred, the following day about noon, the news was announced: Israel had assassinated longtime Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah by dropping about 80 bunker-busting bombs in an attack on Dahiyeh, in Beirut’s southern suburbs, killing at least 33 people. Hours after the Nasrallah assassination but before the news had been confirmed, Israel issued displacement notices to residents of Beirut’s southern suburbs. Those with nowhere else to go fled to the city’s seafront as the first of two months of daily attacks and evacuation orders from Israel’s Arabic-language spokesperson began. As those displacements became more frequent, human rights groups noted that Israel’s demands that Lebanese civilians leave those areas were violations of international law and Israel’s military was not upholding its responsibility under international law to avoid harming civilians. Israel killed three members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) in central Beirut’s Kola district in an air strike that took out an entire floor of an apartment building but left the rest of the building standing. Less than a week after Nasrallah was killed, so too was the man set to be his successor: Hashem Safieddine. His death would not be confirmed for several days because any attempt to approach the scene of the air strike in the southern suburbs of Beirut was blocked by Israeli forces. When Israel killed 10 firefighters in a strike on the southern Lebanese town of Baraachit near Bint Jbeil, a pattern started to emerge: direct Israeli targeting of first responders in emergency situations. As Israel’s daily attacks on civilian infrastructure continued, observers began to describe its actions as “urbicide” – the destruction of a city, or “city killing”. “It’s this huge obliteration of the place and the people and its memories,” Mona Harb, professor of urban studies and politics at the American University of Beirut, told Al Jazeera at the time. Naim Qassem, the longtime number two to Nasrallah, was named Hezbollah’s new leader. On the last official day of the war, Israel escalated attacks across the whole country. Displacement orders shared on social media by the Israeli military spokesperson were distributed throughout Beirut, including in neighbourhoods previously untouched by the war. Israel levelled a building in central Beirut, struck the southern suburbs of Dahiyeh at least a dozen times and hit other areas in central Beirut, making it the most violent day of the war for the capital. Those killed that day brought the total death toll in a little more than a year of war to more than 3,961, according to Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health, with the overwhelming majority of those killed by Israel since September 17. That night, before the last attack was launched, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a televised address in which he said he had accepted a United States- and French-negotiated ceasefire. In the early hours of November 27, a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel took effect. Immediately, tens of thousands of displaced people left their temporary shelters in the northern parts of the country and headed south. The terms of the ceasefire stated that Hezbollah would withdraw from the area between the border with Israel and the Litani River, which cuts across southern Lebanon, and Israel would withdraw its troops from the same area and cease attacks. Despite that, Israel has continued to occupy at least those five points inside Lebanese territory and has continued to launch attacks on an almost daily basis in southern Lebanon. Israel has committed “continuous violations” of the agreement in the past 10 months, according to UNIFIL, the UN peacekeeping force deployed in southern Lebanon. After numerous violations of the ceasefire, Hezbollah fired rockets at an Israeli military position in retaliation. No casualties were reported. Israel responded by killing 11 more people in separate attacks in Lebanon, including a State Security officer. Under the original agreement, Hezbollah and Israel were both given two months to withdraw from southern Lebanon. However, the Israelis, backed by the US, pushed for an extension and continued bulldozing and blowing up villages in southern Lebanon until February 18. The Lebanese state and Hezbollah expressed opposition to the extension but did not act militarily. Even under the extended deadline, Israel has continued to violate the agreement by occupying the five points of Lebanese territory. As of this month, Israeli forces are still occupying those five areas. Israeli drones are still present in Lebanon’s sky, and daily attacks continue on the south. At least 57 civilians were killed while trying to reach villages in southern Lebanon during the first 60 days of the ceasefire, according to Amnesty International. Hezbollah has yet to respond to any Israeli attacks since December. Follow Al Jazeera English:...

Industries around the world are facing a paradox: talent shortages in key sectors and rising unemployment in others. Developed nations struggle with ageing populations, while emerging markets grapple with youth unemployment. Artificial Intelligence is seen as a potential solution, improving productivity and job matching, but concerns remain about if it can be sustainable and inclusive. Across industries, employers are having trouble finding the necessary talent at the right time, while millions remain underemployed or excluded. AI also risks displacing jobs, reinforcing bias, and widening inequality, benefiting developed nations and large firms over small businesses and developing economies. The challenge is ensuring AI addresses labour gaps ethically, inclusively, and in ways that strengthen the global workforce. ManpowerGroup’s 2025 Talent Shortage report reveals that for the first time in 10 years, businesses are reporting a decrease in skills shortages, with 76 per cent of employers reporting difficulty in filling roles due to a lack of skilled talent. The challenge is structural, affecting healthcare, logistics, engineering, and fast-growing digital fields. The global talent crunch is driven by converging forces: skills mismatches as qualifications are becoming irrelevant in evolving market demands, demographic shifts such as ageing populations in developed nations and youth unemployment in emerging economies, changing worker expectations: the desire for flexibility, purpose, and personal growth and the rapid technological disruption transforming job requirements. As companies scramble to keep pace with rapid change, the demand for future-ready talent is quickly outstripping the capacity of traditional education and workforce development models. What’s needed is investing in lifelong, modular learning that evolves with market needs; leveraging AI to enable dynamic skills mapping and personalised upskilling; strengthening partnerships between industry, education, and government; and expanding access to non-traditional and underrepresented talent pools. Ultimately, solving the talent crunch requires reshaping workforce systems for the jobs of tomorrow. AI is emerging as a transformative solution to global workforce challenges, offering tools to match, upskill, and mobilise talent. Beyond automating routine tasks, AI enables intelligent talent matching by analysing vast data on candidates, job descriptions, labour trends, and hiring outcomes. It considers hard skills, transferable capabilities, learning agility, and values alignment to deliver more inclusive and efficient hiring. However, this potential requires transparent implementation, bias audits, and integration into human-centred strategies to enhance, not replace, human judgment. AI also revolutionises personalised upskilling. Traditional one-size-fits-all training no longer meets evolving industry demands. AI-powered learning platforms assess current competencies, identify skill gaps, and deliver adaptive, modular content aligned with individual goals and shifting job requirements. This approach benefits employers by developing internal talent pipelines, reducing reliance on external recruitment, and increasing workforce agility. For employees, especially underrepresented groups, it democratises lifelong learning by making reskilling affordable, flexible, and accessible beyond traditional education barriers. At scale, personalised upskilling fosters resilience, adaptability, and career confidence amid disruption. Workforce planning and predictive insights represent another critical application. AI leverages predictive analytics to model workforce trends, aligning talent supply with future demand, mitigating economic shocks, and strengthening labour market resilience. By analysing technology adoption, demographic shifts, and economic indicators, AI anticipates emerging skill needs, guiding long-term talent strategies. Policymakers and educators can also use these insights to redesign curricula, improve vocational training, and target upskilling programmes for vulnerable populations. Healthcare exemplifies how predictive AI can avert crises by forecasting regional shortages of medical professionals, enabling proactive interventions like expanding training capacity or adjusting immigration policies. Similarly, sectors like manufacturing, logistics, energy, and public services can prepare for automation, sustainability transitions, or large-scale retirements through targeted retraining and recruitment strategies. Economically, AI-driven workforce planning reduces unemployment and job vacancies while supporting sustainable growth. Socially, it creates more equitable opportunities by helping workers prepare for future changes. However, ethical deployment is essential, with safeguards for transparency, fairness, data privacy, and bias mitigation. Ultimately, AI-powered talent matching, personalised upskilling, and predictive workforce planning shift decision-making from reactive to proactive. By combining technology with inclusive strategies, AI can build a more adaptable, equitable, and future-ready global workforce Artificial Intelligence holds great potential but is not a universal solution, and overreliance poses serious risks. Bias in training data can replicate or worsen inequalities, leading to discriminatory hiring and further marginalising disadvantaged workers. Automation threatens routine and lower-skilled roles, often without generating enough alternative employment. Additionally, digital divides exclude those lacking access, connectivity, or necessary digital skills. While AI can help address labour gaps, it may also deepen social and economic inequality unless equity, transparency, and fairness are intentionally built into its design, deployment, and workforce integration strategies. A sustainable AI talent strategy must prioritise people over technology, using AI to enhance human creativity, problem-solving, and decision-making rather than simply replacing jobs. Organisations should invest in tools that foster employee growth, engagement, and continuous learning. Equally vital is building inclusive AI ecosystems through collaboration between developers, HR leaders, and policymakers. This means ensuring AI systems are transparent, explainable, and fair by auditing algorithms for bias, protecting worker data, and making tools accessible across different languages, abilities, and education levels. Addressing the digital divide is crucial, requiring joint efforts from governments and organisations to expand access to infrastructure, education, and upskilling, particularly in underserved communities. AI can also support flexible work models: remote, hybrid, or gig-based, broadening access to talent and accommodating diverse needs. However, such flexibility must come with fair pay, safe conditions, and career growth for all workers. Ultimately, a sustainable AI workforce strategy balances technology, equity, and human potential. AI is a powerful tool, but cannot solve global workforce challenges alone, as talent shortages stem from human challenges of education, inclusion, access and opportunity. A sustainable solution requires integrating AI into a broader strategy for human capital development that prioritises equity, adaptability, and dignity at work. When used responsibly, AI can shift us from scarcity, unfilled roles and disengaged workers to alignment, where everyone has the skills, tools, and support to contribute meaningfully to the economy. Alika is an experienced human resources and business strategy professional

If any individual embodies sustained excellence in Nigeria’s healthcare, business, public service, opinion and thought leadership, it is Prince Julius Adewale Adelusi-Adeluyi, the man affectionately referred to across generations as My Lord, Pharmaceuticals. As he turns 85 on August 2, 2025, Nigeria pauses to honour a man who has remained a steady flame of integrity, versatility, and national consciousness for over six decades. He is more than a pharmacist. More than a lawyer. More than an opinion moulder. More than a businessman. Prince Juli, as he is fondly known, is a national institution, a conscience in white apparel, a visionary who lives simply but thinks deeply about the challenges and possibilities of our nation. We have so many things to say and celebrate about him: A mind forged by curiosity, guided by purpose: Prince Julius Adelusi-Adeluyi was born into royalty in Ado-Ekiti in 1940, but he chose the path of knowledge and service, not privilege. His brilliance became evident from his teenage years. At Aquinas College, Akure, he completed his secondary education ahead of his peers and emerged with a Grade One certificate and five distinctions, securing both federal and Western Region scholarships for his Advanced Level studies. In 1965, he graduated from the then University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) as one of Nigeria’s first set of Pharmacy graduates. That alone was a pioneering achievement. But for Prince Juli, the thirst for excellence is unending. In 1987, at the age of 47, he stunned the nation when he emerged as the best overall graduating student at the Nigerian Law School, proving once again that discipline and vision know no age or limitation. Today, he has published over 40 articles and policy papers across the fields of Pharmacy, Law, Health Policy, and Education. His intellectual curiosity is boundless; his mental acuity remains sharp, even at 85. Leadership on every stage: Prince Juli’s journey is a study in transformational leadership, leadership that doesn’t shout, but shapes destinies. He started early, becoming: President of the Pharmacy Students Association at the University of Ife, Vice President of the National Union of Nigerian Students  in charge of International Affairs, Secretary for Africa of the World Student Movement in the 1960s. His influence extended beyond borders. As Secretary-General of the World Student Movement, he led a delegation of African students to Nigeria during the civil war, holding talks with then Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, a testament to his diplomatic tact and visionary clarity. In professional circles, Prince Juli has worn many caps, each with distinction: Secretary and later President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria; Founding Secretary-General of the West African Pharmaceutical Federation (now WAPCP); Founding President of the Nigerian Academy of Pharmacy; Composer of the Pharmacy Anthem still sung with pride today. His tenure at PSN was particularly impactful. He redefined the role of professional associations, making the PSN not only a community of pharmacists but a thought-leadership platform for healthcare advocacy and professional ethics. In 1993, he made history as the first and only pharmacist to serve as Minister for Health and Social Services in Nigeria. His tenure, though brief, remains a reference point for intelligent policy direction and professional decorum in governance. A career built on enterprise and integrity: In 1968, after a stellar early career with Pfizer as an Assistant General Manager, Prince Juli struck out on his own. By 1971, he had founded Juli Pharmacy Nigeria Limited, which later became Juli Pharmacy Plc, the first indigenous pharmaceutical company to be quoted on the Nigerian Stock Exchange. Juli Pharmacy was more than a company; it was a bold declaration that Nigerians can build world-class enterprises without cutting corners. Under his watch, Juli Pharmacy won the President’s Merit Award of the NSE in 1997 and 2004, and set new standards in ethical marketing, quality assurance, and local investment. He is not just a businessman. He is a builder of institutions. The conscience of a nation: Prince Juli’s philosophy of life is captured in his favourite Yoruba expression: “Mi ò yó, ṣùgbọ́n ebi ò pa mí”— “I’m not full, but I’m not hungry.” It reflects a life of balance, contentment, and principled living. Yet, beneath his elegant simplicity lies a restless soul—restless not for self, but for Nigeria’s unrealised greatness. At 85, his concerns remain urgent and sincere: That Nigeria remains rich in resources but poor in results. That millions of youths roam the streets without jobs or hope. That the pharmacy profession, despite its potential, is yet to be fully mainstreamed into public health policy. That drug distribution remains disorganised, with public safety at risk. That corruption continues to eclipse competence. These are not just passing worries. They are the pillars of his continued advocacy, the driving force behind his vision for the Nigerian Academy of Pharmacy as a hub for policy reform, innovation, and ethical rebirth. Prince Juli is not the one to give up on these issues and he will often admonish us: “Focus on your focus and you will become the focus”, a piece of advice that many of us have kept close to our hearts. The man beyond the titles: To meet Prince Juli is to encounter humility wrapped in nobility. Clad often in immaculate white, he is calm, articulate, reflective, and deeply spiritual. He is a devout Catholic, happily married to Princess Julia, and blessed with accomplished children, one of whom is also a pharmacist. He is multilingual, fluent in Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo, Latin, Spanish, and German. He is a songwriter, painter, public speaker, and passionate Rotarian. As Nigeria’s first Rotary District Governor, his service in 1984 led to the creation of a new district due to his expansion efforts. His installation was attended by Vice President Dr. Alex Ekwueme on behalf of President Shehu Shagari—a testament to his national stature. He has chaired and served on numerous boards: MTN Foundation, Odu’a Investment Ltd., University of Ibadan Council, Nigerian Conservation Foundation, Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, National Council for Population and Environmental Activities, Alumni Association of NIPSS, among others. His door remains open to all: ministers and market women, policymakers and students. His office is a sanctuary of wisdom, comfort, and courage. How do you celebrate a man like this? At 85, what gift is worthy of such a man? Not plaques. Not grand parties. But a recommitment to the ideals he lives by. We must all strive for: Excellence in our professions, not shortcuts. Service to community, not selfish ambition. Courage in leadership, not opportunism. Empowerment of the youth, not indifference. To Nigeria’s pharmacists, let this milestone reawaken our pursuit of relevance and public trust. To those in public service, let it serve as a reminder that integrity is not outdated. To our youths, let it spark hope that a life of purpose is still possible. A national treasure still shining Prince Julius Adelusi-Adeluyi is not just a man to be celebrated. He is a national compass. A symbol of what Nigeria can become if excellence meets integrity, and vision meets responsibility. At 85, he is still writing, mentoring, advising, building. He remains a mentor, a mobiliser, a moral voice, and a silent reformer. A pharmacist, a barrister, a minister, a builder, a servant-leader. He is our timeless standard of excellence. Happy 85th Birthday, My Lord Pharmaceutical. Nigeria salutes you. History will remember you for good.

His release comes a day after the convicted ex-leader was rushed to a hospital after falling ill at home. By News Agencies Share Save A day after he was brought to the hospital with low blood pressure and other symptoms, former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has been released. According to a hospital note, Bolsonaro was released on Wednesday. The 70-year-old former army captain was brought to the hospital suffering from a “severe bout of hiccups, vomiting, and low blood pressure” his son, Flavio, wrote on X. Bolsonaro, who governed Brazil from 2019 to 2023, has had recurring intestinal issues since he was stabbed while campaigning in 2018, including at least six related surgeries, the last being a 12-hour-long procedure in April. On Thursday, Brazil’s Supreme Court sentenced Bolsonaro to 27 years and three months in prison after finding him guilty of plotting a coup following his 2022 election loss to current President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. He has been under house arrest since August, after he allegedly sought pressure on the courts from United States President Donald Trump. It is unclear whether he will remain under house arrest while his appeal is pending or be moved to prison. Follow Al Jazeera English:...