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Ballon d’Or Shortlists 30 Nominees for 2025 Awards

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The final nominees for the 2025 Ballon d’Or have been officially announced ahead of the award ceremony scheduled for Monday, September 22, in Paris.

The list features 30 players who stood out during the 2024–25 season, with performances across Europe’s top leagues and tournaments, including the Club World Cup, considered in the selection process.

Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembele leads the race following a standout campaign that saw him guide PSG to a historic treble, including their maiden UEFA Champions League title.

However, strong internal competition comes from teammates Vitinha and Achraf Hakimi, both enjoying exceptional seasons.

Barcelona’s teenage sensation Lamine Yamal also made the shortlist after a breakout year, while Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and Barça’s Raphinha were recognised for their impressive contributions in title-winning campaigns.

Here is the full list of 2025 nominees:

1. Gianluigi Donnarumma

2. Serhou Guirassy

3. Denzel Dumfries

4. Desire Doue

5. Erling Haaland

6. Jude Bellingham

7. Viktor Gyokeres

8. Achraf Hakimi

9. Harry Kane

10. Robert Lewandowski

11. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia

12. Lautaro Martinez

13. Alexis Mac Allister

14. Ousmane Dembele

15. Kylian Mbappe

16. Scott McTominay

17. Joao Neves

18. Nuno Mendes

19. Michael Olise

20. Cole Palmer

21. Pedri

22. Fabian Ruiz

23. Declan Rice

24. Raphinha

25. Vinicius Jr

26. Virgil van Dijk

27. Mohamed Salah

28. Vitinha

29. Florian Wirtz

30. Lamine Yamal

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Middle East

Israel Declares Hezbollah Leader Marked Target

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Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, has declared the leader of the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement a “marked target” following overnight rocket fire from Lebanon.

Katz said on X that Hezbollah chief, Naim Qassem, had acted on orders from Iran in launching attacks on Israel and warned that the group would “pay a heavy price.”

Qassem succeeded Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli strike in Lebanon in September 2024.

The Israeli military said several rockets were fired from Lebanon overnight, with one intercepted and others landing in open areas.

Hezbollah said the attack was in retaliation for the killing of Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, in an Israeli airstrike in Tehran on Saturday.

In response, Israel said it carried out fresh strikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, including weapons depots and other infrastructure.

The military reported bombardments in Beirut and elsewhere, saying senior militia members were among those hit.

Meanwhile, residents near the office of Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, reported no signs of a missile strike on Monday, after Iran claimed it had targeted the building.

The residents said that prime minister’s fate was unknown.

Air raid sirens sounded around noon in the Jerusalem area, as well as in several regions across central and southern Israel.

In spite of the alerts, local police and rescue services said there were no reported hits, injuries, damage or interceptions over Jerusalem.

Residents living close to the prime minister’s office said they had not witnessed any missile impact in the vicinity.

Reporters at the scene observed no visible presence of military personnel, police forces or emergency responders outside the compound.

Traffic in surrounding streets continued as normal, with no smoke seen rising from the area.

The building appeared intact and undamaged.

The prime minister’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Iranian statement.

Israeli media commentators dismissed the claim.

Amit Segal, chief political analyst for Channel 12 News, described it as “fake news” in a post on Telegram.

Suleiman Maswadeh, chief diplomatic correspondent for the State-owned Kan, also said on Telegram that the claimed lacked corroboration.

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Middle East

Saudi Arabia Shuts Down One of World’s Largest Oil Refinery after Iran’s Drone Strike

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Saudi Aramco has halted operations at its Ras Tanura refinery in Saudi Arabia after a reported drone strike in the area, according to Reuters.

Ras Tanura, one of the largest oil refining and export facilities in the world, has a refining capacity of roughly 550,000 barrels per day and serves as the kingdom’s largest oil export terminal.

The facility handles approximately 6.5 million barrels of crude daily nearly 7% of global oil supply flows through this single site.

Reports indicate the attack was carried out by Iran amid rising regional tensions, affecting critical Aramco infrastructure.

Following the strike, a fire reportedly broke out in the refinery’s processing complex.

Authorities say the blaze has been contained, and no casualties were recorded.

A series of strikes by the US and Israel against Iran began last Saturday.

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World

Trump Claims 48 Iran Leaders Killed in US-Israeli Operations

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The United States President, Donald Trump, has claimed that over 48 Iranian leaders have been killed in ongoing U.S.-Israeli bombardments, describing the offensive as a major success.

“Nobody can believe the success we’re having, 48 leaders are gone in one shot. And it’s moving along rapidly,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News.

The military strike, launched Saturday, aims to dismantle the Islamic Republic’s leadership and degrade its military capabilities.

Iran has confirmed the death of its supreme leader, Ali Khamenei.

In a separate interview with CNBC, Trump reiterated his confidence in the operation’s progress.

“We’re doing our job not just for us but for the world. And everything is ahead of schedule,” he said. “Things are evolving in a very positive way right now, a very positive way.”

The interviews were conducted before the U.S. military announced its first casualties in the conflict. United States Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed that three service members were killed, five seriously wounded, and several others sustained lighter injuries.

CENTCOM also said U.S. forces had sunk an Iranian warship at a dock in the Gulf of Oman as part of ongoing operations.

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