Author: Gulf News Week
Clément Vandenkerckhove/InstagramClément Vandenkerckhove (R) with his father Prince LaurentBelgium’s Prince Laurent has legally recognised 26-year-old former car salesman Clément Vandenkerckhove as his son and heir.Vandenkerckhove, the result of a relationship between the royal and Belgian singer Wendy Van Wanten, was quietly brought into Prince Laurent’s family at a town hall ceremony six months ago, although details have only just emerged.While he formally becomes a prince, he will not receive a royal allowance.The new prince has had several years to get used to the idea of having a royal father, and he said recently he was not yet sure he would…
BBCSome of the prisoners of war were born in Ukraine but consider themselves to be RussianIn Western Ukraine, behind high walls and layers of locked gates, there is a camp full of men captured fighting for Russia.Many of those crouching in the shade around the edges of the prison yard were recruited from big cities like St Petersburg and Yekaterinburg, not far-flung and poorer regions like at the start of the full-scale invasion.But not all the prisoners are Russian.Amongst them are soldiers from Ukraine itself: the men who went to war with their own country.But with no access to the…
ReutersErin Patterson attended the Court of Appeal via video link from prisonAn Australian court has been told that the crimes of mushroom murderer Erin Patterson were “truly dreadful” and that she should never be allowed to leave prison.Crown prosecutors are appealing against a sentence they call “manifestly inadequate” as it allows for the possibility of parole.Patterson was jailed for life after killing three of her relatives and trying to kill another by serving them a beef Wellington containing death cap mushrooms at her Victoria home in 2023.The 51-year-old, who attended the Court of Appeal via video link from prison, will…
Getty ImagesUS President Donald Trump has said he will launch tougher economic measures against Iran, as well as any country and that helps or does business with the country.He wrote in all capital letters on Truth Social that he was launching “the most crushing economic operation ever taken against any country”, but gave no further details and did not name any other nation apart from Iran. It comes after a 60-day ceasefire with Iran expired on Monday, with no sign of a diplomatic or military off-ramp to the conflict that the US and Israel began at the end of February.Trump’s…
Shenzhen Intermediate People’s Court/WeChatHui Ka Yan, centre, the founder of China’s Evergrande GroupThe founder of Evergrande, the property giant at the centre of China’s housing market slump, has been sentenced to life in prison and had all of his personal property confiscated.Hui Ka Yan pleaded guilty in April to several charges, including embezzlement of assets and corporate bribery.Shenzhen Intermediate People’s Court also fined Evergrande Group 8.82bn yuan (£960m; $1.31bn), while its real estate unit was ordered to pay 7bn yuan, according to state media.Hui’s sentencing marks a key moment in the fallout from Evergrande’s collapse, which shook China’s property sector…
Timeline of Prince Harry and Meghan since leaving UKThe past few years have been littered with surprises from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.Harry and Meghan have become experts in shaking things up, making unexpected decisions, rocking the boat.Now add to that, the news that they are returning to live in the UK.Why are they moving now?I’ve now spoken to people who know the couple well. Although there had been general discussions about the possibility of spending more time in the UK, the decision to move back was made recently.The family’s visit to the UK in July was significant. As…
Getty ImagesUS national debt has more than doubled in a decade to reach a milestone $40tn (£29.4tn), Treasury figures show.The rise reflects years of heavy spending under both the Donald Trump and Joe Biden administrations, along with higher interest payments that have steadily added to the total. In 2016, the national debt stood at just under $20tn. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) had projected overall borrowing would reach $39.6tn only by the end of fiscal year 2026.The faster-than-expected rise has sharpened concerns about how quickly the government’s borrowing needs are growing, and what that means for future interest costs. As…
Family/ReutersThe Israeli military has confirmed for the first time that it opened fire on a car carrying five-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab, who was killed along with six relatives in Gaza in 2024.Rajab initially survived the attack and answered a telephone call during which she pleaded for help. The call lasted hours.An ambulance sent to reach her – in a move co-ordinated with the Israeli army – was then shelled, killing two paramedics. Hind’s body was recovered days later, along with the others killed.In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that it would open a criminal investigation into…
Fernando UgarteFin whales feed in ice-free East Greenland waters, as scientists observe from their boatsSea ice has been disappearing from East Greenland, allowing giant whales to take advantage and move in to previously inaccessible areas.That is the conclusion of a decades-long study that has recorded – and filmed – hundreds of the world’s biggest whales including humpbacks, minke and fin whales, feeding in ice-free seas along the coast in summer.None of these marine mammals were historically found here as they have been locked out of the coastal waters by ice. Now, as climate change warms the sea and melts that…
@DLeBlancNB on XUS trade representative Jamieson Greer (right) said the deal eliminates several trade irritants that the Americans had with Canada.Canada and the US are finalising a highly anticipated trade deal, with President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Mark Carney touting it as a success. Trump said the proposed deal will be welcomed by US farmers and manufacturers, while Carney said it will secure “the best terms” for Canada’s strategic sectors and provide certainty on the future of US-Canada trade.Trade negotiators met on Wednesday for the third time in as many days after Trump paused a new wave of tariffs…