Author: Gulf News Week
The UK’s relationship with the EU looks set to become an issue in both a possible Labour leadership contest and the coming by-election in the Makerfield constituency.Former Health Secretary Wes Streeting, in his first public appearance since resigning from the cabinet, told an audience in London on Saturday that “leaving the European Union was a catastrophic mistake”.At the Progress Conference, organised by the “Blairite” wing of the Labour Party, he announced he would contest a formal challenge to replace Sir Keir Starmer.Within an hour Conservative Party Chairman Kevin Hollinrake seized on Streeting’s comment, saying “whilst Labour relitigate Brexit, Britain is…
Another year, another flop. The UK has self-destructed at Eurovision all over again.Look Mum No Computer, aka musician Sam Battle, got one solitary point, ending up in last place. It’s the third time we’ve been at the bottom of the table since 2020. We’ve made the top 10 once since 2010. This is the fourth consecutive year I’ve written a post-mortem on our failure.Believe me, I don’t want to be here – but here we are.But the musician gave it his all, stomping around the stage in a bright pink boiler suit while singing about quitting his office job so…
Lights, camera, Bangaranga: Highlights from EurovisionBulgarian singer Dara stormed to victory in the contest, while Ukraine broke the record for the longest note ever sung at Eurovision.39 mins agoEurope
It is just past noon at the crescent-shaped Palolem beach on the southern tip of Goa’s long, sandy coastline. The sun is blinding hot, but that has not deterred the tourist hordes from splashing about in the ocean.The beachside shacks and cheap backpacker hotels hugging the bay in the state often dubbed India’s party capital are full with tourists. What’s different here from some years ago, though, is that the Europeans and Russians who once thronged Palolem and other beach villages of Goa are missing.The crowd is almost all local, a reflection of the diminishing appeal of this tiny coastal…
The story of British politics today can be told by numbers. Five prime ministers in seven years, none of whom served a full parliament. Over the same period, seven foreign secretaries, six chancellors of the exchequer and four cabinet secretaries.It is a story of instability and inconsistency with potentially a new chapter written by Labour if it removes Sir Keir Starmer, an incumbent premier with a bigger parliamentary majority than his transformative predecessor Clement Attlee won in 1945.What is driving this narrative? Why is the UK churning through its leaders almost as quickly as Italy once did? Why do voters…
Hezbollah has increased its use of small first-person view (FPV) drones to attack Israel, including systems controlled by fibre-optic cables to evade sophisticated defences.BBC Verify has geolocated 35 videos shared by the Lebanese armed group since 26 March which show strikes on Israeli soldiers, armoured vehicles and air defence systems in southern Lebanon and northern Israel.Experts told BBC Verify the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has “so far been unable to develop any effective countermeasures”, as the small drones can easily bypass detection systems.The drones can also be made from commercially available and 3D-printed components – and are cheap compared to…
Taiwan has insisted it is a sovereign, independent nation, after US President Donald Trump cautioned it against formally declaring independence from China.Trump’s remarks came after a two-day summit in Beijing, after which he said he had “made no commitment either way” about the self-governing island – which China claims as part of its territory and has not ruled out taking by force.After talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Trump also said he would soon decide whether to approve an $11bn ($8bn) package of weapons to be sold to Taiwan.The US administration is bound by law to provide Taiwan with a…
A Canadian who sailed on the cruise ship MV Hondius which was hit by a hantavirus outbreak in April has tested positive for the disease, officials in the province of British Columbia say.The individual, one of four people isolating on Vancouver Island after leaving the ship, had developed mild symptoms.The province’s senior health officer said the four had not had any contact with the public since arriving in Canada.The case brings the total number of infections to 11, all among cruise passengers. Three people who travelled on the ship have died, with two confirmed to have had the virus.British Columbia…
Wes Streeting has confirmed he would enter any potential Labour leadership contest, days after resigning as health secretary and telling the prime minister he had “lost confidence” in him.Streeting said on Saturday: “We need a proper contest with the best candidates on the field, and I will be standing.”He also said leaving the European Union had been a “catastrophic mistake” and the UK should “one day” rejoin the bloc.Meanwhile, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham told the BBC he was seeking to stand in the Makerfield by-election to “save” the Labour Party.The prime minister is resisting calls to stand down and…
LIVEEurovision final under way in Vienna as contest celebrates 70th yearA total of 25 countries will battle it out to win the Eurovision Song Contest, as Austria hosts the event for the third time.