Author: Gulf News Week
Three weeks ago, many Republicans were feeling gloomy about their chances of keeping a majority in the US House of Representatives after the upcoming midterm congressional elections.Donald Trump’s approval ratings, particularly public perception of his handling of the economy and inflation, had declined in the two months since the start of the Iran War. And Republican attempts to gain partisan advantage by redrawing congressional district lines in Texas and a handful of other conservative-dominated states had been offset by Democratic responses in California and Virginia.”If the election were in May, Republicans would lose,” former Republican Speaker of the House Newt…
Warning: This article contains descriptions of sexual assault and rape, which some readers may find upsetting”Aria” was 13 years old when she was sexually assaulted by an imam, who told her he was “healing” her. A respected faith leader at a mosque in East London, Abdul Halim Khan would tell young girls and their parents they needed “curing” from “bad spirits”.”I genuinely believed he had supernatural powers,” says Aria, which is not her real name.She says Khan told her “something really bad would happen to me and my family” if she ever spoke about the abuse. And she wasn’t the…
Warning: Offensive languageKatya was about to blow out the candles on her 30th birthday cake when masked men burst into the nightclub hired for her party, and began physically and verbally attacking her friends.”They called us faggots and lesbians. I could hear violence from every corner,” she told a BBC World Service investigation. Her mother was told to get down on all fours, she says.The swoop was instigated by a vigilante group, called Russkaya Obshina, that wants to accelerate President Vladimir Putin’s agenda to stamp out what he describes as Western liberalism, and promote traditional family-oriented values.Nine months later she…
Andy Burnham will attempt to return to the Commons as an MP, after Wes Streeting resigned as health secretary, saying he had lost confidence in Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership.Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor, said he would ask to run for Labour in Makerfield after Labour MP Josh Simons said he would resign to make way for him.Any candidate in a Labour leadership contest to replace Sir Keir must be an MP. Streeting called for a broad debate about what comes next but did not say he would run for leader.Earlier on Thursday, former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner,…
Five Italians have died in a scuba diving accident in the Maldives, the foreign ministry in Rome has said.”The divers are believed to have died while attempting to explore caves at a depth of 50 metres (164ft),” the ministry said, adding that this happened in Vaavu Atoll.The Maldives’ military said one body had been found in a cave about 60 metres underwater, and the other four divers were believed to be also there.It said divers with special equipment had been sent to the area, describing a search operation as a very high risk.The five Italians entered the water on Thursday…
The Supreme Court has ruled that the abortion pill mifepristone can continue to be accessed by mail.Two manufacturers that make the pill had asked the Supreme Court to intervene after a lower court placed significant restrictions on access to mifepristone as part of an ongoing lawsuit. Thursday’s order from the high court blocks those limitations while litigation plays out. Access to the pill will likely remain until that lawsuit is decided, which could happen next year.Abortion pills are the most common method of terminating pregnancies in the US – especially in states where abortion is banned.The Supreme Court’s most conservative…
BBC on the ground during march through Jerusalem’s Old CityTens of thousands of Israeli celebrants have marched through the area captured by Israel in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.2 hrs agoMiddle East
In 25 years of flying, pilot Ian Nixon had never faced anything like the crash that left him and ten passengers stranded for hours in the Atlantic Ocean, waiting to be rescued off Florida’s east coast.On Tuesday, during what should have been a routine 20-minute flight between two islands in the Bahamas, Nixon watched one disaster unfold after another – first the navigation system, then the radio, then one engine, and finally the other.”I wasn’t able to reach anybody on the radio for a while,” Nixon said. “I tried to call Freeport, [Bahamas]; I tried to call Miami radio. I…
Xi Jinping threw a grand welcome for Donald Trump on the first day of a visit that could reset ties between the rival superpowers.The military honour guard lined up outside the Great Hall of the People to welcome Trump, complete with a gun salute and a band playing the US national anthem. The president paused twice to say hello to schoolchildren cheering with Chinese and American flags.As he shook hands with Xi, he leaned in to pat him on the arm in what appeared to be a gesture of warmth. And he lavished praise on his host.”You’re a great leader.…
The Cuban government says it is open to reviewing a US offer of $100m (£74m) in aid, hours after rare protests over worsening power cuts erupted on the Communist-run island.Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez said on Thursday that Cuba was “ready to hear the details of the proposal and how it would be implemented”.The shortages have been exacerbated by a US-imposed blockade of oil which has squeezed the country’s supplies of essentials such as diesel and fuel oil.Hospitals have been unable to function normally, and schools and government offices have been forced to close. Tourism, an economic engine for Cuba, has…