Author: Gulf News Week
A former World Bank president has told the BBC that China should stop hoarding food and fertiliser to ease a global supply crisis caused by the Iran war.David Malpass, who also served as Treasury Under Secretary for International Affairs under US President Donald Trump from 2017 to 2019, was speaking to the World Service’s World Business Report on the eve of the Trump-Xi summit in Beijing.”They have the biggest world stockpile of food stuffs and of fertiliser,” he said. “They can stop building their stockpiles.”His comments come as nations around the world scramble to secure fertiliser supplies ahead of spring…
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa says he will legally challenge a report that has paved the way for parliament to consider impeachment proceedings against him over the theft of large sums of cash from his private farm. A Constitution Court ruling last week found that parliament acted unconstitutionally when it voted against establishing an impeachment inquiry against Ramaphosa regarding the Phala Phala report in 2022. “I remain here and am not resigning,” Ramaphosa said on Monday, ending days of speculation over whether he would step down.The controversy stems from the so-called Phala Phala scandal, in which thousands of dollars were…
Watch: Alaska town sees its last sunset until AugustResidents of Utqiagvik, the United States’ northernmost city, will experience 84 days of midnight sun and uninterrupted daylight.1 hr agoUS & Canada
The twenty-seven foreign ministers of the European Union approved new sanctions on Monday on Israeli settlers over rising violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.There has been a surge in attacks by settlers since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023, the UN has recorded.Settlements – illegal under international law – are built on Israeli-occupied land in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, areas Palestinians claim for a future state. The EU foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said it was “high time we move from deadlock to delivery… extremisms and violence carry consequences.”The French foreign minister Jean-Noel…
An American and a French national who have returned to their home countries having left a cruise ship hit by a deadly outbreak of hantavirus have tested positive, authorities say.In total seven cases of hantavirus linked to the MV Hondius have been confirmed, with two other cases suspected, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday.The US health department said a second American national on the repatriation flight had also shown mild symptoms, adding that both passengers had travelled back in “biocontainment units out of an abundance of caution”.French Health Minister Stéphanie Rist said a woman was isolating in Paris…
US President Donald Trump has said the month-long ceasefire between the US and Iran is on “massive life support”.He told reporters in the Oval Office on Monday that while the ceasefire remained in place, it was “unbelievably weak”.Iran laid out its demands to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz in a counter-offer sent to the US on Sunday. Trump rejected the proposal, calling it “totally unacceptable” and a “piece of garbage”.Esmail Baghaei, a foreign ministry spokesperson for Iran, responded by saying Tehran’s proposals were “responsible” and “generous”.It also reportedly includes a demand for compensation for war damage…
“A UK prime minister, using the idea of getting closer to the European Union as a key way to get the British public on his side? That is certainly not something we EU-types would have predicted. Especially when you think – it’s the 10-year anniversary of the Brexit vote next month!”This was the response of an EU contact of mine, here in Brussels. He asked to remain anonymous to be able to speak freely. We were discussing the highly anticipated speech given by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. Following the massive slap in the face he got from voters last…
Watch: French President Emmanuel Macron interrupts speaker to ask for silenceThe French president stood up during a conference in Kenya to tell the audience to quieten down, saying it was “impossible” for speakers to be heard.48 mins agoWorld
A man charged with attacking the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington DC last month has pleaded not guilty. Cole Tomas Allen, 31, was charged with federal gun crimes and attempting to assassinate US President Donald Trump.The gun charges include using a firearm during a crime of violence and interstate transportation of a firearm with intent to commit a felony.Allen appeared in court on Monday in an orange jumpsuit and was shackled at the wrists and feet, according to CBS News, the BBC’s US partner.Agents tackled Allen just short of a staircase that leads down to a ballroom where…
Passengers from the cruise ship struck by a hantavirus outbreak are being evacuated and sent to their home countries to isolate and receive medical treatment if necessary.Some other passengers from MV Hondius left on earlier flights or connections and their contacts are now being traced as a precuation. Officials say the risk of the infection spreading to the general public remains low.Crew and passengers now face having to self-isolate for more than a month to avoid any potential spread.So how worried should we be?’This is not Covid’In an update on Thursday, Dr Maria Van Kerkhove from the World Health Organization…