Author: Gulf News Week
As thousands maintain a daily vigil at his shrine, a bitter political feud over the investigation into the singer’s drowning death threatens to overshadow his unifying message. GUWAHATI: A month after the tragic death of musical legend Zubeen Garg, Assam remains a state in two halves: one lost in collective grief at a makeshift shrine, the other embroiled in a political firestorm over the circumstances of his drowning in Singapore. While Zubeen’s cremation site in Kamarkuchi village has become a place of daily pilgrimage, with fans singing his hymns and volunteers vowing to serve indefinitely, his passing has ignited a…
With fares soaring for December, travel agents urge residents to book short-haul breaks now before National Day dates are announced and prices spike. DUBAI: UAE residents face a stark financial choice for their year-end vacation, as a new analysis reveals that travelling over the Christmas period is dramatically more expensive than taking a break during the upcoming National Day weekend. From European city breaks to trips back home to India, airfares and packages for the festive season are seeing massive premiums, with some routes costing nearly double. The Staggering Cost Difference A live fare check exposes the widening gap: “Christmas…
The top US diplomat stated the Biden administration is working to prevent settler attacks from derailing critical ceasefire negotiations. WASHINGTON – Escalating violence in the West Bank poses a direct threat to the precarious Gaza peace process, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio cautioned on Wednesday. He warned that the surge in attacks by Israeli settlers could spill over and jeopardize U.S.-backed efforts to maintain a ceasefire and forge a lasting peace. Speaking to reporters after a G7 foreign ministers’ summit in Canada, Rubio acknowledged the dangerous link between the two fronts. “I hope not,” he said when asked if the…
Israel has repeatedly been accused of using Palestinians as human shields in violation of international law.The United States had evidence last year that Israeli officials discussed how their soldiers sent Palestinians into tunnels in Gaza that the Israelis believed were potentially lined with explosives, two former US officials have told the Reuters news agency.The information was shared with the White House and analysed by the intelligence community in the final weeks of former President Joe Biden’s administration, the officials said.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Zikim crossing in northern Gaza opens for humanitarian aid, Israel sayslist 2 of…
With no clear majority, formation of next government will require intensive deal-making among strongest blocs.A coalition led by Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has emerged as winner in Iraq’s parliamentary election, according to electoral authorities.The Independent High Electoral Commission said on Wednesday that al-Sudani’s Reconstruction and Change coalition received 1.3 million votes in Tuesday’s election, about 370,000 more than the next closest competitor.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Iraqis hold little hope for change as polls close in electionlist 2 of 3Iraq parliamentary elections: What we knowlist 3 of 3Iraq votes amid shifting power balanceend of listSpeaking…
IOM chief calls for ceasefire to allow aid groups to reach Sudanese civilians trapped in war-torn Darfur region.The head of the United Nations’ migration agency has called for a ceasefire and a humanitarian corridor to help tens of thousands of civilians trapped in el-Fasher, the city in Sudan’s Darfur region that fell to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) last month.Amy Pope, director-general of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), told media on Wednesday that “the primary concern is getting access” to residents who have been largely cut off from humanitarian aid and services in el-Fasher.Recommended Stories list of 3…
Iran’s near-bomb-grade uranium stockpile ‘a matter of serious concern’ after 12-day war with Israel, watchdog says.The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has not been able to verify Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium since Israel and the United States struck the country’s nuclear sites back in June, according to a new report.The watchdog circulated a confidential report to member states, claiming it had been unable to carry out “long overdue” inspections of seven of the sites targeted in the so-called 12-day war, including major facilities Fordo and Natanz.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Iran ‘not in hurry’ to…
The pardon of the 81-year-old author comes after Germany appealed for his release on ‘humanitarian grounds’.Algeria has agreed to pardon French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal, who has been detained for a year on charges of “undermining national unity”.Algeria’s presidency announced plans to free the 81-year-old writer on Wednesday, saying President Abdelmadjid Tebboune had accepted a request from his German counterpart to pardon him on “humanitarian grounds”.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Algeria sentences author Boualem Sansal sentenced to five years in prisonlist 2 of 3France expels 12 Algerian officials as tensions escalatelist 3 of 3Rebel Writers: Algerian Voicesend of…
US president calls corruption charges against Israeli PM ‘unjustified’, describing Netanyahu as ‘formidable’ leader.United States President Donald Trump has sent a letter to Israel’s President Isaac Herzog asking him to pardon Benjamin Netanyahu, slamming the corruption charges against the Israeli prime minister as “political” and “unjustified”.Trump’s letter on Wednesday comes a month after the US-brokered ceasefire came into effect in Gaza, ushering in a fragile truce amid daily Israeli attacks and aid restrictions.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3More than 70 athletes call on UEFA to ban Israel over rights abuseslist 2 of 3Israel returns unrecognisable bodies of…
Analysts say Israel is not upholding its end of the ceasefire and looking for reasons to strike a depleted Hezbollah.For months, Israel has threatened another military escalation against Lebanon, claiming it would be a punishment for the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) not moving quickly enough to disarm Hezbollah.But analysts told media that Lebanon’s government and army have undertaken to disarm the group, which has fought Israel several times since the 1980s, most recently from September to November 2024.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3‘Our land is not for sale’: Indigenous people protest at COP30 in Brazillist 2 of…