Author: Gulf News Week
United Nations humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher calls for immediate ‘unhindered access’ for aid deliveries.The United Nations humanitarian chief, Tom Fletcher, has urged Israel to immediately open more crossings into the famine-stricken Gaza Strip to allow for a surge in aid deliveries.In remarks to reporters on Wednesday, Fletcher said that the UN is seeking a dramatic boost in humanitarian aid for Gaza, saying the hundreds of relief trucks cleared to enter the devastated enclave were nowhere near the thousands needed to ease a humanitarian disaster.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Apple to increase Chinese investments amid US-China trade tensionlist…
Spain argues NATO funding should address real threats, not arbitrary targets, amidst Trump’s tariff retaliation plans.The European Commission and Spain’s government have dismissed US President Donald Trump’s latest threat to impose higher tariffs on Madrid over its refusal to meet his proposed NATO target for defence spending.Trump said on Tuesday that he was “very unhappy” with Spain for being the only NATO member to reject the new spending objective of 5 percent of economic output, adding that he was considering punishing the Mediterranean country.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Can the EU and NATO impose tariffs on India…
Analysts express concern over the rehabilitation of Israel, even as it says it has done no wrong.In both Israel and among its Western allies, the Gaza ceasefire deal is seen as an opportunity – to move on from the accusations of genocide against it, and to restore close relations weakened as a result of public anger.Over two years of its unrelenting war on Gaza, Israel has killed more than 67,900 Palestinians and injured more than 170,000. It has destroyed or damaged 92 percent of the enclave’s residential housing and its actions in blockading Gaza have led to a famine being…
Syria’s interim leader assures the Russian president that his government will honour all past agreements with Moscow.Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa has told Russia’s President Vladimir Putin that he seeks to “restore and redefine ties” with Moscow, a key ally of ousted longtime Kremlin ally Bashar al-Assad.Al-Sharaa made the statement on Wednesday while meeting with Putin in Moscow during his first state visit to the country that has been hosting al-Assad since his exile from Syria 10 months ago.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Ceasefire declared between Syrian forces, Kurdish fighters after one killedlist 2 of 3Syria’s first elections…
As tanks withdraw and the bombing slows, Israel extends its war through Palestinian militias turned against their own.Israel’s war on Gaza has not ended with the pullback of its tanks or the falling silent of its warplanes. Tens of thousands have been killed, hundreds of thousands of homes reduced to rubble, and some two million people driven from their homes. Yet the greatest danger may still lie ahead, for Israel intends to continue the war in another form, one that no longer requires its army.In the vacuum left by Israel’s destruction, a grim new reality is unfolding. Armed militias are…
Israeli army violence continues in the occupied West Bank where soldiers act with impunity, Palestinians are ordered to leave or labour without pay.Occupied West Bank, Palestine – Close to Tulkarem, on the outskirts of the Nur Shams refugee camp, grey apartment blocks sit empty. Abandoned cars are strewn amid rubble where homes once stood. Shops are silent, streaked black where flames licked against the windows.Amid escalating violence by settlers from illegal Israeli settlements across the occupied West Bank, the Israeli military has intensified its efforts to forcibly displace the tens of thousands of Palestinians who live in the Nur Shams…
Jared Kushner, billionaire real-estate scion and son-in-law to the US President, is shaping the future of Gaza.Jared Kushner, a billionaire real-estate scion, is shaping the future of Gaza. Why is the United States president’s son-in-law at the heart of the Gaza ceasefire deal – and the future of the Middle East?In this episode: Recommended Stories list of 2 itemslist 1 of 2The Take: Trump’s deal brought captives home. What’s next for Gaza?list 2 of 2The Take: As Palestinians return to ruins, will Trump’s ceasefire hold?end of list Ali Harb (@harbpeace), journalist, media Episode credits:This episode was produced by Tracie Hunte, Sonia…
The latest round of qualifiers around the globe for the FIFA World Cup 2026 has seen the number of entrants rise to 28.media Sport takes a look at some of the best photos from the nations that confirmed their qualification on Wednesday for the FIFA World Cup 2026.Qatar’s defender Assim Madibo, left, drops to the floor to celebrate with Qatar’s Spanish coach Julian Lopetegui after the FIFA World Cup 2026 Asian qualifier football match against the UAE [Karim Jaafar/AFP]Qatar’s players celebrate at the full-time whistle against UAE as they reached a World Cup final for the first time through the…
President Cyril Ramaphosa says progress and healing hinge on the case against Israel being heard.South African President Cyril Ramaphosa says the Gaza ceasefire will not affect his country’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).Ramaphosa made the statement on Tuesday in Cape Town in parliament, stressing that South Africa’s determination to pursue its 2023 case despite the agreement on the widely lauded US-backed deal aimed at ending Israel’s war on the besieged territory.“The peace deal that has been struck, which we welcome, will have no bearing on the case that is before the International Court of…
The trip will be Ahmed al-Sharaa’s first official visit to Russia, a longtime ally of the former Bashar al-Assad regime.Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa will visit Russia on Wednesday to meet with President Vladimir Putin, Syria’s state news agency reports, as part of a broader diplomatic push to bolster the Damascus transitional government’s international legitimacy.It will be al-Sharaa’s first official visit to Moscow, a longtime ally of the former Bashar al-Assad regime that al-Sharaa’s forces ousted in December.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3What Syria’s president al-Sharaa told UN in historic speechlist 2 of 3Ahmed al-Sharaa’s high-stakes bid to…