Author: Gulf News Week

London Marathon to be two-day event in 2027The London Marathon will be held across two days in a special one-off edition of the event in 2027, organisers have confirmed.5 hrs agoAthletics

Getty ImagesAndy Burnham is no stranger to Labour leadership contests.More than 10 years ago he ran twice, unsuccessfully, for the top job.Now he’s backed by many Labour MPs as the party’s best chance of recovery, after months of languishing in the polls and a devastating set of election results in May.Burnham’s victory in the Makerfield by-election saw him hold off a challenge from Reform UK, which came second but more than 9,000 votes behind Labour.Beyond the numbers, Burnham’s victory ensured he cleared a major obstacle to any leadership challenge as those wanting to stand in a contest need to be…

Watch: After Burnham’s win, how long will Starmer carry on?Andy Burnham couldn’t have hoped for a better result than this.He has won and won big time, taking more votes than all his rivals combined.Granted the Makerfield parliamentary seat has elected Labour MPs for yonks, but just a matter of weeks ago, at the local elections, Reform UK were dominant in this collection of towns broadly to the south of Wigan – places like Abram, Hindley, Orrell and Winstanley.It has allowed Burnham and his team to road test an argument here – and we can expect to hear more of it…

BBCFew topics divide opinion quite like who should pay on a first date.Ask a group of friends and you’ll likely get a dozen different answers. Some insist the bill should always be split equally, others believe the person who sets up the date should pay and despite changing attitudes towards gender roles, many still see a man picking up the bill as a romantic gesture rather than an outdated tradition.With cocktails regularly topping £15, restaurant bills climbing and many keeping a close eye on their budgets, even a casual evening out can quickly become expensive.Adults across the UK spend more…

Mexico become first country to qualify for World Cup last 32Mexico continued their winning start to the World Cup to become the first country to qualify for the last 32.

Hindustan Times via Getty ImagesSeventeen of 28 Indian states and one federal territory provide monthly cash transfersThe world’s fastest growing major economy is increasingly dependent on dole to keep its poorest people out of desperate poverty.Over the past decade, government cash transfers, particularly directed at women and farmers, have emerged as a major welfare tool for poverty eradication in India.Federal and state allocations for such schemes grew more than 20 times from under $2bn (£1.51bn) in 2015 to nearly $30bn, according to data from ProjectDEEP, an organisation that works on cash-based policies across the country.They now constitute just under 1%…

ReutersVance said Trump was joking when he said he might blame himAs he defended the US-Iran deal at the White House press briefing on Thursday, Vice-President JD Vance brushed aside a question about whether President Donald Trump had positioned him as the “fall guy” for an agreement that is broadly unpopular with Republicans in Washington.”I think the president was joking,” Vance said, referring to Trump’s comment the previous day that he might blame the vice-president if the deal collapses. Vance has spent the week defending the memorandum of understanding with Iran. Yet he was often contradicted or overshadowed by Trump…

ISNA/WANA/ReutersThe US has dropped its naval blockade of Iran after the two countries signed a deal to end the war in the Middle East.US Central Command confirmed the end of the blockade on X “in accordance with the President’s direction”, and said some US vessels would remain “in the general area”.Soon afterwards, Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said he had approved the deal with the US despite having a “different view”, without elaborating. He said he allowed it to go ahead after assurances from Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian that he would “protect the rights of the Iranian nation”. Khamenei said…

BBCThe soaring, light-filled quire in Rochester Cathedral has witnessed centuries of worship. But beneath where the cathedral’s singers sit, its timeworn paving stones lies a dark financial legacy.Hidden in an archive until just a few years ago, were share dividends from the early 18th Century showing the cathedral’s dean and chapter invested directly in a company that trafficked slaves, making profits of around 400%.”We think it paid for a huge renovation project here at that time,” says the Very Reverend Philip Hesketh, Dean of Rochester, pointing out the quire paving that was relaid.”There were some major things like seven Georgian…

Parents, schools and communities must also help children develop healthy digital habitsAs the UAE moves to restrict social media access for children under 15, mental health professionals said that they are seeing young people whose online habits are affecting their sleep, studies, confidence and overall wellbeing.On June 18, a new resolution was issued to ban those under the age of 15 from creating or using personal social media accounts or accessing their full features. The decision was welcomed by UAE doctors who shed light on the dangers of social media addiction, especially among children.From children staying awake until the early…