Author: Gulf News Week
Getty ImagesPresident Donald Trump has unveiled a new Boeing 747-8 jet for Air Force One that the Qatari government donated last year as an “unconditional” gift to the US. The US military has finished modifications to the luxury jumbo jet, which has been valued at an estimated $400m (£300m).”This plane was transformed into a flying White House at a level of luxury that nobody’s ever seen before,” Trump said in a speech at Joint Base Andrews on Friday. The US Air Force said in a press release that the jet will begin initial commissioning flights – a “final exam” to…
NurPhoto via Getty ImagesZelensky was presented with the Order of the White Eagle by then-President Andrzej Duda in 2023Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky has been stripped of Poland’s highest state honour, the Order of the White Eagle, over Kyiv’s decision to name a military unit after controversial World War Two fighters.Polish President Karol Nawrocki branded Ukraine’s decision late last month to name the unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) “outrageous”, “incomprehensible” and “deeply disappointing”.Nawrocki stressed the diplomatic row would not impact Poland’s support for Ukraine against Russia.Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha denounced Warsaw’s move, calling it a “strategic mistake” and “disrespectful”.Poland,…
LIVEOne dead and several injured in Bedford train crash as police declare major incident”It was like a big bang, then people flew from their seats,” says one passenger.
PA MediaSir Keir Starmer is facing calls to set a timetable for his departure from Downing Street after Andy Burnham won a resounding victory in the Makerfield by-election.A growing number of Labour MPs are urging Sir Keir to announce plans to hand power to the former Greater Manchester mayor, without the need for a potentially messy leadership contest.But the prime minister has insisted he will fight any challenge and will not “walk away” from the job.Burnham’s allies have urged Sir Keir to reflect over the weekend and listen to his cabinet ministers, MPs and family.In a conversation earlier with Sir…
Obama sheds a tear as wife Michelle speaks at opening of presidential centreFormer US President Barack Obama was visibly moved as his wife Michelle Obama saluted his work during the opening of the new Obama Presidential Center in Chicago.He appeared to wipe away a tear as the former first lady hailed his achievements in office, including his efforts to expand healthcare and his attainment of a Nobel Peace Prize.The latter remark was widely interpreted as a jibe at his successor, Donald Trump, who has coveted the same accolade during his own time in office. Living former presidents Bill Clinton, George…
Getty ImagesDonald Trump confronted South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa at the White House last year over claims that Afrikaners were being persecutedThe US government says it will stop funding programmes in South Africa intended to tackle the spread of HIV and Aids, linking the decision to the government’s alleged failure to protect the white-minority Afrikaner community.South Africa’s health ministry responded by saying that though it had not been informed of this decision, it had “long been working on a self-reliance plan”.More than eight million South Africans are living with HIV – the highest number of any country in the world.Until 2025,…
Why Morocco game could be greatest of all for ScotlandScotland will need their best display since Steve Clarke took over to achieve the result against Morocco that will secure knockout tournament football for the first time, writes Tom English.6 hrs agoScotland Men
ReutersEbola is spread by contact with bodily fluidsA six-year-old Ebola patient, who Congolese authorities were searching for after armed men stormed the hospital where she was being treated, has been found and is “doing well”, a local health official has told the BBC.On Wednesday, Dr Lubambo Maboko Gaston said that a girl and her mother had been taken by “very angry” men from a hospital in the eastern city of Butembo, two days previously.It is unclear whether the men were known to the child, but suspicion and fear surrounding Ebola treatment centres have been rife during the current outbreak.On Friday,…
Reuters”Delusional.””A bit deluded.””Utterly deluded.”That’s just a flavour of the messages I’ve been receiving from Labour MPs since Andy Burnham won the Makerfield by-election in the early hours of this morning.These MPs span Labour factions, generations and ministerial ranks.But they are united in their view that Sir Keir has entered the endgame.To Sir Keir and his allies, it’s those pushing for his exit who are deluded. Their case this morning is that the spectacle of a governing party consumed by internal conflict is exactly what the public voted Labour to end. “When the Tories lost the last election, Britons were most…
‘Neither I nor Italy ever beg’: Meloni on Trump after ‘false’ anecdoteItaly’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, has said she is astonished after President Donald Trump told Italian TV she had “begged” him for a picture with her, in comments that have provoked an open row between the two leaders.Meloni has said his comments were entirely “made-up”, and Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has cancelled a trip to the US early next week.The highly public exchange is an indication of how far their earlier close ties have frayed in the months since Trump’s decision to go to war with Iran.Trump and…