Author: Gulf News Week

Women recount alleged interrogation and coercion after crossing; Israeli military denies any misconduct as thousands await their turn to return. KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — The first group of Palestinians allowed to return to Gaza through the recently reopened Rafah crossing have reported being detained, handcuffed, and subjected to hours of interrogation and threats by Israeli troops, turning what many hoped would be a relief into a traumatic ordeal. Three women among the 12 returnees—most of whom were women, children, or elderly—described being taken to an Israeli screening station after crossing the border on Monday. There, they say, they were blindfolded,…

New budget doubles NRI investment limits, offers 21-year tax holiday for data centre users, and streamlines property sales in bold push for foreign funds. NEW DELHI – In a sweeping set of reforms, India’s latest budget proposals have launched a powerful dual strategy: to significantly liberalise capital flows from its vast global diaspora and to position the nation as a premier global hub for data and cloud services through unprecedented tax incentives. For the Global Indian: A Major Investment LeapThe government has dramatically increased investment avenues for Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) and Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs). The individual investment limit in listed…

Popular schools approach capacity while educators warn developmental readiness is as critical as seat availability under updated KHDA cut-offs. DUBAI – A regulatory shift in school entry age limits has triggered a scramble for early years placements across the UAE, compelling private schools to rapidly expand capacity for Foundation Stage 2 (FS2) and Grade 1 classes to manage soaring demand. The surge follows a December announcement from the UAE’s Ministry of Education, which extended the age cut-off for Foundation Stage 1 (FS1) under the British curriculum. Children who turn three by December 31 of the academic year are now eligible, moving…

A magnitude 4.1 quake follows a 3.0 event, highlighting the nation’s high vulnerability due to tectonic complexity and extreme urban density. DHAKA – Bangladesh experienced its second earthquake in under 48 hours, with a magnitude 4.1 tremor recorded on Tuesday, January 21, according to the National Centre for Seismology (NCS). The event has renewed focus on the country’s position as one of the world’s most seismically vulnerable regions. The latest quake originated at a significant depth of 150 kilometers. It follows a shallower magnitude 3.0 quake that struck in the early hours of Sunday, February 1, at a depth of 20…

Greece’s coastguard says 26 other people have been rescued from Aegean Sea as search-and-rescue operations continue.A boat carrying migrants and asylum seekers has collided with a Greek coastguard vessel in the Aegean Sea near the island of Chios, killing at least 14 people, the coastguard says.The incident occurred around 9pm local time on Tuesday (19:00 GMT) off the coast of Chios’s Mersinidi area, Greece’s Athens-Macedonian News Agency (AMNA) reported.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Greece’s expansive refugee deportation law tests limits of rights in EUlist 2 of 3Europe’s deadly border theatre is backlist 3 of 3Is suspending asylum…

Al-Shifa Hospital director says blocking medical evacuations through Rafah crossing could be ‘death sentence’ for many.United Nations chief Antonio Guterres again has called on Israel to immediately allow humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, as the Israeli authorities continue to block dozens of Palestinians from exiting the war-ravaged enclave to seek medical treatment.Guterres made the appeal on Tuesday, as more than 100 sick and injured Palestinians congregated at the newly reopened Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt, hoping to access medical care abroad.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3How important is the reopening of Gaza’s Rafah crossing?list 2…

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi had been considered the number two leader in Libya before the 2011 death of his father, Muammar Gaddafi.Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of the longtime former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, has been killed in Libya.Ahmed Khalifa, an media Arabic correspondent in the North African country, said on Tuesday that Gaddafi is believed to have been shot and killed in the western Libyan city of Zintan, where he was based for the past decade.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3‘False narrative’: Families challenge Trump’s 75-country US visa suspensionlist 2 of 3What would be the impact of…

Omar Shakir, who has worked for the rights group for more than 10 years, says he has lost faith in the organisation.The Israel-Palestine director of Human Rights Watch (HRW) has resigned in protest, saying the organisation’s new chief blocked a report accusing Israel of committing “crimes against humanity” in its denial of Palestinian refugees’ right of return.Omar Shakir, who has worked for the rights group for more than 10 years, told media on Tuesday that the report “sought to connect the erasure of camps in Gaza with the emptying of camps in the West Bank, with the full assault led…

Amnesty International says legislation would mean ‘punishment is being reserved for, and weaponised against, Palestinians’.Amnesty International has called on Israel to abandon legislation that would expand the use of the death penalty, warning that the measures would violate international law and “further entrench Israel’s apartheid system” against Palestinians.In a statement on Tuesday, the human rights group said two bills under discussion in the Knesset would mark a major reversal of Israel’s longstanding opposition to capital punishment and would disproportionately target Palestinians.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Israel parliament passes first reading of death penalty for ‘terrorism’ lawlist 2…

Government forces have entered South Kordofan’s capital, Kadugli, days after breaking a siege in nearby Dilling.Sudan’s military says it has broken through a siege by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group of the South Kordofan capital of Kadugli, marking its second major advance in less than a week.General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the de facto leader of the country, visited Sudan’s public television station in the city of Omdurman on Tuesday to assert that his forces had opened a supply route to the capital.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Sudan army says two-year RSF siege of key town brokenlist…