Author: Gulf News Week
EPAAt least half a million people are estimated to have been killed in the war in SyriaLebanon has handed Syria a former general who served under the ousted regime of Bashar al-Assad, in the first extradition of its kind since his government fell.Maj Gen Adel Issa, 67, is accused of a raft of crimes allegedly committed during the Syrian civil war, which ended in December 2024 when rebel forces took the capital, Damascus, and Assad fled.Issa was detained on 8 August after visiting the Syrian embassy in Beirut to complete paperwork and was transferred into Syrian custody on Wednesday.The handover…
ReutersPrince Harry and Meghan are planning to move back to the UK, BBC News understandsSecurity arrangements for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex on their return to the UK are a “private matter”, Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said. He added: “It’s a matter for Harry and for Meghan, and we wish them well in the move that they are making.”It comes after it emerged that the couple intend to relocate with their children from the US to the UK later this month to a private, non-royal residence outside London.The Home Office said decisions on the security of royals were…
Watch: What to know about Trump’s trusted aide Natalie HarpBernd Debusmann JrWhite House reporter Few people in US President Donald Trump’s orbit have appeared as frequently by his side as Natalie Harp in recent years.One of Trump’s longest-serving and most loyal aides, 35-year-old Harp is trusted with typing out his Truth Social posts, among other top responsibilities.She was thrust again into the spotlight this week by Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff – a Democrat and frequent Trump foil – when he name-checked her during a speech that has since gone viral.He was referring to the new Air Force One plane, as…
Clément Vandenkerckhove/InstagramClément Vandenkerckhove (R) with his father Prince LaurentBelgium’s Prince Laurent has legally recognised 26-year-old former car salesman Clément Vandenkerckhove as his son and heir.Vandenkerckhove, the result of a relationship between the royal and Belgian singer Wendy Van Wanten, was quietly brought into Prince Laurent’s family at a town hall ceremony six months ago, although details have only just emerged.While he formally becomes a prince, he will not receive a royal allowance.The new prince has had several years to get used to the idea of having a royal father, and he said recently he was not yet sure he would…
BBCSome of the prisoners of war were born in Ukraine but consider themselves to be RussianIn Western Ukraine, behind high walls and layers of locked gates, there is a camp full of men captured fighting for Russia.Many of those crouching in the shade around the edges of the prison yard were recruited from big cities like St Petersburg and Yekaterinburg, not far-flung and poorer regions like at the start of the full-scale invasion.But not all the prisoners are Russian.Amongst them are soldiers from Ukraine itself: the men who went to war with their own country.But with no access to the…
ReutersErin Patterson attended the Court of Appeal via video link from prisonAn Australian court has been told that the crimes of mushroom murderer Erin Patterson were “truly dreadful” and that she should never be allowed to leave prison.Crown prosecutors are appealing against a sentence they call “manifestly inadequate” as it allows for the possibility of parole.Patterson was jailed for life after killing three of her relatives and trying to kill another by serving them a beef Wellington containing death cap mushrooms at her Victoria home in 2023.The 51-year-old, who attended the Court of Appeal via video link from prison, will…
Getty ImagesUS President Donald Trump has said he will launch tougher economic measures against Iran, as well as any country and that helps or does business with the country.He wrote in all capital letters on Truth Social that he was launching “the most crushing economic operation ever taken against any country”, but gave no further details and did not name any other nation apart from Iran. It comes after a 60-day ceasefire with Iran expired on Monday, with no sign of a diplomatic or military off-ramp to the conflict that the US and Israel began at the end of February.Trump’s…
Shenzhen Intermediate People’s Court/WeChatHui Ka Yan, centre, the founder of China’s Evergrande GroupThe founder of Evergrande, the property giant at the centre of China’s housing market slump, has been sentenced to life in prison and had all of his personal property confiscated.Hui Ka Yan pleaded guilty in April to several charges, including embezzlement of assets and corporate bribery.Shenzhen Intermediate People’s Court also fined Evergrande Group 8.82bn yuan (£960m; $1.31bn), while its real estate unit was ordered to pay 7bn yuan, according to state media.Hui’s sentencing marks a key moment in the fallout from Evergrande’s collapse, which shook China’s property sector…
Timeline of Prince Harry and Meghan since leaving UKThe past few years have been littered with surprises from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.Harry and Meghan have become experts in shaking things up, making unexpected decisions, rocking the boat.Now add to that, the news that they are returning to live in the UK.Why are they moving now?I’ve now spoken to people who know the couple well. Although there had been general discussions about the possibility of spending more time in the UK, the decision to move back was made recently.The family’s visit to the UK in July was significant. As…
Getty ImagesUS national debt has more than doubled in a decade to reach a milestone $40tn (£29.4tn), Treasury figures show.The rise reflects years of heavy spending under both the Donald Trump and Joe Biden administrations, along with higher interest payments that have steadily added to the total. In 2016, the national debt stood at just under $20tn. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) had projected overall borrowing would reach $39.6tn only by the end of fiscal year 2026.The faster-than-expected rise has sharpened concerns about how quickly the government’s borrowing needs are growing, and what that means for future interest costs. As…