Author: Gulf News Week
AFP via Getty ImagesBruno Foucher has served in CAR since 2023France has opened disciplinary proceedings against its top diplomat in the Central African Republic (CAR) over accusations of misconduct.This emerged after a report in a French weekly that Ambassador Bruno Foucher allegedly had brought dozens of women into his official residence and had sex with some of them. He has not commented publicly.The allegations, which refer to events said to have happened between January 2024 and March this year, prompted investigations by France’s foreign ministry into a potential security breach.A French diplomat told the BBC that the ministry has since…
Hannibal Hanschke/EPA/ShutterstockThe 71st Eurovision final will take place on 15 May 2027 in Burgos, Bulgaria after singer Dara’s win last time outEurovision 2027 will be a seaside song contest held in the Bulgarian city of Burgas, organisers have confirmed.The competition will take place in the city, which is close to the Black Sea, from 12 to 15 May, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and Bulgarian National Television (BNT) announced on Thursday.It comes after Bulgarian singer Dara won this year’s contest in Vienna, Austria in May – her country’s first Eurovision win – with her pneumatic dance anthem Bangaranga.Eurovision Song Contest…
WASHINGTON (news agencies) — Public health experts have been quick to condemn an executive order from President Donald Trump aimed at upending childhood vaccinations in the U.S., but the biggest obstacles may be the unprecedented financial and logistical challenges it would impose on parents, health providers and drugmakers.Monday’s announcement by the Republican president calls for separating combination shots — including the measles, mumps and rubella, or MMR, vaccine — into separate injections. Appointments for that and other vaccinations should be spaced out whenever possible, the order states.To accomplish that, drugmakers would need to revive a slate of individual vaccines that…
Ministry of DefenceRoyal Marine Commandos were involved in the operation to seize the MT SmyrtosThe UK government has defended its seizure of a Russian “shadow fleet” oil tanker in the English Channel, after Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to “respond in kind”.The Smyrtos has been anchored off Weymouth after Royal Marines Commandos intercepted and boarded the vessel in a first-of-its-kind operation to disrupt the sanctioned tanker in June.The vessel’s captain, Ajay Pant, has been charged with breaching Russian sanctions, accused of directly or indirectly supplying or delivering prohibited Russian oil.Overseeing Russian navy drills in the Pacific Ocean, Putin scolded Western…
Watch: Millions watch ‘surreal’ eclipse in UK and EuropeThe UK and Europe have enjoyed their most dramatic solar eclipse for nearly 30 years, with millions thought to have witnessed the once-in-a-generation event.Those watching the astronomical phenomenon from the UK were treated to a partial eclipse, which peaked shortly after 19:00 BST, when most saw more than 90% of the Sun covered by the Moon.But parts of Greenland, Iceland and Spain experienced the complete darkness and spectacle of a total eclipse. Large crowds at viewing sites across the UK and Europe reacted with gasps and cheers, with astronomy enthusiasts saying it…
Vikram/InstagramVikram, an actor from Tamil Nadu, posted a clip of him playing with the endangered animalA video posted by a Tamil film star showing him cuddling an endangered gibbon has triggered an investigation by Indian wildlife officials over how he came into contact with the animal.Vikram, an award-winning actor from the southern state of Tamil Nadu, was seen hugging and playing with a lar gibbon in a now-deleted video posted on Instagram on Monday.The state’s forest department has since begun investigating how the gibbon came to be at a private home and whether rules governing its possession and transfer were…
MLB Photos via Getty ImagesBTS member V says he has been dealing with hearing issues for more than two yearsV, a member of pop sensation BTS, says he has been receiving treatment for hearing loss in one ear, an announcement that comes midway through the band’s highly-anticipated world tour.In a livestream on Wednesday, the 30-year-old said that he has dealt with the problem for about two and a half years. This was the first time he was revealing it to the band’s fans, he said.”If the hearing in my left ear is at 100, it’s only about 30 in my…
Universal Images Group via Getty ImagesSome see them as sinister but these birds play a vital role in nature’s cycle”People fear the environment where the shrine is. No evil will ever happen here. So, nobody fights vultures that perch here,” a man they call the Vulture King tells the BBC.Mostly associated with death and decay, perhaps it is not surprising that when vultures disappeared from the skies across many West African cities, they were not missed.Yet across the continent, their disappearance is becoming impossible to ignore, as conservationists warn that hunting linked to traditional beliefs and spiritual practices continues to…
AFP via Getty ImagesRussian state media said it was Putin’s first visit to the Kuril islandsJapan said it “strongly protests” Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to a disputed island chain.Russian state media reported on Thursday that Putin visited Iturup – known in Japan as Etorofu – one of four islands in the Kuril chain that are claimed by both Russia and Japan.Japan’s foreign minister Toshimitsu Motegi said the islands are “inherently Japanese territory both historically and under international law, and the Government of Japan strongly protests this visit”.The two countries have been locked in a dispute over the Kuril islands…
‘Justified’ or ‘no business being there’? Tennessee munitions town loyal to Trump but divided on IranAs one local puts it, there’s a “church on every street” of the Appalachian community of Kingsport, in the US state of Tennessee.Christianity reigns supreme in this working-class area. Above downtown’s historic Lamplight Theatre, a sign proclaims “Jesus first in all things”.And while more than 300 area churches may be providing spiritual sustenance to this town of 58,000 people, there’s another institution that supplies it with economic nourishment.The Holston Army Ammunition Plant churns out explosives used in Patriot missiles, warheads and other heavy weaponry in…