Author: Gulf News Week
Turkish qualifier Zeynep Sonmez and Russian star Ekaterina Alexandrova rush to aid ailing ball kid, shining spotlight on tournament conditions before Sonmez completes stunning upset. MELBOURNE – A first-round match at the Australian Open was abruptly suspended Sunday when a ball girl collapsed in the heat, triggering an immediate and compassionate response from both players on court. The incident occurred during the second set of the match between 11th-seeded Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova and Turkish qualifier Zeynep Sonmez. As Alexandrova prepared to serve, the ball girl, stationed near the umpire’s chair, fell backward onto the court. Without hesitation, Sonmez sprinted to the…
Nearly all of the flimsy tents in Palestinian displacement camps have been rendered unusable due to the harsh winter conditions.A new storm is forecast to hit Gaza, adding further to the suffering of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians living in makeshift tents in displacement camps that are already unfit to withstand the harsh winter weather.Israel’s more than two-year genocidal war has forced nearly all of Gaza’s two million people from their homes to live in these temporary shelters.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Gaza babies ‘suffering from severe cold’ as Israel keeps blocking aidlist 2 of 3Gaza children…
Iran accuses US and Israel of provoking unrest, opposition claims state forces responsible for majority of deaths.Tehran, Iran – Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has acknowledged that “several thousands” of Iranians have been killed since protests started in late December among shopkeepers in downtown Tehran, before gradually spreading to big and small cities.That confirmation is unusual because Khamenei has typically avoided commenting on death tolls during previous protests in Iran over the years.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Sudan’s people endure ‘horror and hell’ in war, says UN rights chieflist 2 of 3‘Everything is bad’: Fear and anxiety grip…
Talks follow a truce that ended days of fighting and brought Syrian Democratic Forces under state control.Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa is set to meet Mazloum Abdi, the head of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), to consolidate a ceasefire after days of battles that saw the army and government-allied tribal forces sweep across the north of the country from Aleppo to Raqqa.The meeting on Monday, postponed from Sunday due to bad weather, follows a dramatic escalation that saw Syrian government forces retake large swathes of territory in the northeast, forcing the SDF to accept a truce and a wide-ranging agreement that…
Pape Gueye scores in a 1-0 win following extra time after Senegal leave the field in protest at penalty decision.Senegal stormed off the field in protest at a penalty awarded against them before returning to beat hosts Morocco 1-0 after extra time, and win the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), amid farcical scenes in the final.Midfielder Pape Gueye netted the 94th-minute winner on Sunday, after Morocco’s star player Brahim Diaz squandered the chance to win it for the home side by fluffing the last-gasp penalty in normal time following a 14-minute delay.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Police…
Donald Trump unveils a complex three-tier governing structure for Gaza that places Trump and pro-Israel officials at the top, while Palestinians are relegated to municipal duties.US President Donald Trump has officially outlined the architecture of the “Board of Peace”, which is expected to “fulfill” Trump’s 20-point plan for Gaza, days after US envoy Steve Witkoff launched “phase two” of the United States-brokered plan to end Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.A statement published by the White House on Saturday details a three-tiered power structure – with a US-led “Board of Peace” comprised of billionaires and figures close to Israel at the…
Any governance structure that does not take into account the Palestinian national aspirations is doomed to failure.Last week, just as Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip intensified, United States presidential envoy Steven Witkoff announced on social media that the “ceasefire” is entering its second stage. In the following days, the administration of US President Donald Trump unveiled the makeup of a foreign executive committee and a peace board that will oversee the provisional administration of Gaza composed of Palestinian technocrats.This setup reflects the wishes of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that neither Hamas nor the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority (PA) would…
Agreement will see government takeover of SDF-controlled areas, and SDF integration into the Syrian military.The Syrian government has announced a ceasefire has been agreed with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) that will involve the withdrawal of the latter’s forces from areas west of the Euphrates River, according to Syrian state media.Sunday’s deal will also see SDF forces integrate into the Syrian military.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Recent fighting in Syria is “a nightmare scenario for the US”list 2 of 3Syrian army advances on SDF stronghold of Raqqa: What’s the latest?list 3 of 3Photos: Syrian government forces…
United Nations rights chief Volker Turk visits Sudan and says people in country are going through ‘hell’.United Nations rights chief Volker Turk says the war in Sudan has put its people through “horror and hell”, as Sudan’s population continues to face acute food insecurity and displacement.During his first visit to Sudan since the war began in April 2023, Turk said it was “despicable” that funds that “should be used to alleviate the suffering of the population” were instead spent on advanced weapons, especially drones.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Harrowing testimonies of sexual assault in Sudan brought to…
Gaza City, al-Mawasi, Bureij refugee camp and Rafah all come under Israeli air attacks and gunfire.Israeli forces have wounded several Palestinians across the Gaza Strip, firing on civilians and launching air and artillery attacks in the latest near-daily violations of the ceasefire in place since October, as its genocidal war on the besieged enclave continues unabated.Medical sources told the Palestinian news agency Wafa that Israeli drone fire on Sunday injured civilians in the Zeitoun neighbourhood in southern Gaza City. In southern Gaza, two people, including a girl, were wounded by Israeli gunfire in al-Mawasi, west of Khan Younis.Recommended Stories list…