Author: Gulf News Week

From Washington to Copenhagen and Pretoria, blaming migrants has become the easiest governing strategy of our time.“I don’t want them in our country. I’ll be honest with you, OK. Somebody will say, ‘Oh, that’s not politically correct.’ I don’t care. I don’t want them in our country. Their country is no good for a reason …”This is what United States President Donald Trump had to say about Somali migrants on the first day of an immigration crackdown targeting their community. He insisted that Somali migrants have turned the US state of Minnesota, where some 2 percent of the population is…

Report by NGOs also finds healthcare system largely not functioning in Khartoum, months after city recaptured by army.Ninety-seven percent of households in Sudan’s capital are facing food shortages, and the healthcare system has largely collapsed across the city, according to an assessment that reveals the scale of the humanitarian catastrophe gripping the war-torn country.The report, released this week by the humanitarian organisations Medical Teams International and Norwegian Church Aid, found that three-quarters of families in Khartoum consume fewer than 1,800 calories daily.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Rubio says Trump to get involved in Sudan peace efforts as…

Ousted Syrian leader’s former spy chief and billionaire cousin scheme to destabilise Syria with armed violence.Former loyalists to deposed Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad are funnelling millions of dollars to tens of thousands of potential fighters in a bid to start uprisings against the country’s fledgling government, a Reuters investigation has found.The plot, uncovered through interviews with 48 people and financial documents reviewed by the Reuters news agency, comes as Syria marks one year since al-Assad’s fall and as the new government under President Ahmed al-Sharaa gains international legitimacy.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Syria’s Hama full of ‘hope,…

Thousands have taken to the streets in the central city, celebrating a new Syria free of al-Assad’s reign.Thousands of people have poured into the streets of Syria’s central city of Hama to mark one year since forces loyal to Bashar al-Assad were expelled days before the longtime ruler’s ouster.The atmosphere in the city – long a stronghold of opposition to al-Assad – is one of “hope and belief” in Syria’s future, reported media’s Assed Baig from Hama’s al-Assi Square.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Aftermath of Homs killings may mark turning point for Syria’s governmentlist 2 of 3Syria…

At least 27 Super Lig club players are suspected of having bet on matches involving their own teams.Prosecutors in Turkiye have ordered the detention of 46 people, including 29 footballers from top-tier clubs, club presidents, commentators and others, as part of a widening investigation into insider betting that has roiled the country’s professional football leagues.Among the arrested players, 27 were suspected of having bet on matches involving their own teams, the public prosecutor’s office in Istanbul said in a statement on Friday.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Is global sports betting out of control?list 2 of 3All you…

Head coach Ghalenoei is part of the delegation attending the draw despite saying they would boycott it over visa issues.Iranian football team’s head coach Ardeshir Amir Ghalenoei has arrived in Washington, DC, with a delegation of the Islamic Republic of Iran Football Federation, before the draw for the FIFA World Cup 2026.FIFA confirmed the delegation’s presence in the United States capital on Friday, as preparations continue for the expanded 48-team tournament next summer, which will be hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico.Iran initially said they would boycott the ceremony in the US capital over visa issues.While Iran had applied…

Lebanese leader urges UNSC to press Israel to respect the November 2024 ceasefire it has repeatedly violated.Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun has met with a visiting United Nations Security Council (UNSC) delegation to discuss escalating tensions with Israel and efforts to disarm Hezbollah, a day after a wave of Israeli raids rocked the south of the country, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA).Speaking with the UNSC team on Friday, Aoun urged them to pressure Israel to respect a November 2024 ceasefire it has violated on a near-daily basis and to withdraw from areas it continues to occupy in southern Lebanon.Recommended…

The initiative is helping Gaza’s children ‘glimpse a better reality’, says Palestinian filmmaker Mustafa al-Nabih.Children in Gaza City, traumatised from more than two years of mass bombardment and displacement, the loss of family, friends and the destruction of their homes and schools in Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, are getting a brief reprieve through a local cinema initiative.Volunteers have set up a makeshift screen in one of the city’s displacement camps to show films, offering children a rare space to have fun and experience moments of normalcy and solace despite the war and ongoing ceasefire violations by Israel.Recommended Stories list…

Sudan Doctors Network says ‘deliberate suicide-drone attacks’ targeted a kindergarten and several civilian facilities.The death toll from Rapid Support Forces (RSF) attacks on a kindergarten and other sites in the city of Kalogi in South Kordofan state has risen to about 47 people – mostly children – with about 50 others injured, two military sources in the government-aligned Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have told media.According to the sources, the RSF attacked the kindergarten on Thursday and then returned to target civilians who had gathered to offer assistance amid the carnage. The city’s hospital and a government building were also bombed.Recommended…

Abu Shabab became prominent last year leading an armed group operating in Israeli-controlled areas of Gaza.The killing of Gaza militia leader Yasser Abu Shabab, confirmed by his Popular Forces group and by Israeli media, is the final chapter of a man who tried to present himself – with Israeli support – as an alternative to Hamas, but who was widely derided by Palestinians as a collaborator.In his early 30s and from southern Gaza’s Bedouin Tarabin tribe, Abu Shabab was largely unknown in the Palestinian enclave until his emergence at the head of a militia last year. Initially called the “Anti-Terror…