Author: Gulf News Week

LONDON (news agencies) — Carlos Alcaraz takes on Taylor Fritz, and Jannik Sinner faces Novak Djokovic in the men’s semifinals at Wimbledon.Both matchups are scheduled to be played Friday at Centre Court, with No. 2 seed Alcaraz vs. No. 5 Fritz leading things off at about 1:30 p.m. local time, followed by No. 1 Sinner vs. No. 6 Djokovic.The two winners will meet Sunday to decide the champion.Alcaraz has won the last two trophies at the All England Club, beating Djokovic in the final each time.Alcaraz is on a career-best 23-match winning streak that includes the championship at the French…

Syria’s wildfires are the first major natural disaster since the country overthrew the Bashar al-Assad regime in December.Qastal Maaf, Latakia, Syria – Abu Jameel Muhammed’s weathered hands, blackened by soot and ash, trembled as he patted the scorched earth around what remained of his beloved olive tree. At 80, the Syrian elder had survived a brutal civil war, economic collapse, and international sanctions – but the sight of his charred courtyard companion reduced him to tears. “Villagers rescued me as flames approached my home … I survived, but my only daughter on this land was consumed by fire. It was…

Fighters from PKK begin symbolic disarmament in Iraq’s northern Kurdish region, ending decades-long battle with Turkiye.The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) has begun the first steps towards disarmament, closing a chapter on a four-decade armed campaign against the Turkish state in a conflict that has killed more than 40,000 people. A small ceremony was held on Friday in Sulaimaniyah in Iraq’s northern Kurdish region, where 20 to 30 PKK fighters were destroying their weapons rather than surrendering them to any government or authority. The symbolic process was conducted under tight security and is expected to unfold throughout the summer. Images from…

WASHINGTON (news agencies) — FBI Director Kash Patel pledged at his confirmation hearing that the bureau would not look backward, but the Trump administration’s fresh scrutiny of the Russia investigation has brought back into focus a years-old inquiry that continues to infuriate the Republican president.The Justice Department appeared to acknowledge in an unusual statement this week the existence of investigations into two central players from that saga, former FBI Director James Comey and former CIA Director John Brennan, amid a new report revisiting a 2017 intelligence community assessment on Russian election interference. That the Russia investigation, which shadowed President Donald…

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (news agencies) — An Iranian attack on an air base in Qatar key to the U.S. military likely hit a geodesic dome housing equipment used by the Americans for secure communications, satellite images analyzed Friday by media show. The U.S. military and Qatar did not immediately respond to requests for comment over the damage, which so far has not been publicly acknowledged. The Iranian attack on Al Udeid Air Base outside of Doha, Qatar’s capital, on June 23 came as a response to the American bombing of three nuclear sites in Tehran — and provided the…

‘Positive trend’ in US-Russia ties remains despite Washington’s ‘zigzag’ policy, Moscow says.Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio have met again at the ASEAN foreign ministers’ meeting in Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur, according to Russia’s state-run TASS agency, with the war in Ukraine the key focus. The conversation followed a longer 50-minute meeting between the two top diplomats the previous day. While no details have yet emerged from Friday’s exchange, Rubio told reporters after Thursday’s talks that the two sides had discussed a possible “new and different approach” to reviving peace efforts over Ukraine. “I…

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (news agencies) — Cash is the lifeblood of the Gaza Strip’s shattered economy, and like all other necessities in this war-torn territory — food, fuel, medicine — it is in extremely short supply.With nearly every bank branch and ATM inoperable, people have become reliant on an unrestrained network of powerful cash brokers to get money for daily expenses — and commissions on those transactions have soared to about 40%.“The people are crying blood because of this,” said Ayman al-Dahdouh, a school director living in Gaza City. “It’s suffocating us, starving us.”At a time of surging inflation,…

NEW YORK (news agencies) — Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh thinks All-Star closer Andrés Muñoz was tipping pitches when he squandered a two-run lead in the ninth inning Thursday night against the New York Yankees.Muñoz was handed his sixth blown save in 27 opportunities this season after starter Bryan Woo held the Yankees hitless into the eighth.With the Mariners holding a 5-3 lead, Muñoz entered in the ninth. He allowed a leadoff single to Trent Grisham and a one-out single to Cody Bellinger before Ben Rice came back from an 0-2 count to draw a walk that loaded the bases…

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (news agencies) — An independent U.N. investigator and outspoken critic of Israel’s actions in Gaza said Thursday that “it was shocking” to learn that the Trump administration had imposed sanctions on her but defiantly stood by her view on the war.Francesca Albanese said in an interview with media that the powerful were trying to silence her for defending those without any power of their own, “other than standing and hoping not to die, not to see their children slaughtered.”“This is not a sign of power, it’s a sign of guilt,” the Italian human rights lawyer said.The State Department’s…

MANILA, Philippines (news agencies) — Asian shares were mixed in cautious trading Friday after Wall Street closed at an all-time high with Delta Air Lines kicking off earnings season with a solid outlook for the rest of 2025, spurring an airline stock rally.Chinese markets were sharply higher. The Hang Seng in Hong Kong added 1.6 % to 24,402.41, while the Shanghai Composite index climbed 1.1% to 3,546.50.Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 edged down 0.1% to 39,662.19, while South Korea’s Kospi was up 0.1% to 3,185.15. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 slipped 0.1% to 8,583.40. India’s BSE Sensex was flat at 83,190.28.“Just as the market…