Author: Gulf News Week

LONDON (news agencies) — Years of American-led investment into AIDS programs has reduced the number of people killed by the disease to the lowest levels seen in more than three decades, and provided life-saving medicines for some of the world’s most vulnerable. But in the last six months, the sudden withdrawal of U.S. money has caused a “systemic shock,” U.N. officials warned, adding that if the funding isn’t replaced, it could lead to more than 4 million AIDS-related deaths and 6 million more HIV infections by 2029.“The current wave of funding losses has already destabilized supply chains, led to the…

Four sailors from Eternity C dead, 10 found alive, 11 still missing – and six believed to be in Houthi hands.Houthi rebels in Yemen attempted to strike Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport after sinking two vessels in the Red Sea this week, as the group ramps up its military pressure in support of Palestinians under Israeli fire in its bid to bring the war in Gaza to an end. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said on Thursday that the group had carried out a “qualitative military operation” with a ballistic missile after the Israeli military reported the strike had been intercepted.…

ROME (news agencies) — Italy is hosting the fourth annual conference on rebuilding Ukraine even as Russia escalates its war, inviting political and business leaders to Rome to promote public-private partnerships on defense, mining, energy and other projects as uncertainty grows about the U.S. commitment to Kyiv’s defense.Premier Giorgia Meloni and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy were opening the meeting Thursday, which gets under way as Russia accelerated its aerial and ground attacks against Ukraine with another night of pounding missile and drone attacks on Kyiv.Italian organizers said 100 official delegations were attending and 40 international organizations and development banks. But…

NEW YORK (news agencies) — One game into his major league career, Cam Schlittler is the hardest-throwing member of the New York Yankees’ rotation.Schlittler used his 100 mph fastball to shut down Cal Raleigh and the Seattle Mariners during an eye-opening debut Wednesday night, pitching the Yankees to a 9-6 victory before a throng of friends and family members in the crowd.“Obviously, it’s been my goal my whole life,” Schlittler said. “I don’t think I’ve really processed it yet.” One of the team’s top-rated prospects, the 6-foot-6 Schlittler struck out seven over 5 1/3 innings to earn the win. He…

LONDON (news agencies) — After the bonhomie and banquets of a formal state visit, Prime Minister Keir Starmer and President Emmanuel Macron are turning to a topic that has stymied successive British and French governments: how to stop migrants from crossing the English Channel in small boats.At a U.K.-France summit on Thursday that caps Macron’s three-day stay, senior officials from the two countries will try to seal deals on economic growth, defense cooperation and – perhaps trickiest of all – unauthorized migration.Macron and Starmer also will visit a military base and dial in to a planning meeting of the “…

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (news agencies) — Rescuers searched Thursday for more than a dozen crew members who went missing after Yemen’s Houthi rebels sank a ship in the Red Sea as the United States alleged the group may “have kidnapped” those on board. The Houthis released dramatic footage of the sinking of the Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned Eternity C, which the rebels targeted with gunfire and explosive drones for hours, killing at least three crew members. The attack on the Eternity C, as well as the sinking of the bulk carrier Magic Seas after another attack Sunday, represent a new level…

WASHINGTON (news agencies) — A surprise move by the IRS that would allow pastors to back political candidates from the pulpit without losing their organization’s tax-exempt status is drawing praise from conservatives and even some progressive religious groups but concern from other leaders of faith, along with tax and legal experts.A 1954 provision in the tax code called the Johnson Amendment says churches and other nonprofits could lose their tax-exempt status if they participate or intervene in any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for public office. The rule was rarely enforced. While the IRS…

NEW YORK (news agencies) — Forty years ago, the legendary Live Aid concerts aimed to do a lot of good — helping to raise over $100 million for famine relief in Ethiopia and inspiring worldwide awareness for a cause it might otherwise have ignored.Simulcast from Philadelphia and London on July 13, 1985, Live Aid was the most ambitious global television event of its time: 16 hours of live music in two different continents featuring Queen, The Who, a Led Zeppelin reunion and more.A lot has changed in the years since. “Live Aid, ’85 to now, is the same distance as…

NEW YORK (news agencies) — Jazz Chisholm Jr. homered twice and drove in four runs, and Cam Schlittler won his impressive major league debut as the New York Yankees beat the Seattle Mariners 9-6 on Wednesday night. Jasson Domínguez had three hits, including an RBI single, and Aaron Judge added a two-run double to help the Yankees overcome four Seattle homers. New York has won three straight following its second six-game losing streak since mid-June.One of the team’s top-rated prospects, Schlittler (1-0) was called up from the minors to start in place of injured Clarke Schmidt. The 24-year-old right-hander froze…

Draft deal to end bitter decades-long conflict agreed 4 months ago, but timeline for sealing it remains uncertain.The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan are holding peace talks in the United Arab Emirates after nearly four decades of conflict. The meeting in Abu Dhabi on Thursday between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, confirmed by both their governments, comes after the two countries finalised a draft peace deal in March. The South Caucasus countries have fought a series of wars since the late 1980s when Nagorno-Karabakh, a region in Azerbaijan that had a mostly ethnic-Armenian population at…