Author: Gulf News Week

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (news agencies) — A Liberian-flagged cargo ship attacked by Yemen’s Houthi rebels sank Wednesday in the Red Sea, and a European naval force in the Mideast said only six of the 25 people who were on board have been rescued.The attack on the Eternity C, which also killed at least three of the crew, represents the most serious assault carried out by the Houthis in the crucial maritime trade route where $1 trillion in cargo once passed through annually. From November 2023 to December 2024, the Houthis targeted more than 100 ships with missiles and drones…

The Detroit Tigers have the best record in the majors. Now they are tied for having the most All-Stars, too.Zach McKinstry was picked Wednesday to replace Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña, who has been dealing with a rib injury. The infielder-outfielder will join Detroit second baseman Gleyber Torres and outfielders Javier Báez and Riley Greene — all AL starters — and staff ace Tarik Skubal, who also is among the candidates to start the All-Star Game on Tuesday night in Atlanta.The five All-Stars for Detroit is tied for the most with the World Series champion Dodgers, who have DH Shohei Ohtani,…

Analysts say Trump’s call for ceasefire is incomplete without using US leverage to push Israel to conclude negotiations.Washington, DC – The White House says Donald Trump’s “utmost priority” in the Middle East is to end the war in Gaza. But as the United States president hosts Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week, the two leaders have heaped praise on each other. Meanwhile, Israel continues its assault on the Palestinian territory, where more than 57,575 people have been killed. Analysts say that if Trump is truly seeking a lasting ceasefire in Gaza, he must leverage US military aid to Israel…

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (news agencies) — Fabián Ruiz scored twice as Paris Saint-Germain built a three-goal lead in the first 24 minutes and routed Real Madrid 4-0 on Wednesday, advancing to the Club World Cup final against Chelsea.Ruiz scored in the sixth minute and Ousmane Dembélé in the ninth following glaring mistakes by defenders Raúl Asencio and Antonio Rüdiger, and Ruiz made it 3-0 to cap a counter. Gonçalo Ramos added a goal in the 87th.Coming off its first European title, PSG plays for the championship on Sunday.Real fared no better than Inter Milan, overrun by PSG 5-0 in the…

UNITED NATIONS (news agencies) — More than 17 million people in conflict-torn Yemen are going hungry, including over a million children under the age of 5 who are suffering from “life-threatening acute malnutrition,” the United Nations humanitarian chief said Wednesday.Tom Fletcher told the U.N. Security Council that the food security crisis in the Arab world’s poorest country, which is beset by civil war, has been accelerating since late 2023.The number of people going hungry could climb to over 18 million by September, he warned, and the number of children with acute malnutrition could surge to 1.2 million early next year,…

SEATTLE (news agencies) — Though natural disasters cycle across seasons and regions in the U.S., it’s often a shocking discovery for property owners how expansive and expensive flood and water damage can be when a major storm devastates their homes, businesses and communities.That’s because oftentimes insurance doesn’t cover what the policyholder thinks it does — or thinks it should.The disappointing surprise is that while the standard home insurance policy does cover fire and wind damage, even good property insurance typically doesn’t cover things like flooding and earthquakes, which usually require a special and separate policy for each. Here are the…

WASHINGTON (news agencies) — When President Donald Trump last rolled out tariffs this high, financial markets quaked, consumer confidence crashed and his popularity plunged. Only three months later, he’s betting this time is different. In his new round of tariffs being announced this week, Trump is essentially tethering the entire world economy to his instinctual belief that import taxes will deliver factory jobs and stronger growth in the U.S., rather than the inflation and slowdown predicted by many economists.On Tuesday, he told his Cabinet that past presidents who hadn’t aggressively deployed tariffs were “stupid.” Ever the salesman, Trump added that…

“Are we racists?” That’s the blunt question posed by Bobo, a white girl living on a farm in Africa, to her horrified (and defensive) mother.There are so many ways this three-word line reading could land wrongly — or just seem forced or mannered. But it feels thoroughly organic when voiced by Lexi Venter, an extraordinary first-time actor who gives, at age 7, one of the more compelling child performances in recent memory in “Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight.”It’s a performance that was seeded, watered and nurtured by Embeth Davidtz, an extraordinary actor herself who wrote, directed and stars…

NEW YORK (news agencies) — Major League Baseball plans to use its robot umpire technology for ball-strike challenges in Tuesday’s All-Star Game at Atlanta, another step toward possible regular-season use next season.MLB said Wednesday it intends to make the All-Star announcement Thursday.Teams won 52.2% of their ball/strike challenges during the spring training test, with 617 of 1,182 challenges successful in the 288 exhibition games using the Automated Ball-Strike System. ABS was installed at 13 spring training ballparks hosting 19 teams, and an animation of the pitch was shown on video boards displaying the challenge result for spectators to see.Baseball Commissioner…

The U.S. is having its worst year for measles spread since 1991, with a total of 1,288 cases nationally and another six months to go. But in Gaines County, Texas, which was once the nation’s epicenter for measles activity, health officials said they are no longer seeing ongoing measles transmission. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention count, updated Wednesday, is 14 more cases than in all of 2019, when the U.S. almost lost its status of having eliminated measles. There’ve been three deaths in the U.S. this year, and all were unvaccinated: two elementary school-aged children in West…