Author: Gulf News Week

Recent wildfires have torn through southeastern Turkiye’s Hatay, still recovering from a February 2023 earthquake.Antakya, Turkiye – The darkening sky and thick, acrid smoke carried by scorching winds filled residents of Turkiye’s Hatay province with dread. “It was like waking up, but you’re back in a nightmare,” said Hatice Nur Yilmaz, 23, her voice trembling on the phone as she described seeing flames from her container home in Antakya, Hatay’s largest city. Yilmaz studies at Osmangazi University, in northwest Turkiye’s Eskisehir, almost 400 miles (643 kilometres) away from Antakya. But she was back in her family’s temporary home – Antakya…

NEW YORK (news agencies) — While classmates dreamed of becoming teachers, doctors and professional athletes, Burna Boy was clear on his future aspirations.“They would hand out the papers and the question would be, ‘What you wanna be?’ … I’d write ‘rock star,’” said the Afrobeats giant. “One of my teachers asked me, ‘What do rock stars do?’ I didn’t really know what to say.”These days, the Grammy winner’s music talks for him. Fresh off becoming the first African artist to sell out Paris’ iconic Stade de France in April, Burna Boy has been on an incredible run, and hopes it…

Medicide is a central part of Israel’s goal of making Palestinian life in Gaza impossible.After her parents, sister and husband were killed in a bombing, Lubnah prayed they would be the last victims of the war. Her father, Dr Marwan al-Sultan, was one of Gaza’s most respected medics, director of the Indonesian Hospital, and one of only two surviving cardiologists in the Strip. On July 2, an Israeli bomb killed him, alongside his wife Dhikra, their daughter Lamees, his sister Amneh, and his son-in-law Mohammed, Lubnah’s husband. The family had been sheltering in an apartment, in an area designated by…

Chet Holmgren has agreed on a five-year contract extension worth nearly $240 million to remain with the NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder, a person with knowledge of the deal said Wednesday.The person spoke to media on condition of anonymity because the signing has not yet been announced. ESPN, which first reported the deal, citing agent Bill Duffy, said it could eventually be worth $250 million because of various contract escalators.It is the second major extension for the Thunder since winning the NBA title last month. The other went to NBA MVP, NBA Finals MVP and reigning scoring champion Shai Gilgeous-Alexander,…

WASHINGTON (news agencies) — President Joe Biden’s former White House physician is refusing to answer questions as part of the House Republican investigation into Biden’s health in office.Dr. Kevin O’Connor invoked doctor-client privilege and his rights under the Fifth Amendment during an appearance Wednesday before the House Oversight Committee, his attorneys said.Republicans are conducting a sweeping investigation into Biden’s actions in office and questioning whether the Democrat’s use of an autopen in office may have been invalid. They have also claimed that some policies carried out by the White House autopen may be invalid if it is proven that Biden…

Pharmaceutical giant Merck is buying Verona Pharma, a company that focuses on respiratory diseases, in an approximately $10 billion deal.The deal gives Merck access to Verona Pharma’s new chronic obstructive pulmonary disease medication Ohtuvayre. U.S. regulators approved the inhaled medication more than a year ago to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, in adults.“Ohtuvayre complements and expands our pipeline and portfolio of treatments for cardiopulmonary diseases while delivering near- and long-term growth as well as value for shareholders,” Merck & Co. Inc. Chairman and CEO Robert Davis said in a statement.Verona CEO David Zaccardelli added that Merck’s commercial reach…

WASHINGTON (news agencies) — President Donald Trump’s administration sued the California Department of Education on Wednesday for allowing transgender girls to compete on girls sports teams, alleging the policy violates federal law. The move escalates an ongoing battle between the Republican administration in Washington and Democratic-led California over trans athletes competing in girls and women’s sports. The lawsuit filed by the Justice Department says California’s transgender athlete policies violate Title IX, the federal law that bans discrimination in education based on sex. The department says California’s rules “are not only illegal and unfair but also demeaning, signaling to girls that…

You may be seeing elaborate shower cleansing routines on social media: daily exfoliation, double cleansing, antibacterial soap, loads of scented body scrubs and shower oils. “I’m kind of appalled by the shower routines,” said Dr. Olga Bunimovich, a dermatologist who teaches at the University of Pittsburgh Medical College. The multistep processes that have inspired people to spend endless amounts of time sudsing up can harm your skin — and the environment. Dermatologists say it’s all mostly unnecessary. “Your skin is a barrier,” said Dr. Nicole Negbenebor, a dermatologic surgeon at University of Iowa Health Care. “It’s one of the biggest…

In 1974, when it seemed as though everyone was leaving South Africa, Embeth Davidtz’s family was going back.Davidtz, a familiar presence in films and television for over 30 years with memorable roles in everything from “Schindler’s List” to “Matilda,” was born in the United States to white, South African parents. When she was 8, they decided to return during a time of upheaval.Although the transition from “innocent New Jersey” was hard, it was also a life-making, character- and imagination-building experience that she’s still processing to this day. It’s where she grew up. It’s where she began acting. And it’s where…

WASHINGTON (news agencies) — The State Department is warning U.S. diplomats of attempts to impersonate Secretary of State Marco Rubio and possibly other officials using technology driven by artificial intelligence, according to two senior officials and a cable sent last week to all embassies and consulates.The warning came after the department discovered that an impostor posing as Rubio had attempted to reach out to at least three foreign ministers, a U.S. senator and a governor, according to the July 3 cable, which was first reported by The Washington Post.The recipients of the scam messages, which were sent by text, Signal…