Author: Gulf News Week

PHILADELPHIA (news agencies) — A union representing thousands of city workers in Philadelphia and the city have reached a deal to end a more than weeklong strike that halted residential curbside trash pickup and affected other services, officials said Wednesday.Nearly 10,000 blue-collar employees from District Council 33 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees had walked off the job July 1, seeking better pay and benefits after failing to agree with the city on a new contract.The tentative agreement was announced on what would have been the ninth day of the strike. That period, which included the…

Army shares video of troops on ground in ‘targeted nighttime operation’ amid near-daily attacks against neighbour.Israeli troops have entered southern Lebanon, the military says, to dismantle infrastructure belonging to Hezbollah, in its latest near-daily violation of its November ceasefire with the Lebanese armed group. The military said in a statement on Wednesday that it had launched “special, targeted operations” to destroy Hezbollah facilities and prevent the group from “reestablishing itself in the area”. It claimed the ground incursion had been launched, acting on “intelligence information and the identification of Hezbollah weapons and terrorist infrastructure in several areas of southern Lebanon”.…

LOME, Togo (news agencies) — The family courtyard where Jacques Koami Koutoglo used to play football with his cousins in a working-class neighborhood in Togo ‘s capital now sits silent. The ball he once kicked around lies deflated beside a bundle of firewood.“Jacques died for Togo,” his uncle, Koutoglo Kossi Mawuli, said quietly, eyes heavy with grief.The 15-year-old is one of several people who died during mass protests in the West African nation against constitutional changes that many fear will cement President Faure Gnassingbé’s grip on power — and lengthen a ruling dynasty that has lasted over half a century.The…

LONDON (news agencies) — When Jannik Sinner and Ben Shelton — who were scheduled to meet in the quarterfinals Wednesday — walk toward the wood-and-glass doors leading to the grass at Wimbledon’s second-biggest stadium, known as No. 1 Court, they and other players pass through a hallway renovated this year to display memorabilia and photos from the arena’s history.“We were really keen to create a more inspiring place for players and create a sense of occasion,” said Malin Lundin, the All England Club’s collections manager. “We wanted to highlight main events from the history of this court and what sets…

WASHINGTON (news agencies) — Human-caused climate change is responsible for killing about 1,500 people in last week’s European heat wave, a first-of-its-kind rapid study found.Those 1,500 people “have only died because of climate change, so they would not have died if it would not have been for our burning of oil, coal and gas in the last century,” said study co-author Friederike Otto, a climate scientist at Imperial College in London.Scientists at Imperial and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine used peer-reviewed techniques to calculate that about 2,300 people in 12 cities likely died from the heat in…

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (news agencies) — At least 40 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, hospital officials said Wednesday, as international mediators raced to complete a ceasefire deal.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had a second meeting in two days with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday evening. Trump has been pushing for a ceasefire that might lead to an end to the 21-month war in Gaza. Israel and Hamas are considering a new U.S.-backed ceasefire proposal that would pause the war, free Israeli hostages and send much-needed aid into Gaza.Nasser Hospital…

NEW YORK (news agencies) — As job-seekers look for work in a challenging environment, an increasing number are falling victim to job scams that promise good pay for completing easy online tasks, according to the Federal Trade Commission. The scams start innocuously, often with a tailor-made text or WhatsApp message, and the scammers take time to build trust with the victim before cashing in on the relationship.“Most of the people who end up losing money to a scammer are behaving pretty rationally,” said Kati Daffan, assistant director of the Federal Trade Commission’s division of marketing practices. “Scammers are sophisticated, and…

MILTON KEYNES, England (news agencies) — Longtime Red Bull team principal Christian Horner was fired abruptly on Wednesday after a 20-year stint that included eight Formula 1 drivers’ titles and a rise to celebrity status. Red Bull did not give a reason for the decision in a statement Wednesday, but thanked Horner for his work and said he will “forever remain an important part of our team history.”Laurent Mekies of sister team Racing Bulls will replace Horner in his role as chief executive of the Red Bull team.Horner had been Red Bull team principal since it entered F1 as a…

WASHINGTON (news agencies) — President Donald Trump and his advisers promised a lightning round of global trade negotiations with dozens of countries back in April.White House trade adviser Peter Navarro predicted “90 deals in 90 days.’’ Administration officials declared that other countries were desperate to make concessions to avoid the massive import taxes – tariffs — that Trump was threatening to plaster on their products starting July 9.But the 90 days have come and gone. And the tally of trade deals stands at two – one with the United Kingdom and one with Vietnam. Trump has also announced the framework…

Surge in Red Sea attacks after months of calm potentially signals revival of Houthis’ campaign over Gaza war.Five crew members have been rescued from a Liberian-flagged cargo ship in the Red Sea after a suspected attack from Yemen’s Houthi group, according to a maritime monitor. The attack is so far known to have killed at least three sailors out of the 22-member crew and wounded two. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre (UKMTO), run by the British military, said on Wednesday that “search and rescue operations commenced overnight” after Monday’s attack on the Greek-owned Eternity C. UKMTO had said…