Author: Gulf News Week

Displaced mothers are forced into gruelling manual labour to feed families as new data confirm Sudan has surpassed COVID-19 records for school closures.In the displacement camps of Ad-Damazin in southeastern Sudan’s Blue Nile State, the war is reshaping social norms and introducing new realities that are forcing Sudanese women into manual labour to survive.Rasha is a displaced mother. She has ignored old boundaries and perceptions of what a man’s work is and started working as a woodcutter to feed her children.“Carpentry is hard, … but the axe has become an extension of my hand,” Rasha told media Arabic. “There are…

Al-Maliki remains a potent force despite longstanding claims he fuelled sectarianism and failed to stop ISIL expansion.Iraqi former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is on the verge of a return to power after being nominated as the country’s next premier by an alliance of Shia political blocs that hold a majority in parliament.The Shia Coordination Framework said on Saturday that it had picked al-Maliki, leader of the Islamic Dawa Party, as its nominee for the post based on his “political and administrative experience and his role in managing the state”.Recommended Stories list of 2 itemslist 1 of 2US begins transferring ISIL-linked…

Syrian defence ministry says extension aims to help transfer of ISIL prisoners from facilities previously held by SDF.A ceasefire agreement between Syria’s military and Kurdish-led forces has been extended for 15 days, the Syrian Ministry of Defence announced.The ministry said late on Saturday that the extension, which began at 11pm local time (20:00 GMT), aims to support a United States operation to transfer ISIL (ISIS) prisoners from detention facilities previously controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3US envoy meets SDF commander, calls for Syria ceasefire to be upheldlist 2 of 3Anxiety,…

A prosecutor said at least twice more people were killed in Iran in half the time compared with the Srebrenica genocide.Tehran, Iran – The Iranian state has rejected a resolution by the United Nations’ Human Rights Council that strongly condemned the “violent crackdown on peaceful protests” by security forces that left thousands dead.After a detailed meeting and discussions in Geneva on Friday, 25 members of the council, including France, Japan and South Korea, voted in favour of the censure resolution.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Thousands in Minneapolis brave bitter cold to protest ICE crackdownlist 2 of 3Brazil’s…

The attack hits civilians gathering firewood near Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, sources say.Two children have been killed in an Israeli attack in northern Gaza in the latest violation of its ceasefire deal with Hamas in the Palestinian enclave.Medical sources in Gaza on Saturday said the children belonging to the same family were killed when an Israeli drone struck civilians gathering firewood near Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4‘Imperial’ agenda: What’s Trump’s Gaza development plan, unveiled in Davos?list 2 of 4Gaza war docudrama The Voice of Hind Rajab nominated for Academy…

Syria’s foreign ministry denies government forces reached an agreement with SDF on extending the deadline.Pressure is mounting on the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces to fully integrate its fighters into the Syrian army as the clock ticks down on a ceasefire deal due to expire today.Syria’s foreign ministry on Saturday denied that government forces had reached an agreement with the SDF on extending the deadline of the ceasefire deal reached earlier this week.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Syrian government takes over prison with ISIL-linked detainees in Raqqalist 2 of 4Anxiety, anger, and hope in Syria’s Damascus after SDF…

Air France and KLM announce pauses as Trump says ‘armada’ of US warships heading towards Middle East.At least two European airlines have suspended flights to cities in the Middle East, with Air France saying it will temporarily stop service to Dubai as it continues to monitor the “geopolitical situation”.Dutch airline KLM also halted flights until further notice to cities in Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia and would not fly through the airspace of several countries in the region, including Iraq and Iran, according to the Netherlands’ state broadcaster NOS.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4‘Stripped…

British PM and European allies condemn former U.S. president’s suggestion that allies avoided frontline combat, citing sacrifices of hundreds of coalition troops. LONDON — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer issued a sharp rebuke of former U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday, calling his suggestion that European allies avoided frontline combat in Afghanistan “insulting and frankly appalling,” as a chorus of condemnation grew from leaders, veterans, and diplomats across Europe. Trump, during an interview with Fox Business Network on Thursday, said European NATO allies had stayed “a little off the front lines” during the war in Afghanistan and asserted the United States…

Pentagon’s new defense blueprint envisions Seoul assuming primary responsibility with “more limited” American support, potentially reshaping US troop presence and Indo-Pacific priorities. WASHINGTON — The Pentagon’s newly released National Defense Strategy outlines a significant recalibration of America’s military role in Northeast Asia, declaring that South Korea should take “primary responsibility” for deterring North Korea with “critical but more limited US support.” The policy document, published Friday, signals a potential future reduction or restructuring of the 28,500 US troops stationed in South Korea. It frames the shift as aligning with US interests to “update US force posture on the Korean Peninsula.” “South…

Ryanair CEO dismisses Starlink deal as too costly and Elon Musk’s takeover talk as legally impossible under EU rules, but welcomes the publicity boom. DUBLIN – A blistering public feud between Elon Musk and Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary has taken a new turn, with the outspoken airline boss claiming the spat is driving a significant increase in ticket sales while firmly shutting the door on Musk’s satellite internet service and any potential takeover. The war of words began last week when O’Leary stated Ryanair would not adopt Musk’s Starlink for in-flight WiFi across its 600+ aircraft, citing prohibitive costs. Musk responded…