Author: Gulf News Week
Lights, camera, Bangaranga: Highlights from EurovisionBulgarian singer Dara stormed to victory in the contest, while Ukraine broke the record for the longest note ever sung at Eurovision.39 mins agoEurope
It is just past noon at the crescent-shaped Palolem beach on the southern tip of Goa’s long, sandy coastline. The sun is blinding hot, but that has not deterred the tourist hordes from splashing about in the ocean.The beachside shacks and cheap backpacker hotels hugging the bay in the state often dubbed India’s party capital are full with tourists. What’s different here from some years ago, though, is that the Europeans and Russians who once thronged Palolem and other beach villages of Goa are missing.The crowd is almost all local, a reflection of the diminishing appeal of this tiny coastal…
The story of British politics today can be told by numbers. Five prime ministers in seven years, none of whom served a full parliament. Over the same period, seven foreign secretaries, six chancellors of the exchequer and four cabinet secretaries.It is a story of instability and inconsistency with potentially a new chapter written by Labour if it removes Sir Keir Starmer, an incumbent premier with a bigger parliamentary majority than his transformative predecessor Clement Attlee won in 1945.What is driving this narrative? Why is the UK churning through its leaders almost as quickly as Italy once did? Why do voters…
Hezbollah has increased its use of small first-person view (FPV) drones to attack Israel, including systems controlled by fibre-optic cables to evade sophisticated defences.BBC Verify has geolocated 35 videos shared by the Lebanese armed group since 26 March which show strikes on Israeli soldiers, armoured vehicles and air defence systems in southern Lebanon and northern Israel.Experts told BBC Verify the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has “so far been unable to develop any effective countermeasures”, as the small drones can easily bypass detection systems.The drones can also be made from commercially available and 3D-printed components – and are cheap compared to…
Taiwan has insisted it is a sovereign, independent nation, after US President Donald Trump cautioned it against formally declaring independence from China.Trump’s remarks came after a two-day summit in Beijing, after which he said he had “made no commitment either way” about the self-governing island – which China claims as part of its territory and has not ruled out taking by force.After talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Trump also said he would soon decide whether to approve an $11bn ($8bn) package of weapons to be sold to Taiwan.The US administration is bound by law to provide Taiwan with a…
A Canadian who sailed on the cruise ship MV Hondius which was hit by a hantavirus outbreak in April has tested positive for the disease, officials in the province of British Columbia say.The individual, one of four people isolating on Vancouver Island after leaving the ship, had developed mild symptoms.The province’s senior health officer said the four had not had any contact with the public since arriving in Canada.The case brings the total number of infections to 11, all among cruise passengers. Three people who travelled on the ship have died, with two confirmed to have had the virus.British Columbia…
Wes Streeting has confirmed he would enter any potential Labour leadership contest, days after resigning as health secretary and telling the prime minister he had “lost confidence” in him.Streeting said on Saturday: “We need a proper contest with the best candidates on the field, and I will be standing.”He also said leaving the European Union had been a “catastrophic mistake” and the UK should “one day” rejoin the bloc.Meanwhile, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham told the BBC he was seeking to stand in the Makerfield by-election to “save” the Labour Party.The prime minister is resisting calls to stand down and…
LIVEEurovision final under way in Vienna as contest celebrates 70th yearA total of 25 countries will battle it out to win the Eurovision Song Contest, as Austria hosts the event for the third time.
A man has driven his car into pedestrians in the northern Italian city of Modena, injuring eight people, four seriously, officials say. They include a woman who reportedly had both her legs crushed.Passers-by gave chase and managed to detain the man, in his 30s, and hand him over to police.Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni described the incident as “extremely serious”. City Mayor Massimo Mezzeti added that it would be “even more serious” if it turned out to be a premeditated attack.”We saw the car approaching, it was heading for the curb,” an eyewitness said. “It suddenly accelerated – it was going…
A humpback whale rescued after beaching itself in Germany has been found dead near a Danish island.The whale was first spotted stuck on a sandbank on 23 March, off the island of Poel on Germany’s Baltic coast.It swam free in early May after a water-filled barge carried it into the North Sea.The operation was privately funded by two German entrepreneurs and spurred intense public debate, with critics suggesting it would only cause the animal distress.Authorities were not immediately able to confirm it was the same whale. In a statement the Danish Environmental Protection Agency said conditions on Saturday made it…