Author: Gulf News Week
The move follows the lifting of sanctions on Damascus after the fall of the al-Assad government last year.The United States will revoke its designation of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) as a foreign terrorist organisation (FTO) as Washington softens its approach to post-war Syria following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government last year. The decision, which takes effect on Tuesday, comes as part of US President Donald Trump’s broader strategy to re-engage with Syria and support its reconstruction after more than a decade of devastating conflict. “This FTO revocation is an important step in fulfilling President Trump’s vision of a stable,…
WASHINGTON (news agencies) — Former federal officials and outside experts have warned for months that President Donald Trump’s deep staffing cuts to the National Weather Service could endanger lives. After torrential rains and flash flooding struck Friday in the Texas Hill Country, the weather service came under fire from local officials who criticized what they described as inadequate forecasts, though most in the Republican-controlled state stopped short of blaming Trump’s cuts. Democrats, meanwhile, wasted little time in linking the staff reductions to the disaster, which is being blamed for the deaths of at least 80 people, including more than two…
Now comes the U.S. national team’s version of “Survivor.”Having expanded his player pool during a CONCACAF Gold Cup that ended with a 2-1 loss to Mexico in Sunday’s final, coach Mauricio Pochettino has eight friendlies left from September through March to evaluate players to pick for the World Cup.“All the American players have the possibility,” Pochettino said. “We need analyze every single player, see the circumstances, the situations, performance, fitness level.”Following a CONCACAF Nations League flop with his A team in March, Pochettino had largely a B squad for the Gold Cup. Star Christian Pulisic wanted vacation time; Yunus Musah…
NEW YORK (news agencies) — A coalition of doctors groups and public health organizations sued the U.S. government on Monday over the decision to stop recommending COVID-19 vaccinations for most children and pregnant women.The American Academy of Pediatrics, American Public Health Association and four other groups — along with an unnamed pregnant doctor who works in a hospital — filed the lawsuit in federal court in Boston.U.S. health officials, following infectious disease experts’ guidance, previously urged annual COVID-19 shots for all Americans ages 6 months and older. But in late May, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced he was…
Arkady Renko now fumbles with his keys at the door as his Parkinson’s disease gradually grows worse.The legendary Russian detective has struggled to keep his declining health a secret, but the worsening symptoms have become impossible to hide. Still, Renko is determined to crack the case of a Russian defense official mysteriously murdered in his Moscow hotel room as Russia’s war on Ukraine rages.The murder takes place at the Hotel Ukraine, a well-known hotel in the heart of Moscow, one of the towering Stalin-era buildings known as the Seven Sisters.“Hotel Ukraine” is the 11th and last installment in the popular…
BISMARCK, N.D. (news agencies) — A federal appeals court won’t reconsider its decision in a redistricting case that went against two Native American tribes that challenged North Dakota’s legislative redistricting map, and the dispute could be headed for the U.S. Supreme Court.The case has drawn national interest because of a 2-1 ruling issued in May by a three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that erased a path through the federal Voting Rights Act for people in seven states to sue under a key provision of the landmark federal civil rights law. The tribes argued that the…
WASHINGTON (news agencies) — President Donald Trump on Monday placed a 25% tax on goods imported from Japan and South Korea, as well as new tariff rates on Malaysia, Kazakhstan, South Africa, Laos and Myanmar.Trump provided notice of the tariffs to begin on Aug. 1 by posting letters on Truth Social that were addressed to the leaders of the various countries. The letters warned them to not retaliate by increasing their own import taxes, or else the Trump administration would further increase tariffs.“If for any reason you decide to raise your Tariffs, then, whatever the number you choose to raise…
MIAMI (news agencies) — The Miami Heat are acquiring Norman Powell, John Collins is going to the Los Angeles Clippers and Kevin Love and Kyle Anderson are headed to the Utah Jazz as parts of a three-team trade, a person with knowledge of the agreement said Monday.Also in the deal: at least one second-round draft pick, going from the Clippers to Utah, said the person, who spoke to media on condition of anonymity because the trade has not gotten the required approval from the NBA.Powell averaged 21.8 points last season for the Clippers and is a career 40% shooter from…
Ruth Ware’s new thriller “The Woman in Suite 11” is a sequel of sorts to her breakout hit of 2016, “The Woman in Cabin 10.” Will you enjoy it more if you read the first book? Yes. Or you can wait until the Netflix version of “The Woman in Cabin 10” starring Keira Knightley comes out this fall, and then read “The Woman in Suite 11.”Most of the main characters who survived the first book return, led by Lo Blacklock, a decade older and raising a pair of sons in Brooklyn. She’s now happily married to Judah and she wrote…
Hezbollah has rejected disarmament while Israel continues to attack Lebanon, after US calls for it to give up weapons in four months.A senior United States envoy has praised the Lebanese government’s response to a US proposal aimed at disarming Hezbollah amid Israel’s continued military presence in the country. Thomas Barrack, an adviser to US President Donald Trump who serves as Washington’s ambassador to Turkiye and special envoy for Syria, returned to Beirut on Monday after delivering the US proposal during a June 19 visit. The plan called for the Shia Lebanese group Hezbollah to fully disarm within four months in…