Author: Gulf News Week
The Philippine Senate was locked down with military personnel seen entering the building where a senator wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) had sought refuge.Rounds of gunfire were heard but officials have not revealed who fired the shots. They said there were no casualties.Senator Ronald Dela Rosa said earlier he believed his arrest was imminent and urged Filipinos to prevent it. He is safe and with security personnel, officials said.He is accused by the ICC of killing dozens of people when he was police chief during former president Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs, in which thousands of alleged dealers…
At least 12 people have been killed in seven separate Israeli air strikes on cars south of Beirut, Lebanon’s health ministry says, as the war between Israel and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah continues despite a ceasefire.Eight people, including two children, died when drones targeted three vehicles on the coastal highway in the Barja, Jiyeh and Saadiyat areas, around 20km (12 miles) from the capital, according to the ministry.The others were killed in strikes on four cars further south, in the city of Sidon and the towns of Maaliyeh, Chaaitiyeh and Naqoura.The Israeli military has not yet commented.The military also…
A survivor of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse has told how the late sex offender sexually abused her while he was under house arrest for soliciting prostitution from a minor.Roza, who was recruited from Uzbekistan as a teenager by Epstein’s associate and modelling agent Jean-Luc Brunel, spoke publicly for the first time alongside a number of victims in a field hearing that was organised by House Democrats.She told the session that she was introduced to Epstein by Brunel in July 2009, was offered work by Epstein “to help me with my financial troubles”, and he later subjected her to rape over a…
Dozens of dogs kept in sham animal shelters and used for online scamming have been rescued by police and animal rights organisations in Uganda following a BBC investigation.A suspect has been arrested after two adjacent shelters were raided by the police. Two other suspects are said to be at large, according to animal rights activists.Owen Godfrey Membe has pleaded not guilty to a charge of animal cruelty and has been remanded in custody until 27 May.Membe is accused of “killing an animal in an unnecessarily cruel manner” under Uganda’s Animals (Prevention of Cruelty) Act.The organisation, which includes qualified veterinarians, said…
The director of the Eurovision Song Contest says organisers are watching voting patterns “very, very carefully” after concerns were raised about Israel’s ability to influence the results at last year’s contest.Some broadcasters claimed that social media posts on Israeli government accounts, which encouraged people to vote multiple times, may have influenced the result. Contest director Martin Green told the BBC he agreed that “some of the promotion by some of the broadcasters was a little disproportionate”.The situation prompted an overhaul of voting procedures for this year’s event, and Green added that anyone who flouted the rules would come “under further…
Trump vs Xi: Who has the upper hand?The BBC’s Sarah Smith explains why President Trump may not have the upper hand during his meeting with China’s Xi Jinping.21 mins agoWorld
LIVEPM has ‘full confidence’ in Streeting, No 10 says, as health secretary’s allies expect him to launch challengeWes Streeting met the PM for less than 20 minutes in Downing Street this morning ahead of the King’s Speech to Parliament.
In a landmark German case targeting chocolate “shrinkflation”, a court has found that the manufacturer of Milka’s classic Alpine Milk bar cheated consumers and broke competition law.Cutting back on the amount of chocolate while having the same kind of wrapper meant that customers were being misled, Bremen regional court ruled.The three-week court case was brought by Hamburg’s consumer protection office (VZHH), which accused manufacturer Mondelēz of deceiving consumers by cutting the weight of the “Alpenmilch” bar from 100g to 90g.Reacting to the ruling Mondelēz told the BBC it was “taking the decision of the court seriously” and would “look at…
Support from Washington is conditional on clear progress in curbing pro-Iran militia activity.The decision by United States President Donald Trump to back Ali al-Zaidi as Iraq’s next prime minister may have surprised some quarters. But when one looks into whom Trump was trying to keep out, his motivation becomes clear.Iraq’s dominant parliamentary bloc, the Coordination Framework, a coalition of Shia parties aligned with Iran, had initially thrown its weight behind former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. For Washington, the nomination of an openly pro-Iran premier was a red line, especially amid continuing attacks by pro-Iran Iraqi militias on US assets in…
Waymo is recalling thousands of its self-driving cars in the US over a software issue that could allow vehicles to drive into flooded roads.According to a letter posted on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) website on Tuesday, the voluntary recall affects nearly 3,800 robotaxis that use the company’s fifth and sixth-generation automated driving systems.It follows an incident on 20 April in San Antonio, Texas, where an empty Waymo vehicle entered a flooded road and was swept into a creek.The company, which hopes to be operating a robotaxi service in London by September, said it was working on “additional…