Author: Gulf News Week
Boston Consulting Group questioned over involvement in establishing the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.A parliamentary committee in the United Kingdom is demanding that a US consulting giant explain its activities in Gaza, including its role in establishing a controversial aid group under scrutiny over the killings of hundreds of Palestinians. Labour Party MP Liam Byrne, who chairs the House of Commons Business and Trade Select Committee, asked Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in a letter on Wednesday for “clarification and information” about its work in the besieged enclave, adding that the query was part of the committee’s “scrutiny of the UK’s commercial,…
PHOENIX (news agencies) — The Phoenix Suns have signed star guard Devin Booker to a two-year, $145 million maximum contract extension through the 2029-30 season, two people with direct knowledge of the deal told media.The people spoke Wednesday on condition of anonymity because the deal has not been announced.The 28-year-old Booker has been one of the NBA’s best shooting guards, earning four All-Star appearances in 10 NBA seasons. The two-time all-NBA player has averaged 24.4 points since Phoenix took him out of Kentucky with the 13th overall pick in the 2015 draft.Booker averaged 25.6 points, 7.1 assists and 4.1 rebounds…
Officials say fuel shortages caused by Israel’s siege are threatening to cut off electricity to al-Shifa and Nasser hospitals imminently.Two of Gaza’s largest hospitals have issued desperate pleas for help, warning that fuel shortages caused by Israel’s siege could soon turn the medical centres into “silent graveyards”. The warnings from al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza City and Nasser Hospital in southern Khan Younis came on Wednesday, as Israeli forces continued to bombard the Palestinian enclave, killing at least 74 people. Muhammad Abu Salmiyah, the director of al-Shifa Hospital, Gaza’s largest facility, told reporters that the lives of more than 100…
LOS ANGELES (news agencies) — Former “Love Island USA” contestant Cierra Ortega apologized Wednesday for resurfaced posts where she used a racial slur against Asian people.Ortega, who was half of one of the season’s strongest couples, left the villa just a week before the popular reality show’s finale after old posts resurfaced that contained the slur.Ortega addressed the entire Asian community in her nearly five minute TikTok video and said she is “deeply, truly, honestly so sorry.” “This is not an apology video. This is an accountability video,” Ortega said.“I had no idea that the word held as much pain,…
BENGALURU, India (news agencies) — Each year from June to September, a series of heavy rains known as monsoons sweep through the Indian subcontinent, providing relief from heat, irrigating the country’s farms and replenishing its rivers.However, as global heat increases, the rain is becoming more erratic and intense, creating the conditions for deadly floods. Nearly 1,300 people died in India throughout 2024 due to heavy rain and floods. Hundreds of rain-related deaths have already occurred this year in the South Asian region, which includes India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Maldives and Nepal. Climate experts say the high temperatures…
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (news agencies) — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his Russian counterpart will meet Thursday in Malaysia for what could be a testy conversation as tensions between the countries rise over Moscow’s increasing attacks on Ukraine and questions about whether Russia’s leader is serious about a peace deal. Rubio and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov are to see each other in Kuala Lumpur, where both men are attending the annual Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum, which brings together all 10 ASEAN members and their most important diplomatic partners, including Russia, China, Japan, South Korea, the…
ARLINGTON, Texas (news agencies) — Paige Bueckers has been just about everything the Dallas Wings hoped as the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA draft, matching Caitlin Clark from a year ago as a rookie All-Star starter while shouldering a heavy load for a rebuilding team.The former UConn star is also passing her most predictable test: handling losing when she didn’t have much experience with it in college.Beyond managing the losing, Bueckers has helped engineer quite the response. Although they just lost to Phoenix by 30 points after beating the Mercury in their previous game, the Wings are 5-3…
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (news agencies) — A Liberian-flagged cargo ship attacked by Yemen’s Houthi rebels sank Wednesday in the Red Sea, and a European naval force in the Mideast said only six of the 25 people who were on board have been rescued.The attack on the Eternity C, which also killed at least three of the crew, represents the most serious assault carried out by the Houthis in the crucial maritime trade route where $1 trillion in cargo once passed through annually. From November 2023 to December 2024, the Houthis targeted more than 100 ships with missiles and drones…
The Detroit Tigers have the best record in the majors. Now they are tied for having the most All-Stars, too.Zach McKinstry was picked Wednesday to replace Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña, who has been dealing with a rib injury. The infielder-outfielder will join Detroit second baseman Gleyber Torres and outfielders Javier Báez and Riley Greene — all AL starters — and staff ace Tarik Skubal, who also is among the candidates to start the All-Star Game on Tuesday night in Atlanta.The five All-Stars for Detroit is tied for the most with the World Series champion Dodgers, who have DH Shohei Ohtani,…
Analysts say Trump’s call for ceasefire is incomplete without using US leverage to push Israel to conclude negotiations.Washington, DC – The White House says Donald Trump’s “utmost priority” in the Middle East is to end the war in Gaza. But as the United States president hosts Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week, the two leaders have heaped praise on each other. Meanwhile, Israel continues its assault on the Palestinian territory, where more than 57,575 people have been killed. Analysts say that if Trump is truly seeking a lasting ceasefire in Gaza, he must leverage US military aid to Israel…