Author: Gulf News Week

MELBOURNE, Australia (news agencies) — An Australian domestic flight was delayed for two hours after a stowaway snake was found in the plane’s cargo hold, officials said on Wednesday.The snake was found on Tuesday as passengers were boarding Virgin Australia Flight VA337 at Melbourne Airport bound for Brisbane, according to snake catcher Mark Pelley.The snake turned out to be a harmless 60-centimeter (2-foot) green tree snake. But Pelly said he thought it could be venomous when he approached it in the darkened hold.“It wasn’t until after I caught the snake that I realized that it wasn’t venomous. Until that point,…

DHARAMSHALA, India (news agencies) — The Dalai Lama has often called himself a simple monk, but millions of his Tibetan Buddhist followers have worshipped him for decades as a near deity. They also see him as the face of Tibet’s aspirations for greater autonomy, but have for years wrestled with the idea that he might be the last person to hold the role. He put that speculation to rest Wednesday, just days before he turns 90 on Sunday. There will be a successor after his death, he announced, and the Dalai Lama’s office will lead the search and recognize a…

RAWALPINDI, Pakistan (news agencies) — A pungent fug of malt and yeastiness hangs over Murree Brewery, Pakistan ’s biggest and oldest producer of alcoholic drinks.The company is an outlier in a country where alcohol is outlawed for everyone except non-Muslims, who make up some 9 million people out of 241 million. Pakistan, an Islamic republic, banned booze for Muslims in the 1970s.Murree Brewery has strong financials despite the prohibition, thanks to its history, scant competition and a small, thirsty and predominantly elite consumer base.But the government exerts significant control over the sale and marketing of alcoholic beverages through red tape…

LONDON (news agencies) — Oasis is due to take to the stage in Cardiff, Wales on Friday, kicking off a hotly, and somewhat anxiously, anticipated reunion tour.The return of the Britpop-era rockers after a 16-year hiatus is a major moment for fans. Will it be a storming success? Definitely maybe.Predictions are tricky when it comes to Noel and Liam Gallagher, the sparring siblings who give Oasis its charisma, and its volatile chemistry.“That’s one of the attractions about Oasis — they bring this element of risk,” said author and music journalist John Aizlewood. He said the “alternative aura that they have…

WASHINGTON (news agencies) — The Supreme Court on Thursday cleared the way for the deportation of several immigrants who were put on a flight in May bound for South Sudan, a war-ravaged country where they have no ties.The decision comes after the court’s conservative majority found that immigration officials can quickly deport people to third countries. The majority halted an order that had allowed immigrants to challenge any removals to countries outside their homeland where they could be in danger.The court’s latest decision makes clear that the South Sudan flight can complete the trip, weeks after it was detoured to…

MANILA, Philippines (news agencies) — Asian shares were mixed on Friday after U.S. stocks climbed further into record heights as the clock ticks on President Donald Trump’s July 9 tariff deadline.Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 0.6% to 39,762.20 after earlier gains, while South Korea’s KOSPI index was down 1.2% to 3,078.31.Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index lost 0.6% to 23,914.44 while the Shanghai Composite index added 0.4% to 3,475.24. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.1% to 8,609.50. India’s Sensex index was up 0.1% to 83,288.73.“Asian markets slipped into Friday like someone entering a dark alley with one eye over their shoulder — because…

WASHINGTON (news agencies) — Washington Nationals outfielder James Wood became the third player to announce he will take part in the Home Run Derby.The derby will be held on July 14, the night before the All-Star Game, at Truist Park in Atlanta. Wood joins Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. and Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh, who leads the majors with 33 homers, in the contest.Wood went 5 for 5 with his 23rd home run in Thursday night’s 11-7 win over the Detroit Tigers.He’s the third Nationals player to take part in the Home Run Derby, joining Juan Soto (2022) and Bryce…

Some hospitals in the U.S. are without essential staff because international doctors who were set to start their medical training this week were delayed by the Trump administration’s travel and visa restrictions. It’s unclear exactly how many foreign medical residents were unable to start their assignments, but six medical residents interviewed by media say they’ve undergone years of training and work only to be stopped at the finish line by what is usually a procedural step.“I don’t want to give up,” said a permanent Canadian resident who matched to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Harrisburg but had her visa…

MOSCOW (news agencies) — Russia on Thursday became the first country to formally recognize the Taliban’s government in Afghanistan since it seized power in 2021, after Moscow r emoved the group from its list of outlawed organizations.The Russian Foreign Ministry announced that it had received credentials from Afghanistan’s newly appointed Ambassador Gul Hassan Hassan. The official recognition of the Afghan government will foster “productive bilateral cooperation,” the ministry said in a statement.Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry called it a historic step, and quoted Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi as welcoming the decision as “a good example for other countries.”The Taliban took…

WINDSOR HEIGHTS, Iowa (news agencies) — It is big and it is beautiful, says President Donald Trump.But for many Democratic leaders, the tax break and spending cut package adopted by Trump’s Republican allies in Congress Thursday represents the key to the Democratic Party’s resurgence.Even before the final vote was tallied, Democratic officials were finalizing ambitious plans for rallies, voter registration drives, attack ads, bus tours and even a multiday vigil — all designed to highlight the most controversial elements of Trump’s “big beautiful” bill: the deep cuts to the nation’s safety net that will leave nearly 12 million more Americans…