Author: Gulf News Week
BANGKOK (news agencies) — Thailand’s Constitutional Court suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra on Tuesday, pending an ethics investigation over accusations that she was too deferential to a senior Cambodian leader when the two discussed a recent border dispute in a phone call that was leaked.Paetongtarn has faced growing dissatisfaction over her handling of the dispute, which involved an armed confrontation on May 28, in which one Cambodian soldier was killed. In a call with Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen, she attempted to defuse tensions — but instead set off a string of complaints and public protests by critics who accused…
WASHINGTON (news agencies) — President Donald Trump keeps saying that Republicans’ mega tax and spending cut legislation will eliminate taxes on federal Social Security benefits.It does not. At best, Trump’s “no tax on Social Security” claim exaggerates the benefits to seniors if either the House or Senate-passed proposals is signed into law. Here’s a look at Trump’s recent statements, and what the proposals would — or would not — do. Trump repeatedly told voters during his 2024 campaign that he would eliminate taxes on Social Security. As his massive legislative package has moved through Congress, the Republican president has claimed…
The Adam Marine 12 was being transported to a new location when it capsized, leaving 22 injured.An oil-drilling barge has sunk in the Gulf of Suez, killing at least four crew members and leaving four others unaccounted for. The Egyptian government said on Wednesday that 22 people were injured when the Adam Marine 12 sank the previous night in the Gebel el-Zeit area in the Gulf of Suez. The barge was being towed to a new location when it capsized, Egyptian media reported. Four of the injured people were airlifted to hospital, with 18 others transported by ambulance, Egypt’s Ministry…
NEW YORK (news agencies) — The jury in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex trafficking trial said Tuesday that it has reached a verdict on four of five counts against the hip-hop mogul. But the partial decision remained under wraps after jurors were told to keep deliberating because they were stuck on the top charge, racketeering conspiracy.Prosecutors, Combs’ defense team and Judge Arun Subramanian reasoned that after just two days of deliberations, it was too soon to give up on reaching a verdict on all counts. So rather than taking a partial verdict, Subramanian told the jury to continue weighing the remaining…
KYIV, Ukraine (news agencies) — A Ukrainian drone struck a Russian industrial plant some 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) from Ukraine, a local official said Tuesday, after Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy prioritized the weapon’s development and Russia pounded Ukraine with a monthly record of drones in June.Both sides in the more than three-year war following Russia’s February 2022 invasion of its neighbor have raced to improve drone technology and enhance their use on the battlefield. They have deployed increasingly sophisticated and deadlier drones, turning the war into a testing ground for the new weaponry.Ukraine is under severe strain from a Russian…
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (news agencies) — Germán Cano scored on a header three minutes into the match, and Fluminense held on to upset Champions League finalist Inter Milan 2-0 to advance to the Club World Cup quarterfinals in front of a sparse crowd of 20,030 at Bank of America Stadium on Monday.The Brazilians move on to face the Manchester City-Al Hilal winner on Friday in Orlando, Florida.Almost before both teams were able to break a sweat in the 90-degrees Fahrenheit heat, Jhon Arias sent a slightly deflected crossing pass from the right corner that Cano headed between goalkeeper Yann Sommer’s legs…
WASHINGTON (news agencies) — Republican leaders in the House are sprinting toward a Wednesday vote on President Donald Trump’s tax and spending cuts package, determined to seize momentum from a hard-fought vote in the Senate while essentially daring members to defy their party’s leader and vote against it.“The American people gave us a clear mandate, and after four years of Democrat failure, we intend to deliver without delay,” the top four House GOP leaders said Tuesday after the bill passed the Senate 51-50, thanks to Vice President JD Vance’s tiebreaking vote.It’s a risky gambit, one designed to meet Trump’s demand…
LOS ANGELES (news agencies) — While Sean “Diddy” Combs awaits a jury’s verdict in his federal sex trafficking trial, the once-celebrated music mogul has seen his business empire rapidly unravel.Combs, 55, who is one of the most influential figures in hip-hop history, now faces charges, including racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking involving two former partners and transporting people across state lines for prostitution. Prosecutors have painted a dark portrait of the mogul, whose alleged pattern of violence included drug-fueled sex parties he reportedly called “freak-offs” or “hotel nights.”If convicted, the three-time Grammy winner could face life in prison. He has pleaded…
PARIS (news agencies) — Europe sizzled in its first major heat wave of the summer on Tuesday, as Barcelona recorded its hottest June in over a century and the summit of Paris’ iconic Eiffel Tower was closed to visitors.Health warnings remained in effect in several countries. The abnormally hot weather “is exposing millions of Europeans to high heat stress” with temperatures more typical of July and August, said Samantha Burgess of the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts.Barcelona’s Fabra Observatory reported an average temperature for last month of 26 C (78 F), breaking records since the data began in 1914.…
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (news agencies) — Iran is assessing the damage and lashing out over the American and Israeli airstrikes on its nuclear sites, though Tehran kept open the possibility Tuesday of resuming talks with Washington over its atomic program.The comments by government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani also included another acknowledgment that Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz — key sites within Iran’s nuclear program — had been “seriously damaged” by the American strikes. Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency quoted Mohajerani as making the remarks at a briefing for journalists. That acknowledgment comes as Iran’s theocracy has slowly begun to admit the…