Author: Gulf News Week

HONG KONG (news agencies) — It’s been years since mass arrests all but silenced pro-democracy activism in Hong Kong. But a crackdown on dissent in the semiautonomous Chinese city is still expanding, hitting restaurants, bookstores and other small businesses.Shops and eateries owned by people once associated with the largely subdued pro-democracy movement are feeling a tightening grip through increased official inspections, anonymous complaint letters and other regulatory checks.Those critical of the city’s political changes say it’s a less visible side of a push to silence dissent that began five years ago when Beijing imposed a national security law to crush…

DETROIT (news agencies) — NBA free agent Malik Beasley is under investigation by the U.S. District Attorney’s office regarding gambling allegations tied to league games, a person familiar with the situation told media on Sunday.The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment on the matter.“We are cooperating with the federal prosecutors’ investigation,” NBA spokesman Mike Bass said in a statement released to the news agencies and other outlets on Sunday.ESPN was the first to report on the investigation.“There have been no charges against Malik,” Steve Haney, Beasley’s attorney, told the news agencies. “It’s just…

Kesha enjoying her freedom on her first new album since she left her old label and Ryan Coogler’s guts-spilling vampire film “Sinners,” are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you.Also among the streaming offerings worth your time, as selected by media’ entertainment journalists: Charlize Theron in “The Old Guard 2” on Netflix, National Geographic’s 25-hour “SharkFest” and John Cena playing a U.S. president opposite Idris Elba as the UK’s prime minister in the comedy “Heads of State.”– Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners,” arguably the movie of the year up to this point, begins streaming…

BOGOTA, Colombia (news agencies) — Indigenous and rural communities along the Nanay River in Peru’s northern Amazon filed a complaint on Friday accusing the government of failing to stop illegal gold mining that is contaminating their water and food with toxic mercury.The complaint was submitted in the country’s capital, Lima, to the Secretariat General of the Andean Community, a regional trade bloc that includes Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Bolivia. The communities argue that Peru has violated a binding regional policy adopted in 2012 to combat illegal mining. A delegation of 10 leaders and residents from the Peruvian Amazon traveled to…

After days of blistering heat, the nation’s sweaty East Coast got to open windows, step outside and get temporary relief on Friday as temperatures plummeted as much as 40 degrees and humidity dropped alongside.At least 68 record highs were set and more than 20 places logged triple-digit heat from Sunday through Wednesday before a cold front from the north broke a heat dome’s grip on the region Friday. Boston, which hit a record 102 Fahrenheit (about 39 Celsius) on Tuesday, was at 61 (about 16 Celsius) on Friday.That blast of cool comfort brought temperatures as much as 10 to 15…

WASHINGTON (news agencies) — President Donald Trump says he is not planning to extend a 90-day pause on tariffs on most nations beyond July 9, when the negotiating period he set would expire, and his administration will notify countries that the trade penalties will take effect unless there are deals with the United States.Letters will start going out “pretty soon” before the approaching deadline, he said.“We’ll look at how a country treats us — are they good, are they not so good — some countries we don’t care, we’ll just send a high number out,” Trump told Fox News Channel’s…

Brasilia, BRAZIL (news agencies) — Brazil’s Federal Prosecutor’s Office announced Friday a deal with Elon Musk’s Starlink to curb the use of its services in illegal mining and other criminal activities in the Amazon.Starlink’s lightweight, high-speed internet system has rapidly spread across the Amazon, a region that for decades struggled with slow and unreliable connectivity. But the service has also been adopted by criminal organizations, which have used it to coordinate logistics, make payments and receive alerts about police raids. It’s the first agreement of its kind aimed at curbing such use following years of pressure from Brazilian authorities.Starlink, a…

FLINT, Mich. (news agencies) — Jeffrey Bell watched as crews dug up and replaced neighbors’ lead water pipes, hoping his mother’s house would be next. Workers told him it wasn’t on their list but probably assigned to another contractor.With Flint’s lead pipe replacement program winding down this year, Bell and his elderly mother worried the home they share was forgotten. Betty Bell repeatedly called the city while continuing to buy bottled drinking water, as she had for years. Finally someone called to say the water line was fine — records indicate it was checked in 2017. But the Bells hadn’t…

NEW YORK (news agencies) — Apple has its first box-office hit.“F1 The Movie” debuted with $55.6 million in North American theaters and $144 million globally over the weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday, handing the tech company easily its biggest opening yet.Though Apple Original Films has had some notable successes in its six years in Hollywood — including the 2021 Oscar-winner “CODA” — its theatrical results have been decidedly mixed. Misfires like “Argylle” and “Fly Me to the Moon” and big-budget awards plays like Ridley Scott’s “Napoleon” and Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” have been better at driving…

PARIS (news agencies) — If any force dominated the global fashion industry this season — eclipsing fabric, form and even the wildest silhouettes — it was the spectacle of celebrity. In a year marked by global anxiety and a hunger for fantasy, star power flooded Paris Fashion Week, turning runways into gladiator arenas where A-list icons, K-pop idols and digital megastars became the main event.Beyoncé and Jay-Z didn’t just attend Louis Vuitton’s blockbuster show — they became the show. As they swept into the Pompidou Center, cameras flashed and phones shot skyward. Before the first look even hit the runway,…