Author: Gulf News Week

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,…

NEW YORK (news agencies) — Jurors are set to start deliberating Monday in Sean “Diddy” Combs ’ sex trafficking case, weighing charges that could put the hip-hop mogul in prison for life.After receiving legal instructions from federal Judge Arun Subramanian, the jury of eight men and four women will head behind closed doors to deliberate. They’ll sift through seven weeks of sometimes graphic and emotional testimony about the rap, fashion and reality TV impresario ‘s propensity for violence and his sexual predilections, including drug-fueled sex marathons dubbed “ freak-offs ” or “hotel nights.”Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to federal…

KYIV, Ukraine (news agencies) — German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul made an unannounced visit to Kyiv on Monday, in a show of continuing support for Ukraine’s fight to repel Russia’s invasion as U.S.-led international peace efforts fail to make progress.Wadephul was due to meet with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.Wadephul said in a statement that Germany will help Ukraine “continue to defend itself successfully — with modern air defense and other weapons, with humanitarian and economic aid.”Germany has been Ukraine’s second-largest military backer after the United States, whose continuing support is in doubt. However, Berlin…

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (news agencies) — In the time before widespread vaccination, death often came early.Devastating infectious diseases ran rampant in America, killing millions of children and leaving others with lifelong health problems. These illnesses were the main reason why nearly one in five children in 1900 never made it to their fifth birthday.Over the next century, vaccines virtually wiped out long-feared scourges like polio and measles and drastically reduced the toll of many others. Today, however, some preventable, contagious diseases are making a comeback as vaccine hesitancy pushes immunization rates down. And well-established vaccines are facing suspicion even from…

WASHINGTON (news agencies) — Ticks can be active in any season and it’s important to check for and remove the bloodsuckers as quickly as possible — especially after you’ve been outside hiking, gardening or enjoying nature. “Humans are outside more in summer so we hear about more tick infections,” said Sam Telford, an infectious diseases expert at Tufts University. But he urges caution year-round because “every season is tick season.”While tick populations vary a lot regionally, some Northeastern states including Maine, Massachusetts and Rhode Island are seeing “above average” numbers of American dog ticks this year, said Telford. And New…

LeBron James is exercising his $52.6 million option with the Los Angeles Lakers for 2025-26, further confirming that he will become the first player in NBA history to play a 23rd season, a person with knowledge of the decision said Sunday.The person spoke to media on condition of anonymity because neither James nor the team announced the decision publicly.ESPN and The Athletic were among those to first report the decision.James, who recently returned to on-court workouts after taking several weeks to recover after spraining a knee ligament in the Lakers’ final game of this past season’s playoffs, told the news…

D. Wayne Lukas, the Hall of Famer who became one of the most accomplished trainers in the history of horse racing and a face of the sport for decades, has died. He was 89.His family said Sunday that Lukas died Saturday night at his Louisville, Kentucky, home. Lukas had been hospitalized with a severe MRSA blood infection that caused significant damage to his heart and digestive system and worsened pre-existing chronic conditions.“Wayne devoted his life not only to horses but to the industry — developing generations of horsemen and horsewomen and growing the game by inviting unsuspecting fans into the…