Author: Gulf News Week

Omar Shakir, who has worked for the rights group for more than 10 years, says he has lost faith in the organisation.The Israel-Palestine director of Human Rights Watch (HRW) has resigned in protest, saying the organisation’s new chief blocked a report accusing Israel of committing “crimes against humanity” in its denial of Palestinian refugees’ right of return.Omar Shakir, who has worked for the rights group for more than 10 years, told media on Tuesday that the report “sought to connect the erasure of camps in Gaza with the emptying of camps in the West Bank, with the full assault led…

Amnesty International says legislation would mean ‘punishment is being reserved for, and weaponised against, Palestinians’.Amnesty International has called on Israel to abandon legislation that would expand the use of the death penalty, warning that the measures would violate international law and “further entrench Israel’s apartheid system” against Palestinians.In a statement on Tuesday, the human rights group said two bills under discussion in the Knesset would mark a major reversal of Israel’s longstanding opposition to capital punishment and would disproportionately target Palestinians.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Israel parliament passes first reading of death penalty for ‘terrorism’ lawlist 2…

Government forces have entered South Kordofan’s capital, Kadugli, days after breaking a siege in nearby Dilling.Sudan’s military says it has broken through a siege by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group of the South Kordofan capital of Kadugli, marking its second major advance in less than a week.General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the de facto leader of the country, visited Sudan’s public television station in the city of Omdurman on Tuesday to assert that his forces had opened a supply route to the capital.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Sudan army says two-year RSF siege of key town brokenlist…

Damascus says forces entering city in northeastern Hasakah province ‘to commence security duties’ under US-backed deal.Syrian forces have begun entering the northeastern city of Qamishli, Syria’s state news agency is reporting, as part of a ceasefire deal with Kurdish-led forces.Citing the Syrian Interior Ministry, the SANA news agency reported on Tuesday that units began entering the city in Syria’s Hasakah province “to implement the terms of the agreement and commence their security duties”.The move comes after the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) agreed to a deal on Friday with Damascus to integrate into Syrian state institutions, ending weeks of tensions…

Full list of teams and their squads for the T20 World Cup, jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka, on Saturday.The 10th edition of the ICC Men’s Twenty20 World Cup gets under way on February 7, with 20 teams competing for the prize.Defending champions India will be led by Suryakumar Yadav, who replaced Rohit Sharma as captain after he retired from the T20 format.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Pakistan to boycott T20 World Cup match against India on February 15list 2 of 4All to know about the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 stadiumslist 3 of 4T20 World…

Speaking at Web Summit Qatar, Sheikh Nasser bin Faisal Al Thani unveils the ‘Core Project’, urging a shift from speed to context in the AI era.Journalism has acquired a renewed importance at a time technology guided by algorithmic systems has “fuelled new forms of polarisation”, the media Media Network’s director general says, adding that the Doha-based network aims to review its role and purpose in the digital age.“Algorithmic systems, attention-based economic models and instant interaction have fuelled new forms of polarisation and deepened division instead of dialogue. They have built echo chambers where people live cut off from other narratives…

Former Real Madrid teammate and current SPL rival Karim Benzema’s move has upset Cristiano Ronaldo, reports say.Two of the most popular footballers in the world have caused a stir in Saudi football on the final day of the midyear transfer window.Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo and French football icon Karim Benzema, both of whom play in the Saudi Pro League (SPL), were in the news on Monday for their off-field actions.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4A complete guide to the Winter Olympics 2026 in Milan-Cortinalist 2 of 4‘Intrusion of politics’: Pakistan’s boycott of India game divides opinionlist 3…

Analysts see various factors at play for price swings, from Trump’s unpredictability to distrust in economic systems.Gold and silver prices have been on a rollercoaster ride in the past few days.After racking up huge gains over the past year to hit record highs, prices of the precious metals fell sharply on Friday and Monday.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Musk merges SpaceX and xAI firms, plans for space-based AI data centreslist 2 of 4Jobs, cash, loans: Can Bangladesh’s parties deliver on election promises?list 3 of 4The drones being used in Sudan: 1,000 attacks since April 2023list 4 of…

Syrian forces move into the northeastern city, which was previously under the control of the Kurdish-led SDF.The Syrian army has moved into the northeastern city of Hasakah, which was formerly under the control of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a first step towards implementing a US-backed ceasefire deal.A large convoy of trucks was seen entering the city on Monday hours after the SDF declared a curfew there.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Syrian army, Kurdish-led SDF accuse each other of ceasefire violationslist 2 of 3Syrian army offensive overjoys some, leaves others with ‘existential’ fearlist 3 of 3US…

The state-imposed blackout has disconnected Iranians from the world and choked off businesses.Tehran, Iran – Iran’s economic outlook appears increasingly grim more than three weeks after the start of what became one of the most comprehensive and prolonged state-imposed internet blackouts in history, impacting a population of more than 90 million people.Iranian authorities abruptly cut off all communications across the country on the night of January 8, at the height of nationwide protests that the United Nations and international human rights organisations say were suppressed with the use of deadly force.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Iran eyes progress towards…