Author: Gulf News Week
Getty ImagesThe best child spellers in the US are competing in an annual spelling bee to see who knows their ABCs best – and who will win $52,000 (£39,000) in cash.The 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee finals began on Tuesday with 247 spellers aged nine to 15. The 101-year-old contest concludes Thursday evening when nine spellers will take to the stage in front of their parents, teachers, friends and TV audiences to go letter-by-letter through some of the toughest words in the English language.Whoever wins takes home The Scripps Cup and the prize money. Test your spelling skills with our…
PA MediaAn AI facial recognition tool that aims to detect adult migrants posing as children will be deployed at the UK’s borders next year.A software company has been awarded a contract to develop and test the technology, which will estimate a person’s age by analysing photographs of them taken at the border.The Home Office says the technology will make it easier to identify adult migrants “attempting to game the system”, after initial testing indicated “promising performance and accuracy”.But Human Rights Watch urged the government to scrap the scheme, describing it as “unproven technology” that will undermine the protections vulnerable children…
How did this novel about food win a Booker Prize this year?Taiwan Travelogue is the first novel translated from Mandarin Chinese to win the prestigious award.1 hr agoAsia
Watch: China’s electric vehicle success in light of Iran warGlobal carmakers are facing a reckoning as US, European and Japanese brands lose ground to Chinese rivals setting the pace not only in electric vehicles, but also in batteries, design and software. The BBC visited factory floors in Beijing and Hefei on the sidelines of Auto China 2026 – the world’s largest car show – and found striking levels of automation and software development speed, leaving foreign brands that once dominated the Chinese market struggling to keep up. “We have no chance against this,” Honda chief executive Toshihiro Mibe told Japanese…
ReutersFibre-optic drones have become Hezbollah’s primary weapon against IsraelFibre-optic drones have become Hezbollah’s primary weapon against Israeli soldiers and civilians, along both sides of the Lebanese border, and are now seen as the biggest threat there, as fighting continues six weeks into a supposed ceasefire.One Israeli soldier was killed and two others injured in a drone attack near the Israeli border community of Shomera on Wednesday.Of the 11 Israeli soldiers and one civilian defence contractor killed since the ceasefire came into force, eight have been killed by fibre-optic drones.Most of the attacks have targeted Israeli forces, which are currently occupying…
EPA/ShutterstockTaylor Swift had said the foiled attack had filled her with “a new sense of fear”A 21-year-old Austrian man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for planning a jihadist attack on a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna during the US singer’s Eras tour in August 2024.The man, named only as Beran A in line with Austrian privacy laws, was also found guilty of a string of other terrorism-related offences.He was arrested after a tip-off from the CIA just before the first of three sold-out Taylor Swift concerts was due to take place in Vienna’s Ernst Happl stadium.All three…
Getty ImagesPortugal has set a new hottest day in May with 40.3C recorded in the central town of Mora, as countries in western Europe grapple with sweltering-hot weather.The temperature recorded on Wednesday bests Portugal’s previous record of 40C set in May 2001.Ministers in France are meeting to assess the country’s preparedness for heatwaves, while tennis number one Jannik Sinner bowed out of the French Open after suffering from the heat. Meanwhile, Italian authorities have issued a red heatwave alert for the capital, Rome, where it could top out at 32C on Thursday.The heatwave is forecast to continue into the weekend,…
Evan Benally AtwoodA drag queen named Pattie Gonia has urged outdoor apparel company Patagonia to drop a lawsuit in which it alleges the performer is causing “irreparable” damage to its brand.Wyn Wiley, who performs as Pattie Gonia, said the firm was threatening “the erasure of my name, my advocacy, my community” and the livelihoods of those employed by the drag queen and climate activist.”If Patagonia wants to celebrate Pride Month this year by taking a queer climate activist to federal court, then I’m here to fight for myself,” Wylie said.Patagonia told the BBC “the last thing we wanted was a…
EPAThe European Union has imposed a €200m ($232m; £173m) fine on Chinese-owned online retailer Temu for having illegal products such as dangerous baby toys and faulty chargers for sale on its platform.The European Commission said the company had “failed to diligently identify, analyse and assess the systemic risks” of the products and the harm they could cause to consumers.Temu has been under investigation since October 2024 over whether it has been meeting its obligations as a designated Very Large Online Platform under EU law.The online retailer said it disagreed with the decision and deemed the fine disproportionate, and was now…
ReutersMatteo Messina Denaro was arrested after decades on the run in 2023, and later died in jailYou may find some of the details of Messina Denaro’s crimes disturbingAnti-mafia investigators in Italy have seized cash, companies and other assets worth more than €200m (£175m) in an operation they say targeted the network of notorious late Sicilian mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro.The funds, described as “huge amounts of capital” by the financial police in Palermo, are said to be proceeds from over four decades of drugs trafficking linked to the presumed former head of the Cosa Nostra group.Announcing their results in Sicily…