Author: Gulf News Week
A Spanish court has ordered the country’s tax authority to refund €55m (£48m, $64m) to singer Shakira after ruling that the money was improperly collected in a dispute over her taxes.The national high court has acquitted the Colombian singer of tax fraud and ordered the Treasury to repay the money plus interest to her.It said tax authorities had failed to prove she spent 183 days in Spain in 2011 – the minimum required for residents to pay personal income tax there.Shakira said the court had “finally set the record straight” after she had spent eight years “enduring brutal public targeting,…
This is what it looks like to be on board the largest flotilla in history: the Global Sumud Flotilla.What is it actually like on board a flotilla to Gaza, knowing you’ll likely be targeted and imprisoned? Until now, it’s a story that’s been told mostly in fragments, one vertical video at a time. This is the inside story of what it is like on the Global Sumud Flotilla: the drone attacks, the safety drills, the calls home, and the Palestinians in Gaza waiting to see if civilians can break a siege backed by a superpower. This episode is part of…
MV Hondius, the Dutch cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak, has docked at its final destination in Rotterdam.Only the ship’s crew were aboard for the last leg of the journey, as all passengers docked off the ship in the Canary Islands between 10 and 11 May. Rotterdam port harbour master René de Vries said 25 mobile homes kitted out with catering and satellite communications would be available for the crew to self-isolate in.Three people – a Dutch couple and a German woman – died after travelling on the ship, with two of them confirmed to have had the…
It has to choose stability or permanent war.One of the most dangerous ideas in today’s Middle East is the claim that Gulf states must choose between Iran and Israel. This framing is politically simple, but strategically misleading.It assumes that Gulf security can be reduced to alignment with one regional actor against another. The Gulf’s central interest is neither to defend Iran nor to serve Israel’s regional agenda. Its real interest is to prevent the region from becoming a battlefield.For Gulf states, escalation is a direct threat. Any confrontation involving Iran, Israel and the United States immediately affects Gulf airspace, shipping…
At least six Americans have been exposed to the Ebola virus during a deadly outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, sources have told CBS News, the BBC’s US partner.The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the outbreak as an international emergency, with the DR Congo’s health ministry reporting around 350 suspected cases and 91 deaths.One American is believed to have symptoms, with three others said to have faced a high-risk contact or exposure. It is unclear whether any have been infected.The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it was supporting the “safe withdrawal of a small…
LIVEStarmer says he’ll support by-election candidate ‘whoever they are’ in ‘fight’ to beat ReformEarlier, Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy told the BBC that it is time the party “gets back on the pitch after days of introspection and infighting”.
An escaped tiger believed to be owned by Germany’s “Tiger Queen” has been shot dead by police after attacking one of its keepers.Police told the BBC a 72-year-old man was seriously injured after being attacked on Sunday while he was inside the animal’s enclosure, located in a privately-owned facility on the outskirts of the German city of Leipzig.The tiger escaped the enclosure and was found shortly after by armed police, who shot and killed the animal.The site of the enclosure is believed to be owned by controversial trainer and private owner Carmen Zander, who describes herself as Germany’s “Tiger Queen”.In…
The driver of a freight train involved in a fatal collision with a public bus in Bangkok has tested positive for drugs and been charged with reckless driving, authorities say.The collision, which happened at the Asoke-Din Daeng railway crossing on Saturday afternoon, saw the train crash into a public bus that had come to a stop on the railway tracks.The bus burst into flames, killing eight people and injuring dozens. Initial reports suggest the bus had become stuck on the tracks due to heavy traffic, which prevented the crossing barriers from lowering properly.The Asoke-Din Daeng railway crossing is notoriously hectic,…
The rise of AI tools that instantly answer questions and complex problems could make humans less intelligent, the Royal Observatory Greenwich has warned.The Observatory, one of the UK’s oldest purpose-built scientific institutions, is known for its contributions to astronomy.Paddy Rodgers, director of the Royal Museums Greenwich group which oversees it, said its rich history of research showed the power of human knowledge and curiosity – and the need to avoid “complete dependence” on AI.”A reliance solely on instant answers risks losing the habits of questioning and evaluation that underpin knowledge, expertise and innovation,” he said.The project hopes to “seize on…
Companies registered with the Mohre are obligated to pay workers’ wages through the approved Wage Protection System or any other systems adopted by the Ministry The UAE has introduced a new Wage Protection System (WPS) rule standardising private-sector salary payments, requiring wages to be paid on the first day of each Gregorian month for the previous month’s work. Payments made after this date will be considered delayed under the system starting June 1, 2026. Under the new regulation, all companies registered with the ministry must distribute wages through the approved Wage Protection System or other payment channels authorised by the…