Author: Gulf News Week
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (news agencies) — João Pedro scored twice against his boyhood team in his first start for Chelsea, leading the Blues over Fluminense 2-0 Tuesday to assure an all-European Club World Cup final.A 23-year-old who had been at Fluminense from about age 10 until leaving for Watford in 2020, João Pedro scored in the 18th and 56th minutes and refused to celebrate either goal in a sign of respect for his former club. He joined Chelsea from Brighton on July 2.Seeking its second world championship, Chelsea advanced to Sunday’s title match against the winner of Wednesday’s game between…
Opposition leader Ghannouchi, ex-prime minister and former presidential aide sentenced amid President Saied’s crackdown on dissent.A Tunisian court has handed jail terms to 21 high-profile politicians and former top officials, including opposition leader and ex-Parliament Speaker Rached Ghannouchi, the Tunis Afrique Press (TAP) news agency reports. The rulings on Tuesday are the latest move in President Kais Saied’s widening crackdown on critics and political opponents. Ghannouchi, the leader of the Ennahdha party who has been in jail since 2023, was sentenced to up to 14 years in jail. Several others, including former Prime Minister Youssef Chahed and ex-Minister of Foreign…
It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a … a purple and orange shape-shifting chemical compound?Writer-director James Gunn’s “Superman” was always going to be a strange chemistry of filmmaker and material. Gunn, the mind behind “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “The Suicide Squad,” has reliably drifted toward a B-movie superhero realm populated (usually over-populated) with the lesser-known freaks, oddities and grotesquerie of back-issue comics.But you don’t get more mainstream than Superman. And let’s face it, unless Christopher Reeve is in the suit, the rock-jawed Man of Steel can be a bit of a bore. Much of the fun and frustration…
Trump aide says Washington ‘hopeful’ a 60-day truce between Israel and Hamas can be reached by the end of the week.An aide to United President Donald Trump has suggested a Gaza ceasefire is close, saying Washington hopes to see an agreement finalised by the end of the week. “We’re in proximity talks now, and we had four issues, and now we’re down to one after two days of proximity talks,” special US envoy Steve Witkoff told reporters at the White House on Tuesday. “So we are hopeful that by the end of this week, we will have an agreement that will…
WASHINGTON (news agencies) — The Trump administration is dropping plans to allow continued use of the last type of asbestos legally allowed in U.S. manufacturing after an outcry from asbestos opponents.The Environmental Protection Agency said in a court filing Monday that it will now defend the Biden administration’s ban of chrysotile asbestos, which is used in products like brake blocks and sheet gaskets.The carcinogenic chemical has been mostly phased out in the U.S., but last year, the agency under former President Joe Biden sought to finish the decadeslong fight with a comprehensive ban. The EPA in 2024 said “exposure to…
PHILADELPHIA (news agencies) — As trash and tempers heat up across Philadelphia on Day 8 of a strike by blue-collar city workers Tuesday, some residents and small business owners are hiring pop-up hauling services to clear their blocks of garbage, even as they broadly support the union’s quest for higher pay. Mayor Cherelle Parker, a Democrat, is standing firm in her offer of raises of about 3% per year over a three-year contract, which comes on top of a 5% raise she gave as an olive branch to all four major city unions after taking office last year.“I do believe…
SAGAMIHARA, Japan (news agencies) — One is known as “The Monster,” the other “Big Bang.”The bout between champion boxers Naoya Inoue (30-0-0, 27 KOs) and Junto Nakatani (31-0-0, 24 KOs) is already being billed as Japan’s “fight of the century.” And the date hasn’t even been set. Sports pundits are hailing what’s happening these days as the golden age of Japanese boxing. And this is a nation that has produced its share of Hall of Famers.For a period last year, all four division bantamweight champions were Japanese. The Ring magazine’s latest Top Ten pound-for-pound ranking has three Japanese fighters, including…
PARIS (news agencies) — Stéphane Rolland went back to what he does best on Tuesday: unadulterated couture. This season at Paris Couture Week, Rolland stripped away gimmicks and let the clothes do the talking, unveiling a dazzling palette of ivory, black, and red — with giant spangles shimmering like stardust or cosmic fish scales.A live string orchestra set the mood as Rolland’s signature silhouettes reshaped the female form: mermaid gowns hugged the body, giant tulle trains trailed behind, and severe white dresses with razor-sharp shoulders brought a surreal, intergalactic edge. Space-age references ran throughout, from pointy shoulders to jewels worn…
JERUSALEM (news agencies) — Israel’s defense minister has outlined plans to pack hundreds of thousands of Palestinians into a closed zone of the Gaza Strip along the border with Egypt, according to local media reports.It appears to be the latest version of plans by the Israeli government to maintain lasting control over the territory and relocate much of its population of some 2 million. Critics say that would amount to forcible displacement in violation of international law because Israel’s offensive and blockade have made Gaza largely uninhabitable.Israeli officials say the aim is to separate the civilian population from Hamas, which…
NEW YORK (news agencies) — Caitlin Clark and Napheesa Collier each have their draft strategy for the WNBA All-Star Game.The two captains chose their teams for the game that will be played on July 19 at Clark’s home arena in Indianapolis. The squads will be revealed Tuesday night.There’s intrigue whether Clark will draft Fever teammate Aliyah Boston with the No. 1 pick that the guard earned by getting the most fan votes. Or will she take three-time league MVP A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces. Clark also may try to draft All-Star reserve Kelsey Mitchell, who is another Indiana…