Author: Gulf News Week
Getty ImagesDonald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu believed that victory over Iran would reshape the Middle East.The region is being reshaped. But not in the way they expected. The Islamic Republic of Iran has not been defeated. The risk now is of a long, attritional permacrisis that will lurch in and out of outright conflict.The Iranian regime has proved to be a much harder nut to crack than Trump and Netanyahu had assumed. Their judgement was wrong, and they have lost control of the consequences.The latest of those is Iran’s downing of the US Apache helicopter. It is another reminder that…
AFP via Getty ImagesTens of thousands of French protesters have taken to the streets in anger at the killingFrance’s government is under mounting pressure over the murder of an 11-year-old girl whose alleged killer had several times been denounced to police as a sex offender.More than 60,000 people took part in protests across the country on Monday following the killing of Lyhanna, many demanding the resignation of Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin – one of the senior members of the government.There is fury because the suspect – 41 year-old Jérome Barella – had been reported to police last August by the…
Getty ImagesA version of an artificial intelligence (AI) tool which the company said was too powerful to be released to the public has just been released to the public.Claude Fable 5 is a version of Anthropic’s Claude Mythos, an AI program which caused serious concerns among technology, finance, and government leaders when it was released privately in April for previewing and testing.Some worry the tool is so powerful it could pose financial security risks, though others have questioned how much of the hype is marketing spin.Anthropic said on Tuesday Fable will be released with safeguards and user limitations in place,…
Nasa reveals crew for Artemis III mission, which will not land on the MoonNASA has named its crew for its next major Moon mission, Artemis III, though the astronauts will not walk on the Moon or go anywhere near it.The mission was originally planned as the first crewed lunar landing since Apollo 17 in 1972, with two astronauts due to set down near the Moon’s south pole and spend a week on the surface.But in February, Nasa changed that plan and said the mission would fly only in low Earth orbit, barely deeper in space than the International Space Station,…
LIVEPolice and political leaders in Northern Ireland call for calm after Belfast knife attackPolice say the suspect is a Sudanese man in 30s who was granted leave to remain after entering Northern Ireland and claiming asylum in 2023.
ReutersProtesters are angry that Kenya has agreed to host the US treatment centreA demonstrator has been shot during a protest in the Kenyan town of Nanyuki against the construction of an Ebola quarantine centre for US citizens, witnesses have told journalists.A protest leader told the Reuters news agency that police shot dead the demonstrator. The police have not yet commented.Groups of protesters, who were waving Kenyan flags, carrying placards and holding a coffin with the word “Ebola” written on the side, had been demanding that the US plan to build the health facility at a nearby military base be reversed.…
ReutersPlumes of smoke billowed over the coastal city of Tyre following Israeli air strikesIsrael has carried out strikes across southern Lebanon, despite a warning from Iran not to continue attacks in the country.The Lebanese health ministry said eight people were killed in Tyre, where the Israeli military issued a new order for residents to leave the southern city, including its Christian quarter for the first time.Israel and Iran paused hostilities on Monday, after an Israeli strike on Beirut targeting the Iranian-backed armed group Hezbollah triggered their first exchange of fire since a truce in April.Iran warned that it could hit…
Getty ImagesAH-64 Apache helicopters are American-made twin-turboshaft attack aircraft (file image)Two crew members of a US army helicopter that crashed near the Strait of Hormuz on Monday were rescued by an American sea drone, US officials have told CBS News, the BBC’s media partner.It was the first such operation carried out by US forces, the officials added.US Central Command (Centcom) earlier said the two “soldiers were safely rescued within approximately two hours and are in stable condition” after their AH-64 Apache helicopter went down “near the coast of Oman while patrolling regional waters”.It was not immediately clear whether the aircraft…
Watch: Why is China’s Xi Jinping visiting North Korea?Chinese President Xi Jinping has wrapped up a two-day visit to Pyongyang, his first official trip to North Korea since 2019. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pulled out all the stops for Xi when he arrived on Monday, from a red-carpet welcome to elaborate acrobatic performances. While no concrete deals emerged from the trip, its significance was recognised by Kim, who said that Xi’s choice of Pyongyang for his first state visit of the year showed the “utmost importance” placed on bilateral ties, said a report by state news outlet KCNA.The…
BBCKow Mensah and Joshua Amissah were told to work non-stop without enough foodJoshua Amissah got up from his seat in the witness box and stepped away from the interpreter by his side.The end was drawing near in a nine-year fight for justice, in a case of modern slavery on a Scottish fishing trawler. The 40-year-old Ghanaian walked a few steps to the corner of the silent court room, crouched and covered his face. He was composing himself.”He told us we were slaves,” Amissah said.Skipper admits failure to provide food and rest for foreign seamenAmissah had been employed aboard the Sea…