Author: Gulf News Week

Watch: Trump says ban on some news outlets from White House is “because they’re fake news”Politico, CNN and MS NOW journalists have been denied access to the White House after US President Donald Trump announced he was banning the outlets.An MS NOW reporter and a photographer tried entering the White House grounds on Saturday morning, but their badges would not scan and an officer confiscated them, the outlet reported. Both CNN and Politico also said Saturday morning that their reporters were denied access and had their badges seized. Trump said on Friday he was barring all three major US media…

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Getty ImagesA photo posted on Converse’s Instagram account was described as evoking KKK imageryAmerican footwear brand Converse has pulled an advert that social media users said evoked Ku Klux Klan imagery, saying it recognised “that we got this wrong”.The photo, posted to the company’s Instagram account, received backlash online after critics described lighting in the image as looking like a white pointed hood.A pair of shoes, dangling in the picture, were also likened to an image of a lynching victim by social media users.In an apology, first issued on Friday, Converse said the photo had been removed from its social…

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Watch: Thick black plumes of smoke rise from near Riyadh’s international airportA column of black smoke has been seen near Riyadh’s international airport hours after air raid alerts were issued in the Saudi capital.It was the first time residents had been given an alert and urged to stay indoors since a recent escalation in the conflict with Iran-backed Houthi militants in neighbouring Yemen.A number of apparent explosions have since been heard in the capital and major problems reported at King Khalid International Airport, with the tracking website FlightRadar24 reporting long delays and cancellations.One report suggested a fuel tank had been…

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O’Neill familyGreg O’Neill, 63, was killed in a shark attack at Sorrento Beach on FridayA rare catch-and-kill order has been issued for a great white shark off the coast of Western Australia after 63-year-old swimmer Greg O’Neill was killed at a popular beach on Friday. His body has still not been found.Authorities have said that beaches along the state’s coast, including in the capital Perth, will remain closed until at least Sunday as the search for the shark continues.It is the second shark attack in Western Australia (WA) this week, and the third fatal attack in the state this year.The…

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EPA/ShutterstockMillions in Cuba were left without power on Friday as the country was plunged into yet another major blackout.The country’s entire electricity grid suffered “total disconnection” that triggered a nationwide outage, Cuba’s energy ministry said.Power was restored to some priority areas by late evening, including those near hospitals and water pumping stations in the capital Havana, grid operator UNE said.It is at least the sixth partial or total blackout to hit Cuba this year, where ageing electricity infrastructure and chronic fuel shortages have been placed under further strain by a US blockade on oil shipments to the communist-run nation.Protocols to…

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Getty Images and ReutersNoel Tata (l) and N Chandrasekaran (r) are at the centre of the feudNikhil InamdarBBC News, MumbaiThis week, the board of Tata Sons – one of India’s oldest conglomerates and owner of iconic British brands such as Jaguar Land Rover and Tetley Tea – defied its largest shareholder, Tata Trusts, by reappointing N Chandrasekaran as chairman and backing a public listing of the holding company.Tata Trusts, which owns 66% of Tata Sons called the decision “illegal” under its articles of association and also opposed the listing, setting the stage for a period of prolonged upheaval and possibly…

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Fayez Nureldine / AFP via Getty ImagesResidents in Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh have been given the all-clear after air raid alerts were issued and explosions were reported in the capital.It was the first time alerts have been issued in Riyadh since the Houthis increased their attacks and declared a “maritime embargo” on the Saudis in July. The Saudi Civil Defence sent alerts for the capital and several other regions late on Friday night and Saturday morning (local time) as the Kingdom’s conflict with the Iran-backed Houthis continued to escalate.Journalists from Reuters and AFP reported hearing explosions in the capital, but authorities…

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“It was very serendipitous” – Mary and Jason on finding love in IrelandMary Timby was fed up with dating apps when she booked a trip to Ireland on a whim last summer – from the comfort of her Colorado couch.The spur-of-the-moment trip was unlike her: Timby, 39, is a self-described “total planner”. But she’d always wanted to visit Ireland, and she found herself exhausted by the local dating scene while navigating a career transition. And then she remembered a few throwaway lines from a comedy series about a matchmaking festival in Ireland.So she looked it up – and not only…

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BBC News UkraineDaria left her apartment in Kyiv this summer after Russia’s attacks on the city intensifiedFor much of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Daria was not afraid of the shelling.Even on nights of heavy bombardment, the 27-year-old could sleep through the explosions in her apartment in Kyiv. Like many Ukrainians, she relied on the “two-wall rule”: staying safe by keeping two walls between herself and the outside world.But this year that has changed.In recent months, Russia has scaled up the intensity and frequency of its attacks against the Ukrainian capital. A BBC Verify analysis of government figures found Kyiv…

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