Author: Gulf News Week
Katia TemkinGrande has cancelled appearances including a starring role in a stage musical in London next yearThree years ago, Ariana Grande made a plea for people not to comment about her body. Responding in a TikTok video to comments about her weight and figure, the pop star and actress told fans there were “many different ways to look healthy and beautiful”.Three years on, and the social media speculation about her body and her health has continued. After “endless, ongoing public scrutiny”, the star’s spokesperson released a statement saying she “will be taking a step back from visibility” at the end…
Getty ImagesMicrosoft has increased the price of Xbox consoles worldwide, citing rising memory and storage chip costs.Its premium Series X console with a disc drive will now cost £670, when it previously retailed for £500.Meanwhile a baseline Xbox Series S console now costs £430 – a roughly 43% increase on its previous £300 price tag.It is among a host of tech firms to have told consumers that spiralling component costs mean they must charge more, with rival Sony hiking PlayStation 5 prices by £90 in March.In the US, its basic consoles rose by $100 to $499, and the cost of…
Watch: Migrants started to return to Morocco after thousands entered Spain’s Ceuta on 30 JulyEuropean Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has called for “united action” on border security after the chaotic influx of tens of thousands of migrants from Morocco into the Spanish exclave of Ceuta last week.Spain estimates that about 69,500 migrants have now returned to Morocco, exceeding initial estimates of 50,000. The official death toll on the Spanish side of the border stands at 72, with 11 deaths on the Moroccan side.On Tuesday, EU interior ministers will have emergency talks by video conference to discuss the issue.The…
Over 60,000 evacuated from wildfire danger, says Spokane mayor Lisa BrownWildfires have forced around 60,000 people to evacuate parts of Washington state, destroying hundreds of buildings and leaving thousands without power.Three major blazes continued to burn around the city of Spokane on Monday, with officials warning that the fires had not been contained.Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown described the situation as “the worst natural disaster our region has faced”, adding that authorities were assessing the extent of the damage and were “still discussing the potential for lives to be lost”.No deaths or injuries have been confirmed.The National Weather Service (NWS) had…
Watch: BBC Russia editor Steve Rosenberg is at the scene in Moscow, where the explosion happenedOn Kudrinskaya Square the police cordon has been lifted outside the Balzi Rossi Italian restaurant. Investigators have left the scene. On Saturday night it had been surrounded by heavily armed police; a string of ambulances and emergency services vehicles had been parked outside.Standing next to the restaurant’s summer terrace I spot signs of what happened here. A shattered window, pock-marked walls – a bomb had exploded with deadly consequences. Russian state media reports at least three people were killed and 21 injured.Since the attack there…
Drone hits Russian beach resortA drone hit a busy beach in southern Russia, killing seven people including three children, local authorities have said.In social media footage verified by the BBC, a drone can be seen hurtling towards a cliffside before crashing into a fireball on the beach below as tourists look on from the shore and in the water.The total number of injured reached 40, with 17 people hospitalised, said the governor of the Krasnodar region Veniamin Kondratyev.He accused Ukraine of “a deliberate strike on civilians”. Ukraine has not commented. Both sides deny targeting civilians deliberately.The crash occurred on a…
Watch: Inside city gripped by deadly protests in Pakistan-administered KashmirThe BBC is the first media organisation to gain access to the city and speak to people on the ground in Rawalakot. 3 hrs agoAsia
PA MediaFrance has hit out at a Reform UK plan to return migrant boats using the Navy, saying the proposals would violate its sovereignty and breach international law.Nigel Farage’s party announced that if it was in power it would intercept boats crossing the English Channel and return migrants to French ports, even if France disagreed.Opposition parties branded the plan unworkable, while a Labour minister said it would lead to “a lot of time arguing with France” instead of “actually getting to grips with the problem”.Responding to the French government, a Reform spokesperson said: “We will always stand up for British…
NEW YORK (news agencies) — Charlene Catalano was looking for a ball of green-and-white yarn to crochet this year’s winter scarf.Instead of going to a big-box retail store, she found what she needed at Brooklyn Creative Reuse, along with gently used crochet kits, hooks, labels and other bits. It all cost just $6.“Nowadays, art is popping off, so things are more expensive,” Catalano said. “It has the perfect amount of what I need.”The Brooklyn store is one of hundreds of creative reuse centers across the U.S. and beyond which aim to keep art supplies out of landfills. They typically sell…
Getty ImagesThe threat to ships carrying oil in the Middle East is at its worst since the Iran war started, experts have said, after a spate of attacks on another key route in the region.The warning comes after a number of attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, an alternative waterway that some tankers had been using since Iran blocked the Strait of Hormuz.Iran has denied Donald Trump’s claim that it was in talks with the US over reopening the strait, but said it was speaking to Oman about securing the shipping lane.”In terms of threat to the trade of…