Author: Gulf News Week
BBCWomen are at risk of “exploitation by predatory donors”, the UK’s fertility regulator warnsWomen desperate to become parents are being harassed for sex and offered cheap, illegal sperm samples online.Some of those unable to access fertility treatment are seeking out options on social media sites, which is driving a growing unregulated market – with some even turning to “Tinder for sperm” websites.A BBC Wales investigation paid £100 for a next-day delivery sample from a man who advertised his “baby batter” online and sent it in a box with a frozen carton of tomato passata.The UK’s regulator for fertility warned women…
The Islamic, or Hijri, calendar is based on lunar months, and the New Year begins on the first day of Muharram, the calendar’s first monthGovernment employees in Dubai will get paid leave on Monday, June 15, 2026, to mark the Islamic New Year (Hijri 1448 AH), authorities have announced.The Dubai Government Human Resources Department (DGHR) confirmed that all government entities, departments, and institutions will observe the holiday, with official working hours resuming on Tuesday, June 16. As the holiday falls on a Monday, employees who get a Saturday-Sunday weekend will enjoy a three-day break.However, facilities that operate on a shift…
Getty ImagesThere was a significant police presence at the station after the incidentFive people have been injured in a stabbing at New York City’s Penn Station, officials say. One person suffered a serious injury, two had moderate injuries, and the rest suffered minor injuries from the stabbing, the Fire Department of New York said in a statement shared with US media. The New York Police Department apprehended the suspect after a manhunt following the attack, which took place around 19:00 EST (0:00 BST). The stabbing comes as the city is heightening security measures before US President Donald Trump visits on…
LIVEXi Jinping lands in North Korea to meet Kim Jong Un in rare visitThe Chinese leader is making his first official visit since 2019, as Beijing attempts to reassert sway over Pyongyang.
Getty ImagesXi and Kim last met in September in Beijing at a military paradeFor Chinese leader Xi Jinping, North Korea is the neighbour China can neither control nor afford to lose.The two sides often describe their relationship as one “forged in blood”, a reference to the Korean War.Yet in recent years, mistrust has strained ties. And now Beijing is trying to reassert sway over a strategically vital yet deeply unpredictable partner.China wants stability on its border and influence in Pyongyang, but without being dragged into crises triggered by North Korea’s nuclear ambitions. Seoul believes he may try to position China…
LIVEBuildings collapse in Philippines and tsunami evacuations ordered after powerful earthquakeThe 7.8 magnitude quake hits offshore in the southern island of Mindanao prompting tsunami warnings in the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia.
While biometric authentication is generally more secure than OTPs, the ever-advancing AI technologies are making it easier for bad actors to take advantage and steal users’ dataBanks in the UAE have completely moved away from traditional one-time passcodes (OTPs) and security pins to in-app authentication, which typically uses biometric data for online transactions.The shift was made to enhance security and in response to rising cases of phishing and fraud. However, the push toward biometric authentication has led some UAE residents to question the safety and security of such measures.Consent and privacy concerns“I understand why banks are strengthening security measures,” said…
Zoya MateenPrahlod Thakur’s wife and two-year-old granddaughter were killed when an Air India plane crashed into a medical college in Ahmedabad last yearWarning: The story contains details some readers might find distressing The photographs are the first thing Prahlod Thakur sees when he wakes up.They hang on the bright green peeling walls of his small Ahmedabad home, among religious icons, brass vessels and fading family portraits. One frame holds the face of his wife, Sarlaben. Another shows his granddaughter, Aadhya, wearing a white dress and smiling.Both of them were in the BJ Medical College hostel complex, less than 2km (1.2…
Abdulla AdnanIraqi fan Abdulla Adnan has been unable to get a visa to travel to the US to see his country playWhen Iraq’s football team qualified for the World Cup at the end of March, Abdulla Adnan bought tickets for his country’s matches against Norway and France, which will be played in the US cities of Boston and Philadelphia this month.”To go to a match, a stadium, a crowd, cheering, and see my team – that is worth the world to me,” he says. “It’s a feeling that no other feeling can compare to.” This is only the second time…
AFP via Getty ImagesThese foreigners, who watched the speech on their phones, are camped outside Durban’s home affairs department as they say they fear for their livesSouth Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has addressed the nation to announce a raft of new measures to crackdown on illegal migration as tensions rise over anti-foreigner marches and frustrations about high unemployment.These steps include jailing employers who hire undocumented workers, setting up dedicated courts to speed up deportations of undocumented migrants and having a register with biometric data “for every person in the country” to stamp out identity theft.But he also warned South Africans…