Author: Gulf News Week

The batting maestro ends a storied 13-year T20I career, relinquishing the captaincy and making way for a new generation as New Zealand builds towards the next World Cup. NEW ZEALAND cricket has entered a new phase with the announcement that star batsman Kane Williamson has retired from Twenty20 internationals, effective immediately. Williamson, 35, closed a defining chapter in Black Caps history on Sunday, ending a T20I tenure that began in 2011. He finishes as the team’s most prolific captain, having led the side a record 75 times. Under his stewardship, New Zealand became a consistent T20 World Cup threat, reaching…

Despite some progress in delivering food to Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip, the enclave – ravaged by Israeli bombardment and racked by hunger – remains in urgent need of humanitarian assistance, the United Nations has said.The UN and its partners have been able to get 37,000 metric tonnes of aid, mostly food, into Gaza since the October 10 ceasefire, but much more is needed, UN spokesperson Farhan Haq told reporters on Friday.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3UN sounds alarm over rising hunger crisis in eastern DR Congolist 2 of 3Why Mo Amer jokes to survivelist 3…

Turkiye accuses Israeli officials of ‘genocide and crimes against humanity’ over Israel’s war on Gaza.Turkiye says it has issued arrest warrants for genocide against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior Israeli officials.Among 37 suspects listed are Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and army chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, according to a Friday statement from the Istanbul prosecutor’s office, which did not publish the complete list.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3US president expects Gaza peacekeeping force ‘very soon’list 2 of 3Schools by day, shelters by night: Students return to Gaza classroomslist…

US has rolled back sanctions that could complicate Syria’s efforts to rebuild following years of devastating civil war.The United States has removed Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa from a “terrorist” sanctions list before a meeting between the country’s new leader and President Donald Trump next week.The US Department of the Treasury removed al-Sharaa, a former fighter linked to al-Qaeda, from the Specially Designated Global Terrorist list on Friday. The United Nations Security Council also removed al-Sharaa from a largely symbolic sanctions list on Thursday.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Trump to host Syria’s al-Sharaa for talks at White House…

Gaza’s devastation starkly contrasts global promises to ‘leave no one behind’ at the recently concluded Second World Summit for Social Development.For Gaza resident Yassir Shaheen, nights were the hardest part of living through Israel’s devastating two-year war on the enclave.“Many nights, we lay awake, our lips dry, our hearts pounding in fear, feeling as though the sky itself was collapsing on us,” he told media.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Turkiye: Hamas will transfer Gaza’s governance to committee of Palestinianslist 2 of 3Why did Wikipedia editor block edits to the ‘Gaza genocide’ page?list 3 of 3How Israel is…

Army-backed government yet to give an official response to Quad’s proposal for ceasefire leading to civilian rule.Loud explosions have been heard in Sudan’s army-held capital Khartoum, shortly after the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) said it was ready for a truce after fighting the government-aligned Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) for more than two years of brutal civil war.The attacks took place early Friday, targeting Omdruman, part of the greater Khartoum area, and army-held Atbara to the north of the capital, and were intercepted by the army’s air defence systems, according to media’s Hiba Morgan.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1…

Appearance at Amazon summit comes before talks with Trump in Washington after UN Security Council lifted sanctions.Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa joined world leaders at the United Nations COP30 summit in Brazil, pledging his commitment to global efforts to limit climate change, in the latest sign that the war-torn country is returning to the international fold.Al-Sharaa told the Brazil summit on Thursday that his country was fully on board with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and invited investments in renewable energy as part of his country’s “ambitious” plans for reconstruction and recovery.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of…

Those arrested were all men, boys aged between 17 and 67 – the majority for racially aggravated public offences.Police have arrested 11 people during heated demonstrations in advance of the politically charged Europa League match between Aston Villa and Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv in Birmingham.Pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli supporters gathered outside the stadium to protest on Thursday evening, but despite the tensions, the game went ahead without major disruptions.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Prosecutors drop Maccabi Tel Aviv assault cases after footage deletedlist 2 of 4‘Ban Israeli football’: Scholars urge UEFA to bar Israel over Gaza horrorslist 3…

New Prevent statistics show violent right-wing referrals have skyrocketed, outpacing Islamist extremism cases two-to-one as overall radicalisation warnings hit new high. (LONDON) – Britain’s counter-terrorism programme is grappling with a dramatic shift toward far-right radicalisation, with new data revealing referrals for violent right-wing ideology have surged to become the programme’s largest category of concern. Home Office figures released today show Prevent received 1,800 warnings about potential far-right extremists in the year to March 2025 – a dramatic 40% increase that now represents more than double the number of Islamist extremism cases. The statistics reveal a total of 8,778 people were referred…

Mass crackdown on migrants follows deal signed with the EU to stem migration from source countries in Africa.Nouadhibou, Mauritania – When Omar*, a 29-year-old bricklayer from rural Gambia, crossed the border into Mauritania in March, he came in search of the better pay he’d heard he could find.He settled in Nouadhibou, Mauritania’s second-largest city, where he shared a one-room shack with four friends, and found work as a casual labourer on construction sites, earning two to three times more than he had back home.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3‘Xenophobic’: Neighbours outraged over Mauritania’s mass migrant pushbacklist 2…