Author: Gulf News Week
BBCAs the country sweltered through one of the many heatwaves of a baking summer in late June, towering thunderclouds were gathering over the south of England and across much of northern Europe. It was a Saturday, and with the holiday season getting under way, thousands of passengers were heading to London’s Heathrow and Gatwick airports to catch flights abroad. It was always going to be a very busy day.What followed, however, was chaos for travellers. As air traffic controllers struggled to route aircraft around the storms, airspace became heavily congested and many planes due to fly were simply forced to…
Sarah Khalifa Instagram accountSarah Khalifa is best known for her TV programme Mission Impossible which dealt with crime issues.Egyptian television presenter Sarah Khalifa and 11 other people have been sentenced to death by hanging after being convicted of drugs charges.According to state-owned al-Akhram newspaper, they were part of a criminal gang which imported ingredients used to make drugs with the intent of selling them. They also had illegal firearms and munitions.Khalifa, 39, is best known for her TV programme Mission Impossible which dealt with crime issues. She has denied the charges.However, it was only confirmed a month later after the…
How Man Utd plan to compete at top with richer rivalsManager Michael Carrick and chief executive Omar Berrada are united in their viewthat Manchester United can be successful despite the club’s relatively low summer spending.1 hr agoMan Utd
Anwar Hussein/Getty ImagesHarald, the popular King of Norway, is to be buried in Oslo next weekThe Prince of Wales will attend the funeral of King Harald V of Norway on Wednesday in Oslo, Buckingham Palace has announced.Also going to the funeral, in a personal capacity, is Princess Anne, who is godmother to Norway’s new monarch, King Haakon VIII.The late King Harald, a popular, modernising figure who had been on the Norwegian throne for 35 years, died last month at the age of 89.Royal sources say Prince William’s attendance, representing his father King Charles, follows the convention that the monarch does…
Fernandez and Ndiaye show signs of promise on Man City debutsManchester City gave £185m of deadline-day talent their Premier League debuts in the win over Coventry – and manager Enzo Maresca will have enjoyed what he saw.3 hrs agoMan City
Temperature exceeds 40C in parts of Europe – is a September heatwave likely for UK?Parts of central and southern Europe have seen temperatures above 40C this week. As things warm up in the UK, is there a heatwave on the way?20 hrs ago
US Central Command released footage of the strikes on Iran-linked tankersThe US military says it has hit three Iran-linked oil tankers in retaliation for Tehran targeting two American warships in the region.US Central Command (Centcom) said on Saturday it had “permanently disabled” two tankers, including one near Kharg Island, and “completely destroyed” a third in the Gulf of Oman.Iran’s state media confirmed the strikes and cited a military spokesperson threatening more severe reprisals if Washington continued its attacks.Fighting between the two sides has flared up again over the past week, with little apparent progress towards ending the six-month war.Kharg Island…
Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson has blamed flight price rises on “foolish leaders” starting wars, in a thinly veiled reference to the US-Israel conflict with Iran.Middle East tensions have choked the production and transportation of millions of barrels of oil, causing a surge in the price of car and jet fuels, which are made from oil.In May, Virgin Atlantic added a fuel surcharge to ticket prices in response.US President Donald Trump has repeatedly defended the conflict as necessary for peace and security long-term.”The Iran conflict was completely unnecessary. There was a nuclear agreement between Iran and the rest of…
AFP via Getty ImagesThe embrace of Russia by Niger, and other Sahel states, has been seen as a rejection of the post-colonial Western powersWhen mutinous soldiers seized a strategic military base in Niger’s capital last Saturday, the country’s ruling junta turned to a foreign partner it has increasingly relied on since coming to power: Russia.Following a night of intense fighting in Niamey, Russia’s Africa Corps helped Nigerien loyalist forces to regain control of Air Base 101 at Diori Hamani International Airport.Africa Corps, unlike its predecessor the Wagner Group, is directly under the control of the defence ministry in Moscow. It…
ANITransport officials in Maharashtra had begun testing drivers’ ability to speak basic Marathi, the state’s official languageAn Indian state has given taxi and tuk-tuk drivers one more year to learn the local language after a new rule making it mandatory sparked protests.Transport officials in the western state of Maharashtra had begun testing drivers’ ability to conduct basic conversations in Marathi, the state’s official language, on 20 August. Those who failed were given a month to learn the language, after which they risked having their licences suspended or cancelled.The government said the requirement was meant to improve communication between drivers and…