Author: Gulf News Week
US man struck by lightning describes ‘horrific’ experienceThomas Fahmy says he saw “a bright white flash” and instantly fell to the ground.6 hrs agoUS & Canada
AFP via Getty ImagesThe deaths in al-Mughayyir come amid a recent surge in settler violence in the occupied West BankFunerals have taken place for two Palestinian teenagers who local officials say were killed by Israeli settlers and soldiers in an attack on their village in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday.The village council in al-Mughayyir told the BBC that Omar al-Nassan, 19, and Khalil Abu Alia, 16, were killed as they tried to stop Israeli settlers stealing sheep and that confrontations broke out.The Israeli military stated that its forces had entered the village to provide security for an Israeli civilian…
Watch: Gloria Steinem talks about her legacy in 2023 BBC interviewGloria Steinem, who became a leader of the women’s liberation movement in the US, has died aged 92. In a post on Instagram, her foundation said she “passed away peacefully” at her home in New York City on Wednesday, “surrounded by many who loved her”. Steinem, who was a writer and magazine editor, co-founded the Women’s Action Alliance – a group dedicated to fighting sexism – more than 50 years ago.She started her career as a journalist in New York and went on to co-found Ms. magazine, one of the…
Getty ImagesAs wildfires worsen across large parts of Indonesia, a noxious haze is choking the regionA blanket of toxic haze is enveloping parts of Indonesia and spreading into Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines, as weeks-long wildfires continue to burn.Millions of people across large swathes of South East Asia have been exposed to the smog, which in some areas has fuelled “acutely unhealthy” pollution more than 15 times the World Health Organization’s recommended level.Many of the ongoing fires have been burning across Sumatra and Indonesian Borneo since mid-July – underpinned by a so-called Super El Niño that is exacerbating drought conditions.Between…
ReutersMore than 80 people, including a baby, are feared to have died in a boat which was adrift in the Atlantic Ocean for 27 days.Spanish Maritime Rescue teams located the vessel some 65 nautical miles southwest of Gran Canaria’s coastal town of Arguineguín on Wednesday and found 44 survivors, with five dead bodies also on board.The boat is believed to have departed The Gambia in West Africa in early August with 127 occupants on board. Human rights activist Helena Maleno Garzón, founder of Spanish charity Caminando Fronteras, said 83 people had lost their lives.Rescuers were forced to leave the five…
Europa Press via Getty ImagesPedro Sánchez has been criticised for blaming trafficking gangs and social media for the crisisSpanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has said no-one foresaw the influx of 72,000 migrants in the exclave of Ceuta, as pressure mounts over his handling of the crisis.”It’s absurd to think that the government knew and did nothing,” Sánchez told Spain’s parliament on Thursday, hours after tens of thousands of people joined protests across the country backed by opposition parties.Sánchez also maintained there was no evidence Morocco was behind the mass crossing and there had been “close co-ordination” between the two countries.A…
Getty ImagesTim Curry attends a 40th anniversary celebration for The Rocky Horror Picture Show in Los Angeles in 2015.British actor Tim Curry died of coronary artery disease, his spokesman has confirmed to the BBC.The Rocky Horror Picture Show star died in his Los Angeles home on 25 August, aged 80. In addition to the heart condition, Curry had a history of stroke and kidney cancer, which were significant conditions that contributed to his death, his spokesman said, citing a death certificate filed in Los Angeles County. Stars of stage and screen paid tribute to the actor, who shot to fame…
The BBC watched groups of migrants boarding an inflatable dinghy on the Gravelines beach in northern FranceA drop in small boats illegally reaching the UK is forcing people smuggling gangs to adopt new tactics, a BBC investigation has found.And there are claims of more “mega-dinghies” being prepared, of the type seen arriving on UK shores in recent weeks.The image of a 15-metre long small boat carrying a record 230 migrants towards the UK drew condemnation from both newspapers and politicians.Ministers were accused of “losing control” of illegal Channel crossings, and the French police again found themselves criticised for not intervening.They…
Watch: Why US troops have a history in this raucous Thai cityFar from hitting the bars and fleshpots of the Thai beach resort of Pattaya, in their first hours onshore most of the nearly 5,000 sailors from the USS Abraham Lincoln seemed determined to go shopping.At the Hard Rock Hotel – one of two beachside hotels where they were able to stay off the ship – they hung around clutching their recent purchases. But perhaps, after a record 250 days confined inside a grey steel warship, the normality of a trip to the mall might have been just what they…
Florian Plaucheur/AFP via Getty ImagesEl Niño brought intense flooding and landslides to southern Brazil in 2024The world has entered a “danger zone of extreme weather” as the impacts of El Niño start to be felt globally, UN head António Guterres has warned.The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has released the latest data on the natural weather phenomenon showing it could be the strongest for more than 70 years and last until at least February 2027.El Niño changes weather patterns around the world, pushing some regions into drought whilst others experience stronger typhoons and flooding.Forecasters also say El Niño will boost temperatures…