Author: Gulf News Week
Bloomberg via Getty ImagesOil prices hit $100 a barrel for the first time since May as the escalating conflict in the Middle East reignited fears over global energy supplies.Brent crude – the global benchmark for oil prices – rose more than 6% on Thursday following several days of increases as the US stepped up military strikes against Iran.Prices spiked after Houthi militia in Yemen attacked oil tankers in the Red Sea, threatening a key export route that Saudi Arabia has used to bypass the Strait of Hormuz.Gas prices have also risen steadily over the past month, with the benchmark UK…
Getty ImagesThe US is imposing new tariffs on imports from around 60 trading partners over claims they failed to properly stop forced labour. The duties, ranging from 10% to 12.5%, target key economic partners – including the UK, EU, Canada, Japan and India. They go into effect on Friday. The move is the latest escalation in the global trade war reignited by US President Donald Trump when he returned to office last year.The US Supreme Court ruled earlier this year that many of the tariffs imposed globally under emergency powers were illegally enacted. So the president has since sought other…
NEW YORK (news agencies) — The Senate health committee delayed a planned vote Thursday on whether to advance the nomination of Dr. Erica Schwartz to lead the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.The committee plans to vote next week on whether to forward Schwartz’s nomination to the full Senate. The committee’s chair, Sen. Bill Cassidy, said a family emergency was affecting the number of Republicans needed to be present to vote yes.If approved, the 54-year-old Schwartz would become the 22nd director of the Atlanta-based CDC, which is charged with protecting Americans from preventable health threats.Schwartz faced scrutiny during her…
ReutersOpenAI CEO Sam Altman has frequently said he supports more regulation around AI.US lawmakers want to give the government the ability to quickly order the turning off of artificial intelligence (AI) tools that may threaten the public.Congressman Ted Lieu, a Democrat, and Congressman Nathaniel Moran, a Republican, on Thursday introduced a bill named the AI Kill Switch Act.They did so in light of OpenAI’s recent admission that its AI models went out of control in an “unprecedented” way and hacked into a major repository of computer coding information.Lieu said “it is imperative” that AI systems have a kill switch “and…
AFP via Getty ImagesVance and his family are required to have round-the-clock Secret Service protectionA member of US Vice-President JD Vance security team has been suspended and is under investigation for allegedly leaking sensitive information, the US Secret Service (USSS) said on Thursday. The specifics of what was leaked have not been released, but the USSS said their agent faced a “potential criminal inquiry”, involving allegations of “compromising operational and information security”.”Any conduct that potentially threatens the safety of a protectee will not be tolerated,” USSS spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said.The White House declined to comment on the investigation.Vance and his…
ReutersThe battle of wills between Fedorov (left) and Zelensky (right) remains unresolved – at least for nowUkraine’s ousted defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov has refused to accept an alternative post in Volodymyr Zelensky’s government, insisting he wants his job back.He thanked the president, but said there were “only three positions in the state – in addition to soldiers on the battlefield – which determine the course of the war: president, defence minister and commander-in-chief”. Zelensky said he had offered Fedorov several posts, including deputy prime minister.Last week’s removal of Fedorov – who is praised for transforming the armed forces – triggered…
NASA Worldview/ReutersAttacks launched from Yemen could disrupt the vital Bab El Mandeb Strait shipping route, further restricting global tradeYemen’s Houthi fighters claim to have attacked shipping in the Red Sea – a move that threatens to further escalate the already volatile situation in the Middle East.By forcing ships to turn back from the narrow Bab El Mandeb strait, they have threatened to choke off the main maritime route from Europe to Asia. It comes as US-Iran strikes continue and while a deal to develop Saudi Arabia’s nuclear industry prompts fears of an arms race. So is the Middle East becoming…
Is 2026 the Commonwealth Games’ last dance or a future-proofing revamp?It’s been going for 96 years – but many doubted the 2026 Commonwealth Games, which open in Glasgow on Thursday, would happen. So what could the future hold for the event?3 hrs agoCommonwealth Games
BBCThis report contains distressing descriptions of the deaths of children.Amaineh Nademi walks carefully through what is left of her old school. Chunks of broken concrete hang precariously from the damaged upper floor. A few classrooms are still standing, their brightly coloured walls decorated with painted balloons and flowers.The 33-year-old teacher knows exactly what was where – the girls’ classrooms on the upper floor, the boys’ classrooms below, the headteacher’s office, the prayer room.Rubble is all that remains of her classroom, where she taught first-grade girls at Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School in Minab, a small city in southern Iran.On 28 February,…
Getty ImagesUS President Donald Trump, seen with his Saudi counterpart Mohammed bin Salman, says Saudi Arabia will not be able to enrich uranium under the dealThe deal between the US and Saudi Arabia to help the Gulf kingdom develop nuclear energy is dependent on Riyadh recognising the State of Israel, President Donald Trump has said.”The Civil Nuclear Deal (There will be no enrichment of material!)… which pertains only to non-military use… will be approved, but is totally subject to Saudi Arabia joining the very respected and successful Abraham Accords,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.The Trump-brokered Abraham Accords…