Author: Gulf News Week
EPA/ShutterstockIt is not just the wildfire burning in the bond markets, with many countries facing interest rates at multi-decade highs. The markets lending money to governments appear to be changing more fundamentally too.Over summer, the message has been made clear: countries will have to pay more to borrow cash.The immediate reason is the ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz and renewed hostilities between the US and Iran, which has pushed up inflation and, in turn, raised expectations of higher interest rates in the world’s major economies.It was wishful thinking, based on the hope that US President Donald Trump would…
ReutersUrsula von der Leyen and Mark Rutte accused Russia of becoming increasingly reckless in its attacks on EuropeThe heads of Nato and the European Commission have warned that Russia is growing increasingly reckless and vowed to respond to a “new normal”.”Leipzig marks a new escalation on European Union soil directly attributed to Russia,” said Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, a day after Germany blamed Russia for a failed drone attack last month on Leipzig airport.”We have to step up and that means being ready to respond to Russia’s recklessness faster and better,” von der Leyen said. Nato Secretary General…
Getty ImagesThe Bayeux Tapestry is going to be open to the public in London from next weekKing Charles, French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham are to preview one of the blockbuster cultural events of the year, when they get to view the Bayeux Tapestry at the British Museum.The visit on Wednesday comes ahead of the medieval tapestry going on public display in London from 10 September.The 70m (230ft) tapestry, originally embroidered in England but kept for centuries in France, tells the story of the Norman Conquest and the Battle of Hastings in 1066.President Macron said the…
BBCMore than 900 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza this year despite the ceasefire, according to latest figures from the territory’s Hamas-run Ministry of Health.It brings the total number of Palestinians killed in the Strip since the 10 October ceasefire was declared to more than 1,300, including 301 children, the ministry says.Hamas and Israel agreed to halt the war after accepting US President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan. That plan included a suspension of “all military operations, including aerial and artillery bombardment”.Since then, BBC Verify has analysed dozens of videos which show the impact of Israeli strikes…
Watch: Near ground zero of the Nepal floodsThe response to catastrophic flash floods along the Nepal-Tibet border a week ago has turned to relief and recovery, even as rescuers scramble to reach anyone who may be alive.The priority now is delivering aid, recovering loved ones, tracing missing relatives and reunifying separated children, the UN’s humanitarian agency says.At least 1,114 people have died in Nepal and nearly 4,000 more are missing, according to Nepal’s disaster agency. On the Tibetan side, the death toll is 16, with more than 500 people unaccounted for, Chinese state media report.Efforts are continuing to rescue workers,…
What we know about reported strike on Iran wedding celebrationsBBC Verify looks at footage showing the aftermath of a strike on a building in southern Iran.42 mins agoBBC Verify
Watch: Why do US troops have history with this Thai city?After a record 250 days at sea without a port stop, the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln has docked in Thailand, giving its nearly 5,000 crew members a much-needed break.The ship is docking close to the beach resort of Pattaya, known for its raucous nightlife and for sex tourism. For the US it also carries strong historical echoes.When the weary sailors walk into the city’s bars and restaurants, they will literally be treading in the footsteps of the hundreds of thousands of US troops who came here for R&R…
AFP via Getty ImagesVolodymyr Zelensky says “the Russian sky is becoming completely dangerous”Ukraine’s president has told airlines that Russian airspace will be “effectively closing” as his country escalates its drone strikes. “We want to warn every airline that uses Russian airspace, every insurer, everyone who still uses key Russian airports: the Russian sky is becoming completely dangerous,” Volodymyr Zelensky says.Most Western commercial airlines do not fly over Russia as a consequence of the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, but carriers in countries such as China do.Russian President Vladimir Putin responded by saying that Zelensky’s comments amounted to a “declaration of…
BBCAt least 16 people have been killed in a bus crash in eastern Egypt, the country’s health ministry has said.Another 28 people were injured on the road between Red Sea towns of Dahab and Nuweiba in the South Sinai governorate on Wednesday morning.As many as 20 ambulances were sent to the scene of the accident to provide first aid and evacuate the injured, the ministry said. The cause of the crash remains unknown.The area is a popular tourist destination, attracting visitors from around the world.Such accidents are often blamed on reckless driving and poor road maintenance.Last month, 18 people were…
Watch: BBC sees Israeli military presence in southern LebanonThe drive on the highway by the Mediterranean in southern Lebanon, near the border with Israel, is scenic and, these days, desolate. Crops lie abandoned and buildings destroyed by Israeli air strikes, too many to count, are in ruins.Near the town of Naqoura, a Lebanese military checkpoint, painted in the white-and-red colours of the national flag, is the last visible sign of the state’s presence. Soldiers are positioned behind concrete walls, but the road is empty. A few minutes further south, around a dozen Israeli flags indicate the start of occupied territory.…