Author: Gulf News Week
Getty ImagesWangchuk was sitting on hunger strike in the scorching summer, consuming nothing but salt and waterIndian activist and educationist Sonam Wangchuk, on hunger strike for the past 20 days in Delhi, has been forcibly removed from his protest site.The 59-year-old had been protesting in support of an online satirical movement called the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) who are seeking educational reforms. The protesters had planned a march to India’s parliament on Monday.CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke told the BBC he had gone to a friend’s house in the morning to freshen up when policemen turned up and refused to let…
Getty ImagesImages shared on Friday showed a damaged bridge in Iran’s southern Hormozgan province The US military said it carried out the seventh night of strikes on Iran since President Donald Trump declared the temporary ceasefire agreement was “over”.In a statement shared on X, US Central Command (Centcom) wrote that its forces “hit surveillance sites, military logistics infrastructure, underground weapons storage, and maritime capabilities”.Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said two oil tankers had exploded in the Strait of Hormuz while passing through a mined part of the shipping channel. That was dismissed as false by Centcom.Jordan’s armed forces said it had…
Skyroot AerospaceVikram-1 is set to take off from the Indian Space Research Organisation’s launch facility in Sriharikota on SaturdayWhat if launching a satellite was as easy as calling a cab? That’s the vision behind an Indian private rocket company that will attempt its first orbital launch on Saturday.Skyroot Aerospace, which recently became India’s first space tech unicorn after reaching $1.1bn valuation, is all set to launch Vikram-1 from the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (Isro) launch facility in Sriharikota in southern India.The seven-storey rocket, set for lift-off at 11:30 India time [06:00 GMT], will be headed for the Low Earth Orbit…
Watch: Songs that changed how some North Koreans saw the worldOn a sunny Saturday in June, Lee Yeon-su took the day off from work and hopped on a train from Seoul to Busan for yet another concert by pop supergroup BTS.It was her third time in as many months. She had been in the crowds that poured into central Seoul in March, when the septet launched their comeback – but the stage was too far away. In April, on the first day of their world tour, the rain poured down, drowning out the singers’ voices. But this time in Busan,…
The ‘ultimate all-round sportsman’ – Sobers could do it allSir Garfield Sobers, who has died aged 89, was rightly chosen as one of the leading five cricketers of the 20th century – and will be remembered as arguably the best all-rounder in the history of the game.6 hrs agoCricket
Olga Ivashchenko/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesCrowds took to the streets of Kyiv on Thursday following the removal of defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov”My operation is scheduled for tomorrow,” says the disfigured soldier, still recovering from his terrible injuries.”I hope when I wake up after the anaesthetic, Fedorov will be back at the Ministry of Defence,” the unnamed soldier says in a video posted on Telegram. “Otherwise, everything I was fighting for will have been in vain.”Among Ukraine’s battle-weary soldiers and wounded veterans, there’s a collective sense of outrage at this week’s political developments.President Zelensky’s decision not to re-appoint his successful young defence…
Alexander NEMENOV/AFP via Getty ImagesNadezhdin briefly needed medical treatment when he appeared in court on FridayRussian authorities have continued to clamp down on what little domestic opposition remains in the country by detaining a well-known blogger and moving to prevent a local politician from running for parliament.Blogger Ilya Remeslo was a staunch supporter of Vladimir Putin until he staged a dramatic about-turn last March, calling the president a “war criminal and thief” and saying he should resign.He has now been remanded in custody for two months on suspicion of spreading false information against the military.Separately, Boris Nadezhdin has been convicted…
Getty ImagesAndy Burnham said he had still not decided who will be in his cabinet ahead of him taking over from Sir Keir Starmer as prime minister on Monday.Asked why he had not announced his top team, the new Labour leader said: “It would be somewhat premature and would, I think, cause complete chaos if you start half a reshuffle before you’re in the position.”There has been widespread speculation about Burnham’s cabinet picks, with Ed Miliband and Shabana Mahmood thought to be in the running to replace Rachel Reeves as chancellor.In an earlier speech after becoming party leader, the former…
West Indies legend Sobers dies aged 89Legendary former West Indies all-rounder Sir Garfield Sobers, regarded as one of the greatest cricketers of all time, dies aged 89.3 hrs agoCricket
Getty ImagesIn a 26-minute speech from the White House, President Donald Trump revived some familiar claims about US election fraud and interference.Standing in the East Room – the same venue where Barack Obama announced the killing of Osama bin Laden in 2011 – Trump said the current election system was “catastrophically short” of being secure and that hundreds of declassified intelligence files would reveal these “shocking vulnerabilities”.BBC Verify has reviewed these documents, although some of them have been heavily redacted.There appear to be no bombshell revelations and no evidence that interference or fraud actually changed the outcome of previous elections…