Author: Gulf News Week
Getty ImagesGrowing uncut, uncombed hair into dreadlocks is a symbol of devotion and spiritual growth for RastafariansThe US Supreme Court has ruled that a former Louisiana inmate cannot sue prison officials who forcibly shaved his dreadlocks in violation of his Rastafarian faith. In a 6-3 ruling, the top court said the prisoner, Damon Landor, was not entitled to monetary damages under a federal religious freedom law as it did not apply to individual officials. The justices said state employees did not consent to face lawsuits in their personal capacities when Congress passed the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act…
Getty ImagesMuch like the UK, countries across Europe are experiencing intense heat this weekEurope is in the throes of a scorching heatwave, with temperature records expected to tumble in the coming days.We asked our reporters across the continent how people are dealing with the searing temperatures where they are.Dutch schools go ‘tropical’ and ‘cool-down’ spots in AmsterdamGetty ImagesAmsterdam’s heatwave is expected to peak at 38C later this weekAmsterdam is rolling out a network of “cool‑down” spots across the city, offering residents a place to escape the worst of the heat. These spaces – in libraries, city farms, theatres, churches, community…
BBCAt least 172 vessels have crossed through the Strait of Hormuz since the US and Iran signed a deal aimed at ending the war, including 42 ships on Saturday alone, according to new data from maritime intelligence firm Kpler.The number of vessels making the transit from 18 June, the day after the deal was signed, is still well below the pre-conflict average of some 138 crossings each day.Ship-tracking data analysed by BBC Verify shows more than 200 tankers appear to be waiting inside the strait on Tuesday, with at least 10 ships moving west into the Gulf so far.The price…
EPAMahrang Baloch denies inciting protesters before a soldier was killed at rally in 2024A leading human rights activist who has spent years campaigning against enforced disappearances in the Pakistani province of Balochistan has been sentenced to life in prison over the killing of a paramilitary soldier at a rally in 2024.Mahrang Baloch, leader of the Balochistan Unity Committee (BYC), was convicted of murder and terrorism alongside fellow activist Sibghatullah.Prosecutors accused the pair of inciting a mob which fatally attacked paramilitary soldier Shabbir Ahmed.The activists, who boycotted the trial along with their legal team, deny the charges.The official claimed Shabbir Ahmed…
EPAAbout 30% of those killed in the Gaza war have been children, according to the UN commission of inquiryA UN commission of inquiry says Israel has deliberately targeted Palestinian children, resulting in genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in the Gaza Strip, as well as war crimes in the occupied West Bank.A new report alleges that Israeli authorities and security forces have “deliberately carried out acts inflicting death and severe bodily and mental harm on hundreds of thousands of Palestinian children”, and that the killings continued even after last October’s ceasefire in Gaza.The commission says it has reasonable grounds…
Mauricio Dueñas Castañeda, EPA/ShutterstockAbelardo de la Espriella has a lead of around 250,000 votes, according to the preliminary countUS President Donald Trump has predicted a “much better relationship” between his government and Colombia after preliminary results suggested that the right-wing candidate Abelardo de la Espriella had won in Sunday’s presidential run-off.The official, but not legally binding, preliminary vote count showed de la Espriella beating his left-wing rival, Iván Cepeda, by a razor-thin margin of less than one percentage point. Cepeda has not yet conceded, saying he would wait for the results to be cross checked, a process which usually takes…
Getty ImagesEdgar Lungu is reported to have said he did not want his successor at his funeral or “anywhere near” his bodyMore than a year after the death of Zambia’s former President Edgar Lungu, his family have won their appeal to have his body buried in South Africa where he died – overturning a high court ruling that allowed the Zambian government to repatriate the corpse.It is not clear whether Tuesday’s ruling at the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein finally puts to rest the legal battle over what should happen to his remains following a long-standing feud between Lungu…
Getty ImagesFrance’s sports minister Marina Ferrari warned that too many people were heading for reservoirs and rivers without taking the risks into accountForty people have drowned in heatwave-related deaths in France since last Thursday, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has said, as temperatures hit record levels in several major cities and the heatwave reaches a peak in several European countries.”It’s not something to be taken lightly, going swimming in unsupervised areas during a heatwave,” Sports and Youth Minister Marina Ferrari told French radio.France, along with Spain and Italy, have been hardest hit by the heatwave so far. France saw its hottest…
Move comes amid a surge in cases, with nearly 50,000 infections and 29 deaths reported this year. The figures, however, remain below the 2017 peak of 186,000 patients and 440 fatalitiesSri Lanka is grappling with a severe dengue fever outbreak, prompting President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to deploy military forces to combat the escalating crisis. Health authorities issued a dire warning on Tuesday stating that hospitals are being overwhelmed, recording over 1,000 admissions daily as the mosquito-borne disease spreads rapidly across the island nation.According to an AFP report, the President’s office confirmed that army, navy, and air force officers would join…
LIVEUK Labour MPs consider leadership challenges to avoid Burnham becoming PM unopposedAl Carns and Darren Jones are weighing up whether to run – although our correspondent says right now, it seems unlikely they would get enough support from Labour MPs.