Author: Gulf News Week
Why is a peat fire so bad? BBC is in Indonesia to find outThe BBC’s Liza Tambunan is in central Kalimantan, to explain what peat is and why Indonesia is facing its worst wildfire season in a decade.3 hrs agoAsia
Getty ImagesWangaratta locals have described their disbelief at the alleged attack on local MP Helen HainesWangaratta has been thrust into an unwelcome spotlight this week. Residents in this rural Victorian town are used to catering to tourists passing through on their way to regional wineries, or music lovers visiting its annual jazz and blues festival.Instead, locals are fielding endless questions about their MP – and having to explain to strangers what it all means for the town’s nearly 30,000 people.They are clearly in shock about what police say was a targeted and deliberate attack on Helen Haines on Monday afternoon,…
Getty ImagesFrom the Olympics to Tokyo’s annual video game convention, Japan has a strong track record of hosting major international events. But this year’s Asian Games in Nagoya and the wider Aichi Prefecture were marred by problems.There were diplomatic blunders, transport errors and accommodation chaos. In comment fields online, some branded it the “worst Games in history” and urged a “full investigation”.Prof Kozo Tomiyama, who studies major sporting events at Osaka University, believes organisers were unable to handle the unexpected.”If these problems damage international confidence in Japan’s ability to operate sporting events, they could also affect Japan’s ability to attract…
Getty ImagesFrom left: Neil Bush, George W Bush, and George HW BushTwo members of the Bush family, the Republican political dynasty that counts Texas as its political launchpad, have backed Democrat James Talarico in the hotly fought race for a Senate seat in the Lone Star State.Barbara Bush, daughter of ex-President George W Bush, has reportedly donated to Talarico’s campaign, while her uncle, Neil Bush, says he backs the Democrat.The Republican candidate, Ken Paxton, beat a primary challenge from Neil Bush’s nephew, so the endorsement may be cast by critics as political sour grapes.But the Bushes could potentially influence some…
Getty ImagesWitkoff (R) said there was still important work to do after the meeting with Putin (L)After two days of diplomacy – in Norway’s capital and Russia’s St Petersburg – is the war in Ukraine any closer to ending?”Good and constructive” is how Norway’s prime minister described Tuesday’s talks between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, US President Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and European representatives.In Oslo, the idea of a trilateral meeting at leaders’ level was floated. The hope was that Steve Witkoff’s trip to Russia would pave the way for President Vladimir Putin, Zelensky and Trump to meet and agree…
PA MediaScottish Secretary Douglas Alexander, Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh and Chancellor John Healey visited the St Fergus Gas Terminal on WednesdayThe UK government has approved production from the Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea amid intense debate about the project’s environmental and economic impact.Ministers said the first gas could be produced by the end of this month, helping heat millions of homes, and also announced the creation of a new energy wealth fund.But environmental campaigners said the decision would hamper efforts to tackle climate change and make “no meaningful difference” to UK energy security.Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch accused the…
EPAMeta has been hit with numerous legal fines this yearMeta, the company behind Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp has been hit with the largest ever fine against it for its business practices.A judge in New Mexico on Wednesday ordered the company to pay $25bn (£18.6bn) following a two week trial earlier this year that found it had spent years lying to the public about how it handled Facebook user data.”The lies extend beyond Facebook’s data practices as well,” the judge said, adding they went to “the heart of Facebook’s core business practices.”The fine is the largest to date against Meta, which…
Getty ImagesThe race to be Ohio’s next governor has turned ugly amid uproar over one of the most viral attack ads of the midterm elections campaign.Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy released an ad featuring his opponent’s estranged mother urging Ohioans not to elect her daughter. “She’s lied her entire life,” Donna Arthur says in the video.But the ad leaves out that her daughter, Democratic candidate Amy Acton, alleged she was raped by Arthur’s husband 40 years ago when she was just 12. Getty ImagesActon and her brother were removed from their mother’s custody when her stepfather, Cledith Arthur, was arrested and…
Witkoff tells freed US prisoner Stephen Hubbard: Putin ‘sends you blessings’Russia released a 74-year-old American citizen who was jailed for allegedly fighting on behalf of Ukraine, as President Vladimir Putin met US envoy Steve Witkoff in St Petersburg for talks.Stephen Hubbard had been taken to the city’s Pulkovo Airport, Putin said during the meeting early on Wednesday.President Donald Trump later said the former teacher was “on his way back home” and “there was no ‘swap’ necessary”. Following the release, Witkoff called Putin a humanitarian.Hubbard, who was sentenced to almost seven years in a penal colony in 2024, was accused of…
Getty ImagesInternational governments and agencies have urged websites to address two critical cyber-security flaws in a programming language which powers much of the internet.The vulnerabilities were found within the PHP programming language, with a fix issued on Wednesday afternoon. Multiple cyber-security agencies have urged organisations unable to apply fixes in time to consider taking their sites down, leaving bodies such as the Finnish government, Edinburgh council and the BBC to take pages offline.The flaws were discovered by AI, with cyber-security firm Wiz saying they were the “most severe vulnerabilities ever discovered” by the tech, which is reshaping the cyber landscape.The…