Gulfnews

Except for some torrential downpours, King Charles III’s highly choreographed official birthday parade passed off successfully yesterday, as Catherine, Princess of Wales, made a well-received partial return to public duties.But a small band of anti-monarchists did not keep to the meticulously planned script, booing the royals as they appeared on the Buckingham Palace balcony, waving their protest placards and aggravating royalists there.Graham Smith, who heads the Republic pressure group which campaigns for an elected UK head of state to replace the monarch, led the several dozen demonstrators determined to intrude on one of the highlights of the royal calendar. “The monarchy is undemocratic, it’s corrupt,” he told AFP, as they rallied near the palace with the organisation’s signature yellow placards and flags bearing slogans like “down with the crown”.“They misuse public office for personal gain, spending millions...on lifestyle, demanding secrecy, interfering in politics,” he added, ...

We have always admired the traditions of a nation that with faith, good customs, education, and solid social and family values have formed a good community that transcends globally.The teachings for a better life of a community that has managed to overcome itself are millennial results of a permanence of generations and generations that knew how to enrich the human essence by doing good.These values that are permanently rooted are linked to beautiful festivities, determined by the Islamic lunar calendar, and in which Eid al-Adha stands out these days.These religious festivals based on an unshakeable belief in one God enrich and strengthen the soul with unconditional faith.The festivities in Qatar, a country that welcomes us generously and even in a familiar way, have always filled us with joy with genuine details such as helping others spontaneously, with love and respect to lead this life, a divine gift, in harmony and peace.As Eid al-Adha approaches, we feel a suggestive atmosphere o...

WhatsApp announced several feature improvements related to video calling for mobile and desktop users.The Meta-owned instant messaging platform explained that the latest update will bring improvements to screen sharing on the app. When watching videos with other participants while sharing their screen, a user will also be able to share the audio playing, according to the company.WhatsApp also revealed an increase in the number of participants who can join video calls together. While up to 32 mobile users could join the calls, the number was previously limited to eight for users on the desktop apps. It has now been made uniform across all devices and up to 32 participants can be part of a video, call irrespective of which platform a user is joining from.A new 'speaker spotlight' feature will also be introduced, highlighting the current speaker on a video call. In theory, it could prove to be useful when attending video calls in large groups, enabling users to easily identify the...

French President Emmanuel Macron announced Friday the formation of a trilateral group with the United States and the Israeli entity to push forward a roadmap presented by Paris earlier this year to defuse the escalation in southern Lebanon.'With the United States we agreed on the principle of a trilateral contact group, Israel, the United States and France to advance on the roadmap that we proposed and we will do the same with the Lebanese authorities,' Macron tells reporters on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Rome.France has been trying since January to ease the tensions in southern Lebanon source https://www.gulf-times.com/article/684808/international/france-working-with-us-israeli-entity-on-roadmap-to-defuse-escalation-in-southern-lebanon

The Athens Acropolis, Greece’s most visited tourist attraction, was closed to the public during the hottest hours yesterday for the second day running, as tourists sweltered under the country’s earliest-ever heatwave.Tourists were unable to visit the Parthenon and other ancient masterpieces atop the Unesco-listed archaeological site between noon and 5pm local time (0900 to 1400 GMT).Many primary schools and nurseries across the country were closed to protect students from the heat, which was expected to recede tomorrow.In Athens, tourists stopped at drinking fountains to cool their heads and necks. Locals sat in air conditioned rooms set up by the city, using handheld fans to create a breeze.Firefighters who put out several wildfires on Wednesday remained on high alert as strong winds were expected to hit several parts of the country.Meteorologists have noted it is the earliest heatwave – which for Greece means temperatures exceeding 38° Celsius (100° Fahrenheit) for at least three day...

French conservatives on Wednesday said they had removed their leader Eric Ciotti for trying to strike an electoral alliance with the far-right National Rally (RN), although he insisted he was still in the post. The Republicans’ political committee had voted unanimously to oust Ciotti, MP Annie Genevard said, adding that the party “will present candidates to the French public with clarity and independence” at snap polls called by President Emmanuel Macron for June 30 and July 7. “I am and remain the president” of the party, Ciotti retorted in a post on X, calling the committee’s decision “a flagrant violation of our statutes” that was illegal and void. A mass revolt broke out among Republican heavyweights after Ciotti announced his deal with the RN on TV on Tuesday. He closed the party headquarters near the National Assembly lower house for the day after the political committee called an emergency meeting, saying there had “never been any meeting planned at the HQ this afternoon”. Ciott...

The Athens Acropolis, Greece’s most visited tourist site, was closed to the public during the hottest hours of on Wednesday as the season’s earliest-ever heatwave swept the country, prompting school closures and health warnings.The Unesco-listed archaeological site closed from midday to 5pm, with temperatures topping 43 degrees Celsius in central Greece. Temperatures of up to 44 degrees Celsius are expected today as the phenomenon peaks, with up to 43 degrees Celsius forecast in the capital. Meteorologists have noted this is the earliest heatwave — which for Greece is temperatures exceeding 38 degrees Celsius for at least three days — on record. “This heatwave will go down in history,” meteorologist Panos Giannopoulos said on state TV ERT. “In the 20th century we never had a heatwave before June 19. We have had several in the 21st century, but none before June 15,” he said. The climate crisis and civil protection ministry has warned of a very high risk of fires in the Attica region aro...