UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres claimed that Israel was making “liberal decisions that defy basic humanity,” claiming that this had led to disastrous outcomes in Gaza. He reaffirmed that famine was no longer a looming possibility but rather a foreseeable catastrophe.
Rapper French Montana has got engaged to his partner, Sheikha Mahra. It has been announced this week that the couple are in the process of planning their wedding after having got engaged to each other earlier this year.
French Montana, 40, whose real name is Karim Kharbouch, has been linked to Emirati princess Mahra Al Maktoum, 31, since last year. He previously had a relationship with reality TV star Khloé Kardashian and was once linked to fellow rapper Iggy Azalea.
After getting engaged to Sheikha Mahra, he has now gotten married to her. Although the couple’s wedding reportedly took place in Paris only recently, their engagement was only revealed this week.
According to TMZ, a rep for French Montana has just confirmed that the couple got engaged during Paris Fashion Week in June. The proposal is said to have been made shortly after he walked the runway for a fashion show in the city. He had been a model for a 3.Paradis menswear showcase in the same month.
The couple’s wedding day, as well as other details for the nuptials, are said to still be being planned by them, according to the outlet. According to TMZ, both of their families are “excited” about the union.
Sheikha Mahra, the daughter of Dubai’s Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, is a member of the ruling family and an Emirati Princess. The United Arab Emirates’ Prime Minister is her father.
It is believed that Sheikha Mahra and French Montana largely avoided public view of their relationship. In an earlier this year interview, the musician kept the details of their romance a secret.
Asked if there’s a ‘special lady’ in his life that is motivating his decisions, in an interview on Sited with Rah Ali, released in June, French Montana responded: “I’ll skip that one. I just want to keep my private life my private life.”
He continued to say in the interview that they didn’t want anyone to leave a negative review of their relationship. The guest made the suggestion at the time that his previous relationships hadn’t turned out to be beneficial.
French Montaha once said, “I feel like every time a relationship comes out in the media, it goes down the drain.” Right now, there isn’t anyone who can comment on our relationship. I don’t need additional relationship comments.
The rapper was notably once in a relationship with reality TV star Khloé for less than a year following her split from her husband Lamar Odom. French Montana and Khloé are thought to have remained on good terms since then.
French Montana even appeared on her family’s show Keeping Up With The Kardashians. Prior to their break-up in 2014, Khloé also ventured into his industry by appearing in the music video for his single Don’t Panic that same year.
He’s one of the best-known faces on British television, having spent three years in EastEnders, taken part in Strictly Come Dancing and I’m a Celebrity and hosted his own TV comedy series.
But entertainer Brian Conley reveals he had to ‘jump through hoops’ to land a role in Back to the Future: The Musical in London’s West End – because the show’s American producers hadn’t actually heard of him.
Brian, who previously presented his theater productions with the coveted Olivier Award, says: “I had to prove myself to the American producers and directors.
I had to attend three auditions, one for singing and the other for acting. I had to meet them and then I was filmed so that it could be sent to the American producer.
“There are a lot of things riding on it – it’s a huge franchise, it’s on in four continents – so they want to make sure that it’s well looked after.
Because they didn’t know who I am and what I do, I had to jump through hoops. You must present it with a certain level of energy and be able to identify the voice and sound.
The role of Back to the Future’s madcap scientist Doc Brown comes off the back of one of the busiest years of Brian’s life. He recently wrapped up a nationwide tour of The Prat Pack along with fellow TV legends Bradley Walsh, Shane Richie, and Joe Pasquale, and he previously reprised the role of EastEnders’ Tom ‘Rocky’ Cotton earlier this year.
Then, once he’s finished on the West End, he immediately moves into rehearsals for the month-long Goldilocks in Milton Keynes pantomime.
Not bad for someone who had planned to take it easy after reaching 64. However, Brian reveals that despite enjoying every second of his job, his hectic schedule has a much deeper meaning.
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For his unwavering work ethic, which stems from his self-aggrandizement after being cruelly criticized as stupid as a child.
He says: “When I was at school I really struggled and people called me lazy and thick. I wasn’t, and I know that’s why I’m shouting out to the world – don’t underestimate me.
You need something that has inspired you, as you said, “because I was bullied at school, and that’s what drives you.”
“I’m dyslexic, and I’m accepting it now.” I write phonetically and I read a bit slower than anyone else, but I’ve proved myself.
It might take me a little while to learn something, but it really penetrates my soul. I have a list of shows I’ve watched years ago. So, I suppose in a way in my head I’m going: ‘ I’m not stupid, look what you’ve done, Brian. ‘”
Born in London, Brian, a young actor, started his adult career by playing the warm-up role for TV stars like Kenny Everett, Terry Wogan, and Noel Edmonds.
In the 1980s and 1990s, he appeared in five different TV comedy shows, starred in The Grimleys as Doug “Diddy,” and then signed with EastEnders in 2021.
He has appeared in a number of popular West Ends shows, including Hairspray, 9-5, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and Jolson, which earned him the Olivier Award for Best Musical Actor. He is also a talented singer, with five albums to his name.
However, he needed hypnosis from a psychiatrist to overcome the rejection and mockery he faced as a child, despite his enormous success.
He recalls: “I went to hypnotherapy and they took me back to school. When I was seven, the teacher told every child to read a book from it when I was seven.
I was aware that there was no way I could read it because it was getting closer to me. I was sweating and everyone was laughing.
I spent an entire hour hypnotizing myself. Just put your hands on that little kid’s shoulders and say what you want, he (the psychiatrist) said. And that was it, it all came rushing out and I burst into tears.
“But it was amazing, it erased the slate.” I had the opportunity to address it and move on.
If that teacher is around today, he will see Brian wowing audiences in the iconic role of Emmett Brown in Back to the Future The Musical.
Based on the popular 1985 movie with Michael J. It is a time-traveling DeLorean car built by the eccentric scientist and based on the life of Marty McFly.
” I’ve always been a fan of the movie and it’s a lovely role, “Brian smiles”. I can sing, the DeLorean is full of great props, it has great props, and I can sit in it all night! I jumped at it.
Brian, who lives in Buckinghamshire with Anne-Marie, his wife of 29 years, and the couple’s two daughters Amy, 28 and Lucy, 24, has won countless awards in his 52-year career. However, he was questioned about what he thought was his biggest accomplishment, which, surprise, had nothing to do with the glitz and glamour of his showbusiness days.
He simply says, “My biggest accomplishment is that I haven’t had a drink in 21 years.” When my father died, I started to suffer panic attacks. I saw a psychiatrist, who told me to stop drinking booze if I really wanted to feel better.
“I drank too much,” I said. Anyone who’s given up drink has had a slight issue with it. When my father passed away, I was meditating on my own. In the evenings, I would drink, believing it to be more restful.
” I said: ‘ Well, I’m going to Antigua on holiday and it’s all-inclusive, so when I come back, I’ll really focus on this drinking thing. ‘
He said, “Well, won’t there always be a holiday, a weekend away, or a birthday party?”
So I quit, and it has genuinely helped me out with everything else I’ve ever done. My head is clear and I can focus and concentrate. “
The four friends, who are all in their 60s, have known each other for more than 40 years, and Brian is reportedly planning a new tour with The Prat Pack in 2026.
We’ve always planned it, and we’ve known what it’s called, according to Brian. It was an absolute scream. particularly on the tour bus. A six-seater van with a table was what we had. Just travelling around together was hilarious.
It was “one of the highlights of his entire career,” Bradley said, and I thought it was. Never did I anticipate hearing those laughs again.
” All we did was take the mick out of each other and how old we all are and whether the audience were only there because they wanted to see us before we died! “
Of course, tour buses are notorious for their wild sex, drugs, and rock and roll. Was there a hint of that with the Prat Pack bus?
God no, “Brian laughs,” All we did was talk about our ailments and what tablets we were on. But it was a wonderful way to really connect with each other. Our souls were benefiting from it.
As for any thought of slowing down or retiring, Brian insists he hasn’t even considered it”. He states that it is a vocation.
I’m going on vacation in a hotel in a country where no one knows me, which is a big joke with my family. If there’s a little band in the bar and they’re playing a song that’s in my key I will get up.
“I’ll do a little while, but maybe there are only a dozen people watching.” It’s not a case of bigotry and “look at me,” it’s just that. It’s just in me. Everyone should have a good time, just as I do.
The changes are necessary to combat “visa abuse,” according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Wednesday, and give the government more flexibility to “vet and supervise” foreign visa holders.
A spokesperson for the unnamed DHS said in a news release that “for too long, previous administrations have allowed foreign students and other visa holders to remain in the United States virtually indefinitely, posing safety risks, costing untold amounts of taxpayer dollars, and disadvantaging U.S. citizens.”
The Trump administration is attempting to impose stricter restrictions on all forms of immigration with the proposed time caps.
F visas for students, which are limited to four years, J visas for cultural exchange, which are also four years, and I visas for reporters, which are only allowed to stay for 240 days and have a four-year extension, are the three different types of visas that are affected.
China’s journalists would only have 90 days to travel there.
Student visas have typically been issued for the duration of an academic program up until this point. However, the proposal on Wednesday sparked concerns that the time restrictions could cause harm to foreign students.
A typical undergraduate university program in the US lasts four years, but some PhD programs can last longer. The length of time it takes to earn an academic diploma can also be affected by research opportunities, changes in degree paths, and other factors.
Foreign students are frequently charged more than their American counterparts, which adds up to a significant portion of the funding of US higher education.
In the US in 2024, there were 1.6 million foreign students studying with an F visa.
However, the Trump administration claimed that foreign students were using their visas to stay indefinitely.
In its news release, the DHS claimed that “foreign students have taken advantage of US generosity and have become “forever” students who are enrolled in higher education while residing in the US.
The Trump administration has aimed to increase government scrutiny of foreign students. Additionally, it announced earlier this year that all student visa applications would be temporarily suspended. The administration stated it would increase monitoring of social media activity while the application process was being reviewed when appointments first started in June.
Since Trump’s second term in office ended in January, thousands of student visas have also been suspended.
Some of the student activism, such as pro-Palestine protests, has resulted in their resignations.
In one instance, the administration detained and threatened to deport a PhD student from Turkey named Rumeysa Ozturk after she co-authored an editorial in which she wrote that called for her campus to cut ties with Israel in the wake of the country’s devastating conflict in Gaza.
Ozturk was released from an immigration detention facility in May after a legal dispute, but her case is still pending and she is still at risk of being deported.
The Staff Committee at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Geneva on Wednesday sent the letter to Turk, which included an appeal. Al Jazeera obtained a copy of the letter.
According to the letter, “a broad cross-section” of OHCHR staff members stated that, “based on extensive reporting by UN mechanisms and independent experts, the legal threshold for genocide had been met.”
Concerned staff expressed concern that the OHCHR should “reflect this assessment more explicitly in its public communications” and that failing to do so “risches eroding OHCHR’s standing as a trusted authority on human rights for everyone in the world.”
OHCHR staff expressed “profound frustration” over the magnitude, scope, and nature of reported violations, as well as their effects on civilians, particularly women and children.
It urged the UN to refrain from repeating historical mistakes, noting that the UN’s “silence” during the 1994 Rwandan genocide, which claimed more than 1 million lives, was “often cited as one of its] greatest moral failures.”
The letter continued, “OHCHR has a strong legal and moral obligation to denounce acts of genocide.” The UN and the human rights system’s own credibility are undermined by failing to denounce an ongoing genocide.
More than 300 people have died from starvation as a result of a confirmed famine in some of the enclave, while at least 62, 966 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 160, 000 have been wounded during the conflict, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.
The UN rights chief claimed that the staff had raised significant concerns in Turk’s response to the letter, which was reported by the Reuters news agency.
In addition to calling on staff to remain united as an Office in the face of such hardship, he said, “I know we all share a feeling of moral indignation at the horrors we are witnessing, as well as frustration in the face of the international community’s inability to put an end to this situation.”
OHCHR spokesman Ravina Shamdasani responded to a request for comment on the letter that was leaked by the news agency, claiming that staff members had had difficult circumstances to document the abuses that were taking place because of the conflict in Gaza.
She told Reuters, “There have been and will continue to be discussions internally about how to proceed.”
The UN has not used the term, with UN officials claiming that it is up to international courts to determine genocide, despite the fact that Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have all spoken in favor of it.
In 2023, South Africa saisied the International Court of Justice for a genocide case against Israel, but it has not yet been heard.
The term is also used by some rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Francesca Albanese, an independent UN expert.
A cherished Gogglebox favourite has received overwhelming support from devoted viewers following her heartfelt family revelation.
Georgia Bell initially appeared on the Channel 4 programme in 2018 alongside best mate Abbie Lynn. It’s safe to say the pair quickly won over audiences with their infectious charm.
Georgia and Abbie, who reside in Durham, have consistently wowed viewers with their hilarious jokes and amusing commentary on television’s best moments.
Beyond the programme, hairdresser Georgia is a devoted mother to two boys, Hugh – who arrived in July 2022 – and Ralphie – who was born in November 2024 – with partner Josh Newby, reports the Manchester Evening News.
Recently, Georgia expressed her melancholy in a touching family revelation. Posting to her Instagram account, the Channel 4 personality shared multiple photographs of baby Ralphie.
In her message, she disclosed to followers: “Maternity leave comes to an end tomorrow. An absolute rollercoaster it’s been, transitioning to a family of 5 welcoming our little Ralphie into the world.
I don’t think I’ve had the same luck as my previous mother, and I’ve learned so much more.
There have been “a lot of highs, absolute chaos, laughs, tears, tantrums, and, most of all, unconditional love.”
Georgia continued, “We have two happy and healthy boys, and that’s all I could ever wish for,” while updating on the relationship. Moving on to the next section.
Supporters quickly added encouragement to Georgia to the comments section. One fan wrote, “It will be difficult because you got this, your beautiful family loves to watch your stories,” xx”.
Another chimed in, “All the best in your new chapter, it will be worthwhile as you have new conversations and routines for the evening.” You’ll be fine, I assure you.
Abbie, her Gogglebox coworker, also expressed her admiration, saying: “Extremely proud of you Ge! You are the most beautiful mother in the world, “! “.