Author: News Desk

London: Entertainer Lionel Blair, who taught himself to dance by watching Fred Astaire movies and became a staple on British stage and television for decades, has died. He was 92. Blair’s agent said he died Thursday. No cause of death was given, AP reports. Blair was born Lionel Henry Ogus in Montreal to Russian parents. The family moved to Britain when he was a toddler and settled in London, where he and his sister Joyce performed for people sheltering in subway stations during World War II bombing raids. He began his career as a teenage actor, but soon focused on dancing, taking the…

Manama: On behalf of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Salman Al Khalifa visited a number of families to mark the festival of Diwali. HH Shaikh Mohammed bin Salman highlighted the Kingdom’s commitment to reinforcing the principles of coexistence and tolerance, in line with the vision of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. HH Shaikh Mohammed bin Salman added that the Kingdom is a melting pot for cultural diversity, stemming from its broad history of tolerance and pluralism. His Highness conveyed the greetings of HRH…

Richmond: Glenn Youngkin won the Virginia governor’s race early Wednesday, tapping into culture war fights over schools and race to unite former President Donald Trump’s most fervent supporters with enough suburban voters to become the first Republican to win statewide office here in a dozen years.  The 54-year-old Youngkin’s defeat of Democrat Terry McAuliffe marked a sharp turnabout in a state that had shifted to the left over the past decade and which President Joe Biden captured by 10 points in 2020, AP reports. And with the party stinging from that loss, Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy of New Jersey…

Manama: Health Minister Faeqa bint Said Al-Saleh received Ethiopian Consul General to Bahrain Jamal Bakr Abdullah. The minister praised relations between Bahrain and Ethiopia in various fields. The consul hailed the bilateral ties and commended Bahrain’s efforts in combating the COVID-19 pandemic. He expressed his country’s appreciation of the care the Ethiopian community has received, which reflects Bahrain’s keenness to ensure excellent treatment for all residents. Abdullah pointed to Bahrain’s precautionary plans, preventive measures, and the success of the national vaccination campaign, which contributed to preserving the health and safety of all citizens and residents. Al Saleh wished him further success in strengthening cooperation in…

New York: The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will return to its pre-pandemic form this year, with its route restored through Manhattan, high-flying helium balloons once again pulled by handlers and crowds welcomed back to cheer them on. This year’s parade — the 95th annual — will snap back to form after bowing to pandemic restrictions last year. It will feature 15 giant character balloons, 28 floats, 36 novelty and heritage inflatables, more than 800 clowns, 10 marching bands and nine performance groups and, of course, Santa Claus, AP reports. New balloon giants joining the line-up on Nov. 25 include Ada…

Dubai: Expo 2020 Dubai organizers have hailed the first month of the event as a “huge success”, announcing an impressive 2,350,868 visits from October 1-31, with a host of memorable events, entertainment, and seminars attracting people from the UAE, region and beyond. 28 percent of visits were made by persons under 18 years old, but this figure is expected to grow as the Expo School Program expands during the cooler months ahead, Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported. Taking a global overview, an impressive 17 percent of the total visits came from overseas, which was notable considering the event takes place when…

Manama: HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Representative of HM the King for Humanitarian Works and Youth Affairs, affirmed that the continued successes which are being accomplished by the Bahrain camels abroad embody the support of HM King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and the interest of HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister. HH Shaikh Nasser explained that the new achievement which was made by “Samt” at the Saudi Olympic Committee Camels Cup is an extension of the great accomplishments achieved by Bahrain on Saudi soil. HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa…

Washington: Arcapita Group Holdings (Arcapita), the global alternative investment firm, and Arden Group, a US real estate investment firm, have announced a joint venture to acquire multi-tenant industrial properties in urban centers across major markets in the United States. The new venture closed on an initial portfolio of properties valued at over $550 million, with an additional $250 million of properties closing in the near term. Plans are to grow the portfolio to up to $2 billion in gross asset value across the top 25 US industrial markets. The venture’s initial portfolio totals approximately five million square feet spread across…

Hard-hitting Brit dynamo Sam “The Future” Patterson is days away from his pivotal lightweight clash against promotional newcomer and hometown favorite Kamil Magomedov at BRAVE CF 55 in Rostov-on-Don, Russia on November 6. Though Patterson is a veteran of the BRAVE CF cage, he hasn’t faced someone near the caliber of Magomedov yet in his young career as the Russian has 14 fights under his belt and has won 11 of them via submission. Furthermore, Magomedov is considered much of a threat on the ground, which could put a ferocious striker such as Patterson in a tough situation over the…

Rome: Leaders of the world’s biggest economies made a vague commitment Sunday to seek carbon neutrality “by or around mid-century” as they wrapped up a two-day Rome summit that was laying the groundwork for the U.N. climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland. According to the final meeting communique, the Group of 20 leaders also agreed to end public financing for coal-fired power generation abroad but set no target for phasing out coal domestically — a clear nod to China, India and other coal-dependent countries, reports AP. The G-20 countries represent more than three-quarters of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions and summit…