Author: News Desk

Saudi Arabia has removed the suspension of travel to Turkey, India, Ethiopia and Vietnam. A Ministry of Interior source said the decision was based on the follow-up to the epidemiological situation of the pandemic and on reports by the health authorities, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

Aluminium Bahrain  (Alba)’s CEO Ali Al Baqali launched the company’s plant-wide Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) Campaign ‘A Journey, Not A Destination’ with a welcome message that was broadcasted to all employees and contractors’ workers as well as representatives of other GCC smelters and Gulf Aluminium Council (GAC). The campaign aims to reinforce Alba ESG roadmap’s six priority areas aligned with Bahrain’s commitment to reach Net Zero Emissions by 2060. “We believe in producing responsibly and sustainably and we aim to establish a purpose-driven culture that is focused on long-term value creation for our stakeholders and the society we operate…

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary General Dr Nayef Al Hajraf said the pan-Gulf bloc is keen on providing relief and assistance to refugees in accordance with the humanitarian principles stated in international conventions and treaties. The assistance is based on the instructions of the Islamic religion to devote the spirit of fraternity, compassion and tolerance to help all the needy and distressed. Speaking on World Refugee Day, Al Hajraf said that the GCC countries spare no effort to aid refugees and provide health, food, social care and relief for them in cooperation with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.…

Soldiers on small boats delivered relief material on Monday across flooded towns and villages in Bangladesh, after more than nine million people were marooned in the low-lying country and neighbouring India following heavy rains, officials said. At least 32 people have been killed in Bangladesh since late last week following monsoon downpours that triggered catastrophic flooding in the northeastern Sylhet administrative division, leaving around a quarter of its 15 million population stranded amid fast-rising waters and swollen rivers. “The flooding is the worst in 122 years in the Sylhet region,” Atiqul Haque, Director General of Bangladesh’s Department of Disaster Management,…

A Japanese court ruled on Monday that a ban on same-sex marriage was not unconstitutional, dealing a setback to LGBTQ rights activists in the only Group of Seven nation that does not allow people of the same gender to marry. The ruling dashes activists’ hopes of raising pressure on the central government to address the issue after a court in the city of Sapporo in March 2021 decided in favour of a claim that not allowing same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. Three same-sex couples – two male, one female – had filed the case in a district court in Osaka, only…

The cryptocurrency industry was on edge on Monday as bitcoin held just above $20,000 and investors feared that problems at major crypto players could unleash a wider market shakeout. Bitcoin, the world’s biggest cryptocurrency, dropped on Saturday to as low as $17,592.78, falling below the key $20,000 level for the first time since December 2020. It picked up slightly during London trading hours on Monday, at around $20,510 at 1232 GMT. But it has still lost 55% of its value this year and 35% this month alone in the cryptocurrency sector’s latest meltdown. Bitcoin’s fall follows problems at several major…

The influx of Ukrainian refugees into the European Union could gradually ease labour shortages in the euro zone as some of those fleeing the war are likely to settle permanently, the European Central Bank said on Monday. Around seven million people, mostly women and children, have fled Ukraine so far since Russia launched its invasion on Feb. 24, and more are leaving each day, with many hoping to find durable employment opportunities in the 27-nation EU. “Under all of the assumptions detailed thus far, back-of-an-envelope calculations point to a median increase of between 0.2% and 0.8% in the euro area…

China’s crude oil imports from Russia soared 55% from a year earlier to a record level in May, displacing Saudi Arabia as the top supplier, as refiners cashed in on discounted supplies amid sanctions on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine. Imports of Russian oil, including supplies pumped via the East Siberia Pacific Ocean pipeline and seaborne shipments from Russia’s European and Far Eastern ports, totalled nearly 8.42 million tonnes, according to data from the Chinese General Administration of Customs. That’s equivalent to roughly 1.98 million barrels per day (bpd) and up a quarter from 1.59 million bpd in April.…

Several European Union countries are pushing to start work on a new package of sanctions against Russia and Belarus for the invasion of Ukraine and also want to grant more military support to Kyiv, according to diplomats and a draft document. About one-third of the 27 EU governments, mostly Nordic and eastern states, want the EU Commission to begin work on a seventh round of sanctions, diplomats said. The latest version of the draft conclusions of a summit of EU leaders to be held later this week does not include a reference to new sanctions but diplomats said the text,…