Author: News Desk

Ukraine said it had recaptured a chunk of the factory city of Sievierodonetsk, the focus of a Russian offensive to take the eastern Donbas region, and could hold it for up to two weeks as fighting raged on Saturday. Sergiy Gaidai, governor of Luhansk province, told national television on Friday that Ukrainian troops had retaken 20% of the territory they had lost in Sievierodonetsk. It was “not realistic” that the city would fall in the next two weeks even though Russian reinforcements were being deployed, he said. “As soon as we have enough Western long-range weapons, we will push their…

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is leaning toward attending a summit of leaders from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in late June to spur coordination with the West over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Kyodo News reported, citing unnamed government sources. The move would mark an unusually aggressive stance for a Japanese leader although Kishida has repeatedly condemned Russia over what he has described as a “war crime” against Ukraine. Moscow has called its action a special operation. In the past, Japanese leaders have maintained a careful line on their relations with Russia as the two countries have wrangled over…

Manama: His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, today awarded 19 government service providers a gold classification for their excellence in service delivery under the third edition of the “Taqyeem” evaluation program, at Gudaibiya Palace. HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Minister highlighted the importance embracing initiatives designed to achieve excellence and sustainability in service delivery, in line with the Kingdom’s comprehensive development goals, led by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. His Royal Highness emphasised the importance of building on current achievements, and further enhancing creativity, innovation, and competitiveness…

Manama, May 29 (BNA): Under the patronage of the Minister of Labour and Social Development, Jamil bin Mohammed Ali Humaidan, Kerala Catholic Association held a celebration marking its golden jubilee, in the presence of Indian Ambassador to Bahrain Piyush Srivastava, Bishop Dr. Abraham Mar Julios, the association’s President Roy Antony, and many invitees. The Labour and Social Development Minister praised historical relations between the Kingdom of Bahrain and India, hailing the role of the association in promoting religious tolerance. He also stressed Bahrain’s keenness on laying bridges of communication with all religions and ethnic groups, which reflects the kingdom’s civilizational heritage derived…

Manama: His Highness Major General Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, National Security Adviser and Commander of the Royal Guard, received Special Secretary for Strategic Affairs of the President of Brazil Admiral Flávio Rocha. HH Shaikh Nasser hailed the development of cooperation and coordination between the two countries across several areas. The meeting reviewed several matters of shared interest.

Bahrain Chamber for Commerce and Industry (BCCI)’s Chairman Sameer Nass and the Acting CEO Dr. Abdulla Al Sada held a meeting with a Brazilian delegation spearheaded by Admiral Flavio Rocha, Brazil’s Secretary for Strategic Affairs. Nass hailed the longstanding relation between Bahrain and Brazil, hailing the outcome of the historic visit of President Jair Bolsonaro to Bahrain in November 2021, and the growing cooperation between both friendly countries in all aspects. He highlighted the growing trade volume between Bahrain and Brazil, which exceeded $2.2 billion in 2021, noting the keenness of the Bahraini private sector in expanding partnerships with their…

Gulf Air, Bahrain’s national carrier, introduced Apple Pay on the airline’s Mobile application. Gulf Air customers can now easily book a ticket on the airline’s application without the need of remembering or typing their credit card details, as the new feature allows them to process the payment by easily using Face ID to authorize the transaction. “This new feature is one of a series of initiatives that we are working on as part of our roadmap for the Gulf Air app. One of our biggest objectives is to provide our customers with convenience and ease to interact with us across…

Bahrain Defence Force (BDF) is conducting live ammunition drills in the shooting ranges in the Hare Shtayyeh area, from Monday until Thursday. The BDF has called on all people to stay away from the designated area for their safety.

Shanghai said on Sunday “unreasonable” curbs on businesses will be removed from June 1 as it looks to lift its COVID-19 lockdown, while Beijing reopened parts of its public transport as well as some malls and other venues as infections stabilised. The Chinese commercial hub of 25 million people aims to essentially end from Wednesday a two-month lockdown that has severely damaged the economy and seen many residents lose income, struggle to source food and to cope with the isolation. The painful coronavirus curbs in major Chinese cities run counter to trends seen in the rest of the world, which…

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy visited troops on the frontline in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region on Sunday, his first official appearance outside the Kyiv region since the start of Russia’s invasion on Feb. 24. “You risk your lives for us all and for our country,” the President’s office website cited him as telling the soldiers, adding that he handed out commendations and gifts. Zelenskiy’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, wrote on the Telegram app that the president had also visited Ukraine’s second-largest city of Kharkiv. Yermak said Zelenskiy toured destroyed residential buildings, noting that their replacements had to be built with…