Author: News Desk

Italy and Hungary have urged the EU to call explicitly for a ceasefire in Ukraine and peace talks with Russia, putting themselves at odds with other member states determined to take a hard line with Moscow ahead of a summit next week. A draft concluding statement for the May 30-31 summit, seen by Reuters and dated May 19, describes the European Union as “unwavering in its commitment to help Ukraine exercise its inherent right of self-defence against the Russian aggression.” It does not mention peace talks. At a meeting of EU envoys on Friday, Italy’s ambassador proposed changes to the…

The United States pushed Russia closer to the brink of a historic debt default on Wednesday by not extending its license to pay bondholders, as Washington ramps up pressure following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The U.S. Treasury Department said on its website late on Tuesday it would let lapse a license which expired at 12:01 a.m. ET (0401 GMT) on Wednesday and allowed Russia to make interest and maturity payments on its sovereign debt to U.S. persons. That waiver has allowed Russia to keep up government debt payments, but its expiry now appears to make a default inevitable on at least some…

President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Wednesday simplifying the process for residents of Ukraine’s Russian-occupied Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions to acquire Russian citizenship and passports. The decree marks a further step towards “Russification” of the two regions, where Moscow’s war in Ukraine has enabled it to establish a continuous land bridge linking Russia to the Crimean peninsula which it seized from Ukraine in 2014. Putin’s move extends a scheme available to residents of areas controlled by Russian-backed separatists in Ukraine’s Donetsk and Luhansk regions, where Moscow has issued around 800,000 passports since 2019. Russia claimed full control of the…

The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) has announced the first case of monkeypox in the UAE, in line with the UAE health authorities’ policy on the early detection and monitoring of the disease. The ministry explained that the first case was detected in a 29-year-old woman who arrived from West Africa, noting that she is receiving the necessary medical care, Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported. MoHAP reassured community members that the UAE health authorities are taking all necessary measures, including investigation, examination of contacts, and monitoring their health. Moreover, the Ministry affirmed that it is cooperating with other…

A delegation from the Kingdom of Bahrain, led by the Chief of Strategic Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Nancy Abdulla Jamal, participated in the seventh International Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) Research Conference 2022 which was held in Granada, Kingdom of Spain. The event is organised by Hedayah International Centre for Combating Violent Extremism in cooperation with many international research centres and institutes, most notably the University of Granada. During the opening session, Ambassador Nancy Jamal delivered a speech in which she highlighted the importance that the Kingdom of Bahrain attaches to contributing to international efforts aimed at…

Bahrain was drawn in Group C alongside host Oman, Iraq, Qatar, and Lebanon as the qualifying cast for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U17 Asian Cup Bahrain 2023 qualifiers was finalised on Tuesday. Bahrain have already qualified as hosts of the championship and their results will not be considered during the qualifiers, AFC said. According to the Confederation, 44 participating teams were divided into 10 centralised qualifying groups. Six groups will feature four teams, while four other groups will include five sides. The qualifiers take place on October 1-9, 2022. Defending champions Japan, who have won the title three times,…

Bahrain was re-elected Vice-Chair of the Bureau of the Executive Council of the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO). The unanimous re-election is a new testimony to Bahrain’s achievements and outstanding work during the previous term of the Council, headed by Saudi Arabia. Participants in the ALECSO conference in the Tunisian capital Tunis have recommended the leading roles by Saudi Arabia as chair and Bahrain as vice-chair as well as their efforts to strengthen the organization’s programs and partnerships in the Arab world. Dr. Lubna Khalifa Sulaibikh, Secretary General of the Bahrain National Commission for Education, Science and…

Southern Governor, HH Shaikh Khalifa bin Ali bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, today inspected a number of public facilities in Riffa, as part of his field visits to various regions across the governorate to follow up on the needs of the local citizens, which reflects his keenness to provide the best services to the citizens. HH Shaikh Khalifa bin Ali affirmed the Southern Governorate’s keenness to carry on its visits to all regions to be informed about the citizens’ needs and remarks, in line with the directives of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and His Royal Highness Prince…

Russian forces were conducting an all-out assault on Tuesday to encircle Ukrainian troops in twin cities straddling a river in eastern Ukraine, a battle which could determine the success or failure of Moscow’s main campaign in the east. Exactly three months after President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian forces into Ukraine, authorities in its second-largest city Kharkiv re-opened the underground metro, where thousands of civilians had sheltered for months under relentless bombardment. The move was evidence of Ukraine’s biggest military success in recent weeks: pushing Russian forces largely out of artillery range of Kharkiv, as they did from the capital Kyiv…

The World Health Organization’s (WHO) members re-elected Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus as Director General by a strong majority for another five years, the president of the World Health Assembly said on Tuesday. The vote by secret ballot, announced by Ahmed Robleh Abdilleh from Djibouti at a major annual meeting, was seen as a formality since Tedros was the only candidate running. Ministers and delegates took turns to shake hands and hug Tedros, a former health minister from Ethiopia, who has steered the UN agency through a turbulent period dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The president had to use a gavel several…