Author: News Desk

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…

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday called for talks with Moscow on unlocking wheat exports that are trapped in Ukraine as a result of a Russian sea blockade. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken last week accused Russia of using food as a weapon by holding “hostage” supplies for not just Ukrainians, but also millions of people around the world. Moscow rejects this allegation. “The most important (thing) is to deblock the Black Sea. This is a call on Russia,” von der Leyen told Reuters in an interview on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum. Von…

Eighty-two percent of Ukrainians believe that Ukraine should not sign away any of its territories as part of a peace deal with Russia under any circumstances, according to a new survey by one of the country’s top pollsters. In the poll conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology between May 13-18 and released on Tuesday, 82% of respondents said they did not support territorial concessions, even if it prolonged the war and increased the threat to Ukraine’s independence. Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, a move Moscow calls a special military operation to “demilitarise” Ukraine.…

The Russian rouble strengthened to levels not seen since March 2018 against the dollar on Tuesday, boosted by export-focused companies selling foreign currency to pay taxes and shrugging off a slight easing of capital controls. The rouble has firmed about 30% against the dollar this year despite a full-scale economic crisis in Russia, making it the world’s best-performing currency. The rouble is steered by capital controls imposed in late February to shield Russia’s financial sector after Moscow’s decision to send tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine prompted unprecedented Western sanctions. At 1110 GMT, the rouble was 2.5% stronger against the…

Y.K. Almoayyed & Sons (YKA), the sole distributor of Nissan vehicles in Bahrain, opened its renovated Nissan showroom this week. Located in Sitra, the showroom implements Nissan Retail Concept, the globally consistent brand experience, offering an improved facility design, seamless service process, and a digital environment that responds to diversifying expectations and lifestyles. https://youtu.be/L8-1xuwfc3s The grand inauguration was in the presence of Miyamoto Mayasuki, the Ambassador of Japan to Bahrain, Farouk Almoayyed, Chairman of Y.K. Almoayyed & Sons, Board of Directors of Y.K. Almoayyed & Sons, Thierry Sabbagh, President of Nissan Saudi Arabia and Managing Director of Nissan Middle…

Saudi Arabia has banned its citizens from travelling to 16 countries following the re-outbreak of COVID-19. These include Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, India, Yemen, Somalia, Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Libya, Indonesia, Vietnam, Armenia, Belarus and Venezuela. The ban comes following a steady increase in the number of daily COVID-19 infections over the past few weeks. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health has ensured the public that it has not detected any cases of monkeypox in Saudi Arabia yet, Al Arabiya reported. Dr. Abdullah Asiri, deputy minister of health for preventive health, said that the Kingdom’s health sector is…