Author: News Desk

Rich tributes are pouring in for Indian expat nurse from Abu Dhabi, Sheba Mary Thomas (33), who died in a road accident near Salalah, Oman, on May 1, Sunday. Sheba leaves behind her elderly parents, husband Sajimon Raju, 35, daughter Evelyn Maria Saji, 5 and son Edvin Samuel Saji, 2. P.D. Thomas, Sheba’s father from Cheppad in the Indian state of Kerala, confirmed the death of his daughter to Gulf News on Monday. The family said she was in a four-wheel drive along with her family and friends when a truck hit the vehicle near Haima in Salalah. Seven people…

Bahrain today marked Eid Al-Fitr, with worshippers, including citizens and residents, performing the Eid prayers at mosques and musallas (open-air praying areas), as per the Sunna of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) to perform Eid prayers at musallas, in an atmosphere of joy and tranquility. The imams called on worshippers to benefit from the great values of the holy month of Ramadan, by consolidating the Islamic precepts and spreading peace and good deeds. They also prayed to Allah the Almighty to protect His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown…

His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa today performed Eid Al-Fitr prayers at Al-Sakhir Palace Mosque. His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, HM the King’s sons and senior members of the Royal Family also performed the prayers. Dr. Shaikh Mohammed Ali Bu Jandal delivered a sermon in which he highlighted the noble values embedded in Eid Al-Fitr, namely fraternity, cordiality and compassion. He prayed to Allah the Almighty to bless HM King Hamad with abundant health, happiness and long life so as to continue bringing about more achievements to the…

Apple faces a possible hefty fine and may have to open its mobile payment system to competitors after EU antitrust regulators charged the iPhone maker with restricting rivals’ access to its technology used for mobile wallets. This marks the second EU charge against Apple after EU regulators last year accused the company of distorting competition in the music streaming market following a complaint from Spotify. The European Commission said on Monday it had sent a charge sheet known as a statement of objections to Apple, detailing how the company had abused its dominant position in markets for mobile wallets on iOS…

Israel denounced Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday for suggesting that Adolf Hitler had Jewish origins, accusing Lavrov of spreading anti-Semitism and belittling the Holocaust. “Such lies are intended to accuse the Jews themselves of the most horrific crimes in history that were committed against them,” Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said in a statement. “The use of the Holocaust of the Jewish people for political purposes must stop immediately,” he added. Israeli Foreign Ministry Yair Lapid demanded an apology from Lavrov over his comments, which were made on Sunday in an interview with Italian television, and called in…

Poland is ready to help Germany wean itself off Russian oil, its climate minister said on Monday, adding that she hoped a European Union embargo could come into force before the end of the year. Poland advocates tough measures against Russia, but with many EU countries heavily reliant on Moscow for their energy needs the bloc has appeared split on how sanctions should be enforced. “As Poland, we are ready to support Germany’s ambitions of de-russification with our refinery in Gdansk,” minister Anna Moskwa said. “I hope that will be the last voice that will … block these sanctions on…

The European Commission may spare Hungary and Slovakia from an embargo on buying Russian oil, now under preparation, wary of how dependent the two countries are on Russian crude, two EU officials said on Monday. The Commission is expected to finalise on Tuesday work on the next, and sixth package of EU sanctions against Russia over its actions in Ukraine, which would include a ban on buying Russian oil, exports of which are a major source of Moscow’s revenue. Hungary, heavily dependent on Russian oil, has repeatedly said it would not sign up to sanctions involving energy. Slovakia is also…

Daily nominations, or requests, for Russian gas deliveries through Ukraine into Europe via the Slovakian border point of Velke Kapusany rose to their highest since the end of November on Monday, data from Slovakian operator TSO Eustream showed. Nominations via Velke Kapusany were at around 993,407 megawatt hours (MWh) per day on Monday, the highest since Nov. 30, the data showed. Flows of Russian gas to Germany through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline across the Baltic Sea were at 73,778,201 kilowatt hours per hour (kWh/h) by 0600 GMT, up from 72,286,105 kWh/h seen on Friday morning. Eastbound flows into Poland…

Ukraine has formally closed its four Black and Azov sea ports, which Russian forces have captured, the Ukrainian agriculture ministry said on Monday. The Azov Sea ports of Mariupol, Berdiansk and Skadovsk and the Black Sea port of Kherson were closed “until the restoration of control”, the ministry said in a statement. “The adoption of this measure is caused by the impossibility of servicing ships and passengers, carrying out cargo, transport and other related economic activities, ensuring the appropriate level of safety of navigation,” it said. All Ukrainian seaports have suspended their activity as a result of the Russian invasion…

Ukraine could lose tens of millions of tonnes of grain due to Russia’s blockade of its Black Sea ports, triggering a food crisis that will affect Europe, Asia and Africa, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Monday. “Russia does not let ships come in or go out, it is controlling the Black Sea,” Zelenskiy told the Australian news programme 60 Minutes. “Russia wants to completely block our country’s economy.” Ukraine is a major exporter of grain and other food products and also of metals.