Author: News Desk

Earlier this month Chinese truck driver Dong Zhigang finished a job in the coastal city of Nantong and began what should have been a four-hour journey north to his home village in Lianyungang, Jiangsu province. On Friday, nine sticky days in his cab later, he still had not made it home. Like many Chinese truckers, Dong, 30, had fallen victim to some of the country’s recent hardline anti-COVID measures and disruption as local authorities scramble to maintain China’s zero-COVID policy. He got as far as a highway exit leading to his village before he was told by officials that to…

Twitter Inc on Friday adopted a limited-duration shareholder rights plan to protect itself from billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk’s $43 billion cash takeover offer. Musk made the bid on Wednesday in a letter to the board of Twitter- the micro-blogging platform that has become a global means of communication for individuals and world leaders – and it was made public in a regulatory filing on Thursday. After his TED talk on Thursday, Musk hinted at the possibility of a hostile bid in which he would bypass Twitter’s board and put the offer directly to its shareholders, tweeting: “It would be utterly…

Smashed tanks in the mud, destroyed buildings and mourning families mark a recaptured east Ukrainian village whose residents are contemplating the price both they and their former Russian occupiers have had to pay. Ukrainian soldiers last month retook Husarivka, an agricultural village with a peacetime population of 500-600 around 150 km southeast of Kharkiv city, after heavy fighting following the Russian invasion on Feb. 24. As Russian forces pull back after failing to take major cities including Kyiv and Kharkiv to refocus their offensive on the Donbas region in the southeast, residents of the surrounding areas are beginning to clean…

Russia on Friday expelled 18 European Union diplomats in retaliation for Brussels’ decision to declare 19 Russians personae non gratae earlier this month. The EU on April 5 said the 19 Russian diplomats had been “engaging in activities contrary to their diplomatic status” and ordered them to leave Belgium. Russia’s foreign ministry said in its statement that it had summoned EU ambassador to Russia, Markus Ederer, and handed him a note of protest. “The Russian side declared that the EU is responsible for the consistent destruction of the architecture of bilateral dialogue and cooperation that had taken decades to form,”…

Moody’s said Russia may be in default because it tried to service its dollar bonds in roubles, which would be one of the starkest consequences to date of Moscow’s exclusion from the Western financial system since President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. If Moscow is declared in default, it would mark Russia’s first major default on foreign bonds since the years following the 1917 Bolshevik revolution, though the Kremlin says the West is forcing a default by imposing crippling sanctions. Russia made a payment due on April 4 on two sovereign bonds – maturing in 2022 and 2042 – in…

NEW YORK, April 12 (Reuters) – A masked gunman set off a smoke bomb and opened fire in a New York City subway car on Tuesday, injuring 16 people and throwing the morning commute into chaos in the latest violence in the city’s transit system, officials said. Ten people were shot in the incident, New York Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said, without saying how the other injuries occurred. The perpetrator was still at large, and the incident was not currently being investigated as an act of terrorism, Sewell said, but would not rule out anything as a motive. Smoke billowed…

In continuation of its Ramadan charity association with the Royal Humanitarian Foundation (RHF), the LuLu Group conducted an Iftar Get-Together at Dana Mall for 50 orphans under the care of the RHF. The event was presided over by RHF Secretary-General Dr. Mustafa Al Sayed as Chief Guest. He was welcomed by the Director of LuLu Group, Mr. Juzer Rupawala. The celebration included some games and quizzes as entertainment activities for the young guests and gift hampers were distributed to all. “The get-together emphasized the sense of community and togetherness which the Holy Month of Ramadan inspires in us all,” said…

Students from Bahrain School have participated in the DoDEA-Europe Model US Senate (MUSS) Virtual Conference. MUSS is a learning structure that gives students a chance to engage in a role-playing simulation of the United States Congress. Six students portrayed current US Senators and one portrayed Vice President Kamala Harris. “With two returning senators (John Delamar – year four and Peter Sullivan – year two) and four new members, our school made a strong showing as these students researched, wrote, debated, and caucused for bills ranging from Border Wall Funding to Federal Police Reform to Keystone XL Pipeline Development, to name…

The Labor Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA)’s CEO and Chairman of the National Committee to Combat Trafficking in Persons,Jamal Abdulaziz Al Alawi, received the Indian Ambassador to Bahrain, Piyush Shrivastav. The CEO discussed the latest developments in the situation of investors and businessmen and the facilities provided to ease their work in the Kingdom. He highlighted the Kingdom’s efforts to raise the level of the work environment and protect work parties, noting the important role played by diplomatic missions in cooperation with government agencies to strengthen bilateral relations. Al Alawi reviewed the conditions of Indian workers in Bahrain, referring to the…

HM the King’s Representative for Humanitarian Work and Youth Affairs His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa chaired the meeting of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports (SCYS). His Highness Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, First Deputy Chairman of SCYS, President of the General Sports Authority (GSA), and President of the Bahrain Olympic Committee (BOC), was present. Shaikh Nasser extended his appreciation to His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa on launching “Bahraini Youth Year” in 2022. He received the GSA report from HH Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa and reviewed the authority’s achievements since its establishment…