Author: News Desk

The sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un says Pyongyang would retaliate with nuclear strikes if South Korea launched a pre-emptive attack. Kim Yo-Jong, a senior official, has issued two statements responding to remarks from South Korean officials. South Korean Defence Minister Suh Wook had said the South was able to strike the North’s missile launch points – sparking the furious reaction. North Korea has tested several missiles this year, heightening tensions. https://youtu.be/G9e4Acgbe98 On Tuesday, Kim Yo-Jung released a second statement in state media saying any South Korean aggression would warrant an “inevitable” nuclear response from North Korea. “In case…

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Monday introducing visa restrictions for citizens of countries that Moscow deems “unfriendly” in response to sanctions over Ukraine. The decree, which comes into force on Monday, suspends Russia’s simplified visa issuance regime with some European Union countries as well as Norway, Switzerland, Denmark and Iceland. It also ordered the Russian foreign ministry and other bodies to decide on introducing personal entry restrictions on “foreign citizens and stateless people who commit unfriendly actions against Russia, its citizens or its legal entities.” Last month the Russian government approved a list of unfriendly countries including…

Ukraine, April 4 (Reuters) – President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Monday it had become harder for Ukraine to negotiate with Russia since Kyiv became aware of the scale of atrocities carried out by Russian troops in Ukraine. Zelenskiy spoke on national television from the town of Bucha in the Kyiv region, where tied bodies shot at close range, a mass grave and other signs of executions have been found in territory retaken from Russian troops. Moscow has denied any accusations related to the killing of civilians in Bucha. “These are war crimes and will be recognised by the world as…

The European Union must work toward cutting all economic ties with Russia over its “criminal” war in Ukraine, German Finance Minister Christian Lindner said on Monday, but cast doubt over an immediate embargo on Russian gas imports. “We are dealing with a criminal war,” Lindner in Brussels before talks with his EU colleagues. “It is clear we must end as quickly as possible all economic ties to Russia. Gas cannot be substituted in the short term.” He said that all options were on the table and that an encompassing ban on all Russian energy imports would inflict more economic damage…

The United States will ask the U.N. General Assembly to suspend Russia from the Human Rights Council, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations said on Monday, after Ukraine accused Russian troops of killing dozens of civilians in the town of Bucha. A two-thirds majority vote by the 193-member assembly in New York can suspend a state from the council for persistently committing gross and systematic violations of human rights. Speaking in Bucharest on Monday, Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said: “Russia’s participation on the Human Rights Council is a farce. “And it is wrong, which is why we believe it is…

Russia maintained gas flows through key pipeline routes into Europe on Monday, despite uncertainty over payment terms and as European leaders urged further sanctions against Moscow amid allegations of war crimes in Ukraine. Physical gas flows through the Yamal-Europe pipeline, at Germany’s Mallnow border point see-sawed over the weekend and last stood at zero, data from operator Gascade showed. Nominations, or requests, for Russian gas deliveries via Slovakia’s Velke Kapusany entry point from Ukraine were steady on Monday at 967,954 MWh/day, as were flows through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to Germany at 73,379,286 kWh/h. Russian state-owned energy giant Gazprom…

Dr Nayef Falah M. Al Hajraf, Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), stressed the importance of the Yemeni consultations under the patronage of the GCC in supporting Yemen and the brotherly Yemeni people to end the conflict and achieve security and stability in Yemen. Dr Al Hajraf reiterated the Council’s support for Yemen and the Yemeni people, in light of the constitutional legitimacy and through a political solution based on the three references represented in the GCC initiative and its Executive Mechanism, the outcomes of the Yemeni National Dialogue Conference (NDC) and the Security Council resolution 2216. HE the…

The United Nations (UN) honored the Kingdom, representing the Royal Humanitarian Foundation (RHF), in appreciation of its efforts in humanitarian work and support for refugees and the afflicted in various countries and its sustainable development and aid projects. RHF’s Secretary-General Dr. Mustafa Al Sayed received an honorary shield by UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNCHR) Senior Advisor and GCC Representative Khalid Khalifa. The UNCHR senior advisor praised the Kingdom’s efforts in supporting refugees taking into account their humanitarian situation, and its provision of aid to various affected and afflicted from around the world. He streseed that this special honor from the…

Bahrain’s national carrier Gulf Air has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Texel Air to explore various cooperation opportunities including charter agreements, engineering and maintenance activities. The MoU was signed by Captain Waleed AlAlawi, Gulf Air Acting Chief Executive Officer and John Chisholm, Chairman of Chisholm Enterprises, the parent company for Texel Air. “We are always looking to discover ways to enhance our commercial partnerships, and to get involved in every related sector of the aviation industry, we are very impressed with this collaboration with Texel Air and look forward to embarking on mutually fruitful relations for the two…

Electricity and Water Affairs Minister Wael bin Nasser Al Mubarak received Israeli Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Idan Roll. The meeting reviewed areas of cooperation and the progress they are witnessing at all levels, as well as ways of enhancing exchanging experiences. The deputy foreign minister affirmed his readiness to enhance the existing cooperation to serve the interests and aspirations of the two countries.