Author: News Desk

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russia’s siege of the port city of Mariupol was “a terror that will be remembered for centuries to come”, while local authorities said thousands of residents there had been taken by force across the border. “Over the past week, several thousand Mariupol residents were deported onto the Russian territory,” the city council said in a statement on its Telegram channel late on Saturday. Russian news agencies have said buses have carried several hundred people Moscow calls refugees from Mariupol to Russia in recent days. The council also said Russian forces bombed a Mariupol art school…

Some Syrian paramilitary fighters say they are ready to deploy to Ukraine to fight in support of their ally Russia but have not yet received instructions to go, two of their commanders told Reuters. Nabil Abdallah, a commander in the paramilitary National Defence Forces (NDF), said he was ready to use expertise in urban combat gained during the Syrian war to aid Russia, speaking to Reuters by phone from the Syrian town of Suqaylabiyah. “Once we get instructions from the Syrian and Russian leadership, we will fight this righteous war,” Abdallah said on March 14, four days after President Vladimir…

North Korea appeared to have fired a short-range multiple rocket launcher on Sunday, South Korea’s military said, amid heightened military tensions on the peninsula after a spate of larger missile launches by the nuclear-armed North. While they garner much less attention than the massive intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), North Korea has displayed several new types of multiple launch rocket systems in recent years, adding to an already large arsenal of artillery and rockets ideal for potentially striking targets in the South. “This morning there was firing in North Korea which is assumed to be multiple rocket launcher shots, and our…

Alfa Romeo can fight for a place in Q3 on Saturday despite Valtteri Bottas missing out on a whole practice session on Friday, according to the Finn himself. Bottas reported a misfire on his out-lap in FP1 and then managed just one further lap later in the session before a technical issue ended his running, leaving him without a time in the first session. But Bottas bounced back with a much more competitive FP2, finishing sixth overall and seeing the potential for a top-10 qualifying performance. “It was definitely a challenging first session and disappointing first practice but it made…

It’s getting tough to hide the confidence at Haas, as a strong Friday in Bahrain suggests a much more competitive year for the team this season – with returnee Kevin Magnussen particularly excited. Haas wrote-off 2021 in order to focus on their car development for this year’s regulations, resigning them to a scoreless season at the back of the grid. But after quick times in pre-season testing, both cars were in the top 10 in FP2. And Magnussen wasn’t going to try and talk down his optimism as he returns to F1. “The car’s been feeling good all day, again,…

Bahrain has achieved the highest ranking among Arab countries in the World Happiness Report 2022, published by the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Solutions Network. The report ranks the Kingdom in the 21st position out of a total of 146 countries, improving one position from last year’s report. The report highlighted that the Kingdom is among the ten countries with the largest gains from 2008-2012 to 2019-2021. These results affirm the Kingdom’s commitment to social and economic development with citizens at its heart, as per global indicators. The World Happiness Report 2022 ranks 146 countries based on how happy their citizens…

Red Bull Red Bull opted not to run the soft compound tyre in the unrepresentative early afternoon session, instead saving the red-marked rubber for the cooler evening conditions. It was a decision that paid dividends, with Verstappen topping the timing sheets and looking comfortable in doing so. Perez couldn’t quite match his team mate but does tend to start slowly on a Friday, so he will be keen to get up to the sharp end of the grid come qualifying. Max Verstappen – FP1: 1:34.742, P5; FP2: 1:31.936, P1 “The car felt good today, testing here last week means we’ve…

Manama: His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, today toured the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) following the first practice session of the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2022 race. His Royal Highness highlighted that the Kingdom has become a global destination for motorsport events, thanks to the Kingdom’s skilled national workforce and prominent role in organizing and hosting successful races over the years. His Royal Highness toured the paddock and track area, where he met with senior Formula 1 figure, team managers, racers, and race organizers, and was briefed on…

Max Verstappen set an impressive pace as the teams got down to business with the first Friday practice of the season in Bahrain. While some were happy with their efforts, others were frustrated. Here are five things we learned at Sakhir. 1. Red Bull carry end of test form into first race Red Bull were the season favourites after testing – and that belief was only enhanced after their performance in Friday practice in Bahrain, with defending champion Verstappen sporting a smile and a spring in his step when we chatted after the opening sessions. Verstappen said the car “felt…

AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly set the pace in first practice for the Bahrain Grand Prix, as the 2022 Formula 1 season – featuring revolutionary new cars – got under way… The Frenchman used the soft tyres to pump in 1m 34.193s, 0.364s clear of the medium-shod Charles Leclerc, who had a 360-degree spin when on the medium tyres before recovering, with Ferrari team mate Carlos Sainz third. George Russell was the leading Mercedes in fourth, 0.4s off the pace but a quarter of a second quicker than team mate and seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton (P7). Reigning world champion Max Verstappen…