Author: News Desk

FRANKFURT :  The pipeline is built and being filled with natural gas. But Russia’s Nord Stream 2 faces a rocky road before any gas flows to Germany, with its new leaders adopting a more skeptical tone toward the project and tensions ratcheting up over Russia’s troop buildup at the Ukrainian border. The pipeline opposed by Ukraine, Poland and the U.S. awaits final approval from Germany and the European Union to bypass other countries and start bringing natural gas directly to Europe. The continent is struggling with a shortage that has sent prices surging, fueling inflation and raising fears about what would come…

US: Nearly $100 billion at minimum has been stolen from COVID-19 relief programs set up to help businesses and people who lost their jobs due to the pandemic, the U.S. Secret Service said Tuesday. The estimate is based on Secret Service cases and data from the Labor Department and the Small Business Administration, said Roy Dotson, the agency’s national pandemic fraud recovery coordinator, in an interview. The Secret Service didn’t include COVID-19 fraud cases prosecuted by the Justice Department. While roughly 3% of the $3.4 trillion dispersed, the amount stolen from pandemic benefits programs shows “the sheer size of the…

JOHANNESBURG : South Africa’s noticeable drop in new COVID-19 cases in recent days may signal that the country’s dramatic omicron-driven surge has passed its peak, medical experts say. Daily virus case counts are notoriously unreliable, as they can be affected by uneven testing, reporting delays and other fluctuations. But they are offering one tantalizing hint — far from conclusive yet — that omicron infections may recede quickly after a ferocious spike. South Africa has been at the forefront of the omicron wave and the world is watching for any signs of how it may play out there to try to…

Bahrain: His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of the country, may God protect him and his patronage, sent a telegram of condolences and sympathy to his brother, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, King of the sisterly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In the telegram, His Majesty expressed his sincere condolences and sincere sympathy to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques on the death of His Royal Highness Prince Nahar bin Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, may God have mercy on him, asking His Majesty the Almighty to bless the deceased…

Houston: The University of Houston hosted the Commencement Ceremony with over 5,000 students attending the event. During the two-day ceremony, 5,124 masters and bachelor’s degrees were awarded. The University of Houston was founded in 1927, and many students from different countries study here. https://youtu.be/Xpa58Mm4s6Y

Tokyo:  Twenty-seven people were feared dead after a fire broke out in a building in Osaka in western Japan, fire department officials said Friday, and police were investigating arson as a possible cause, reports AP. The fire started on the fourth floor of an eight-story building in the shopping and entertainment area of Kitashinchi, Osaka city fire department official Akira Kishimoto said. Twenty-eight people were affected, 27 of whom were found in a state of cardiac arrest, Kishimoto said. All of them have since been taken to nearby hospitals. Four people have been pronounced dead, NHK national television and other media reported,…

The leaders and heads of delegations of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have affirmed the importance of economic unity, joint defense and security, and coordination of stances to enhance solidarity and stability of the GCC countries. In the final communique of the “Riyadh Declaration” issued by the 42nd session of the GCC Supreme Council at Diriyah Palace in Riyadh, the GCC countries also highlighted the significance of avoiding regional and international conflict, and boosting the GCC regional and international role. This Riyadh Declaration was read by GCC Secretary General Dr. Nayef Falah Al Hajraf, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported. “The 42nd GCC…

Cape Canaveral:  A NASA spacecraft has officially “touched” the sun, plunging through the unexplored solar atmosphere known as the corona. Scientists announced the news Tuesday during a meeting of the American Geophysical Union, reports AP. The Parker Solar Probe actually flew through the corona in April during the spacecraft’s eighth close approach to the sun. Scientists said it took a few months to get the data back and then several more months to confirm. “Fascinatingly exciting,” said project scientist Nour Raouafi of Johns Hopkins University. Launched in 2018 Parker was 8 million miles (13 million kilometers) from the center of the sun when…

Riyadh: His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa attended the opening session of the 42nd summit of the Supreme Council of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Saudi Crown Prince, Deputy Premier, and Defence Minister His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud chaired the inaugural session and delivered a speech at Al Diriyah Palace in the City of Riyadh. HM, the King also delivered a speech wishing the current session, chaired by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, success and commended the results of the Saudi Crown Prince’s visits to the GCC countries, which paved the way for the…

Manama: Autumn Fair, one of the oldest family shopping destinations, has emerged as one of the key trade and commercial events of Bahrain’s expo calendar. Under the patronage of the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism Zayed R. Alzayani, Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA) Chief Executive Officer Dr. Nasser Ali Qaedi opened the 32nd edition of the Autumn Fair, in the presence of ambassadors, officials, and representatives of Informa Markets, the organizers of the event. The nine-day shopping extravaganza running until December 21features 596 retailers, representing a 20 percent surge in new products on display this year. Items from…