Author: News Desk

After losing the 2020 election, Donald Trump ignored close allies who told him that his claims of widespread election fraud were untrue, and when the followers who believed his false accusations stormed the U.S. Capitol, he sat back and watched. That was the narrative the U.S. House of Representatives’ select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack laid out in eight hearings over six weeks, which wrapped up with a study of the former president’s actions during the 187-minute assault on Congress by thousands of his supporters. “President Trump sat at his dining table and watched the attack on television…

The Japanese government said on Friday it would hold a state funeral for former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Sept. 27, amid street and social media protests that the state shouldn’t fund ceremonies for Japan’s longest-serving, but divisive, premier. Abe, prime minister for more than eight years over two terms and hugely influential in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) even after leaving office, was gunned down two weeks ago at a campaign rally, an incident that deeply shocked Japan. His funeral was held soon after, but the cabinet decided on Friday that a state funeral will be held on…

Joe Biden, the oldest person ever to serve as president of the United States, has tested positive for COVID-19, is experiencing mild symptoms and will continue working but in isolation, the White House said on Thursday. Biden, 79, has a runny nose, fatigue and an occasional dry cough, which he began to experience late on Wednesday, White House physician Kevin O’Connor said in a note made public on Thursday. Biden has begun taking the antiviral treatment Paxlovid, O’Connor said. “He is fully vaccinated and twice boosted and experiencing very mild symptoms,” press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement. “Consistent…

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday there had been no contact with the United States over peace talks with Ukraine. “The American administration forbids its wards in Kyiv to even think about talks with us, and evidently forces them to fight to the last Ukrainian,” Zakharova told reporters. Peace talks between Russia and Ukraine have been frozen since early April, when ceasefire talks brokered by Turkey in Istanbul collapsed. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has played down the prospect of peace talks while Russian troops still occupy Ukrainian territory. On Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that…

Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, Yas Waterworld, Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi, CLYMB Abu Dhabi, and Qasr Al Watan win Travelers’ Choice Awards for 2022, according to Tripadvisor.com as “The Best of the Best Things to Do” in the UAE’s capital. The awards are given as a result of positive reviews and ratings shared by travelers from across the world. Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, the World’s Leading Theme Park inspired by the legendary marque, as well as Yas Waterworld, the world’s only Emirati-themed waterpark, and Qasr Al Watan, the palace of the nation, were ranked among the top 1% of all…

His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, today met with the Ambassador of the United States of America to the Kingdom of Bahrain, HE Steven C. Bondy, at Gudaibiya Palace. His Royal Highness highlighted the strength of Bahrain-US strategic relations and emphasised the importance of further strengthening cooperation to achieve the Kingdom’s comprehensive development goals, led by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. During the meeting, the efforts of the Kingdom in maintaining a Tier 1 Status in the US Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report for the fifth…

Iraq’s government will call back the Iraqi charge d’affaires in Turkey for consultation after accusing Ankara of carrying out a strike on a mountain resort in the northern province of Dohuk, the state news agency INA reported. Turkey rebutted claims by Iraq that it had carried out a strike that killed eight tourists and wounded another 23 people, saying the attack was a terror act. The “fierce artillery bombing” hit a resort in Zakho, a city on the border between Iraq’s Kurdistan region and Turkey, Iraq state TV said. Iraq’s Cabinet also directed the foreign ministry to summon the Turkish…

China’s southern megacity of Shenzhen vowed to “mobilise all resources” to curb a slowly spreading COVID-19 outbreak, ordering strict implementation of testing and temperature checks, and lockdowns for COVID-affected buildings. Shenzhen, with a population of nearly 18 million, reported 22 new locally transmitted cases for Wednesday, with the daily count creeping up from single digits earlier this month. Though the caseload is still negligible by global standards, the slow uptick has pushed the Shenzhen authorities to step up vigilance, in order to comply with the central government’s “dynamic zero” policy of containing outbreaks as soon as they emerge, Reuters reported.…

Indonesian President Joko Widodo will visit China from July 25-26, a Chinese ministry spokesman said on Thursday, becoming the first foreign leader in two years to be received individually by Beijing aside from February’s Winter Olympics. Widodo has received an invitation from Chinese President Xi Jinping for the trip, Wang Wenbin said at a regular media briefing. Wang said Widodo would hold meetings with Xi and with Premier Li Keqiang for an exchange of in-depth views. Indonesia currently holds the G20 presidency and will host this year’s summit of G20 leaders in Bali on November 15-16. “When the Indonesian President…

The United States and Canada on Wednesday demanded dispute settlement talks with Mexico under a North American trade deal, charging that Mexican energy policies were discriminatory and “undermine” international firms and cross-border supplies. The request, first announced by the U.S. Trade Representative’s office, marks the most serious trade fight between Washington and Mexico City since the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement on trade took effect two years ago. If unresolved, it could ultimately lead to punitive U.S. tariffs. Canada’s trade ministry later told Reuters it was launching its own energy consultations with Mexico and “supporting the U.S. in their challenge.” “We agree with…