Author: News Desk

China’s government warned on Tuesday it would take “forceful measures” if U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, after the Financial Times she would go to the Chinese-claimed island next month. Pelosi and her delegation will also visit Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore, and spend time in Hawaii at the headquarters of U.S. Indo-Pacific command, the paper added, citing people familiar with the matter. Her office and the U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry said it has “not received relevant information” about any visit. The Democratic leader’s visit to…

Ukraine’s first lady, Olena Zelenska, is in the US for a series of high-level meetings and an address to Congress. Her visit comes four months after her husband, President Volodymyr Zelensky, made a virtual speech to Congress, pressing for more military equipment. Ms Zelenska met Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday and is due to hold talks with her counterpart Jill Biden on Tuesday, the White House said. She is due to deliver remarks to lawmakers on Capitol Hill on Wednesday. Tuesday’s encounter will be the second time the two first ladies have met, after Dr Biden made an…

The race to replace British Prime Minister Boris Johnson heated up on Tuesday, with four contenders offering more policies to try to climb to the top two in a divisive leadership contest that is splitting the governing Conservative Party. Since Johnson said he would resign earlier this month after his scandal-ridden administration lost the support of many Conservatives, the remaining candidates have turned their fire on frontrunner, former finance minister Rishi Sunak. Four candidates remain, with one to be axed after a vote later on Tuesday. Sunak’s allies say his lead all but assures him of a place in the…

France’s government is offering to pay 9.7 billion euros ($9.85 billion) to take full control of EDF, in a buyout deal that gives it a free hand to run Europe’s biggest nuclear power operator as it grapples with a continent-wide energy crisis. The finance ministry said in a statement on Tuesday that the government would offer EDF’s minority shareholders 12 euros per share, a 53% premium to the closing price on July 5, the day before the government announced its intention to fully nationalise the debt-laden group. EDF shares, which resumed trading on Tuesday after a one-week suspension pending details…

The U.S. Department of Defense agreed with Lockheed Martin Corp to build about 375 F-35 fighter jets over three years, the two parties said on Monday, amid expectations the price of the most common version of the aircraft would increase due to inflation and slower production. “We are pleased to announce that the Department and Lockheed Martin reached a handshake agreement for the next F-35 lot buy on a basis of 375 aircraft,” said William LaPlante, the Pentagon’s chief weapons buyer. The handshake agreement came as the aviation industry gathered for the return of the Farnborough Airshow, aiming for a display…

The Labor Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) conducted an inspection campaign in Muharraq Governorate, in cooperation with the Nationality, Passports and Residence Affairs of the Ministry of Interior and Southern Governorate Directorate that included a number of Governorate work sites. The campaign resulted in detecting several violation related to LMRA’s Law and Immigration authority, and necessary legal action were taken. The campaigns reflect the ongoing efforts exerted by LMRA, MOI and other government bodies for the betterment of work environment, in addition to addressing LMRA close monitoring level in practices that affect the competitiveness, flexibility and justice of the labor market,…

The Bahrain Olympic Committee (BOC) and the Bahrain Swimming Association signed a cooperation agreement to train 10,000 children and youth within a year. This comes as part of BOC’e keenness to adopt various initiatives and programs aimed at improving sports. The agreement was signed by BOC Secretary-General Faris Al Kooheji, and by the association’s Chairman of the Board of Directors Counselor Dr.  Mohammed Mujbel. Al Kooheji expressed his pride at signing this agreement, noting that this comes in line with the vision of His Highness Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, First Vice President of the Supreme Council for Youth and…

King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) mine clearing project in Yemen (Masam) was dismantled. 700 mines planted by the Houthi militia across Yemen, including 320 anti-tank mines and 380 unexploded ordnance, SPA reported. Since the beginning of the project, as many as 350,421 mines have been dismantled.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy sidelined his childhood friend as head of Ukraine’s security service, and another close ally as top prosecutor, in the biggest internal purge of the war, citing their failure to root out Russian spies. Ivan Bakanov, head of the powerful SBU security agency, and Iryna Venediktova, the prosecutor general, had been emblematic of Zelenskiy’s policy of putting young loyalists in charge of combatting corruption since sweeping to power in 2019. But nearly five months after Russia’s invasion, the president acknowledged that his two allies had failed to root out traitors and collaborators in their organisations. Zelenskiy said on…

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu ordered generals to prioritise destroying Ukraine’s long-range missile and artillery weapons after Western-supplied weapons were used to strike Russian supply lines. Nearly five months since President Vladimir Putin ordered the Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, Russian forces are grinding through the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine and now occupy around a fifth of the country. Shoigu, one of Putin’s closest allies, inspected the Vostok group which is fighting in Ukraine, the defence ministry said. Shoigu “instructed the commander to give priority to the enemy’s long-range missile and artillery weapons,” the defence ministry said. The ministry…