Author: News Desk

Taiwan will launch a $1 billion credit programme to help fund joint projects between Lithuanian and Taiwanese companies in six business categories, a Taiwan government minister said on Tuesday. Lithuania is under pressure from China which claims democratically ruled Taiwan as its own territory, to reverse a decision last year to allow the island to open a de-facto embassy in Vilnius under its own name. China has downgraded diplomatic ties with Vilnius, and is pressuring companies, such as German car parts giant Continental to stop using Lithuanian-made components. It has also blocked Lithuanian cargos from entering China. Taiwan last week announced plans to set…

BANGKOK :  A court in Myanmar sentenced ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi to four more years in prison on Monday after finding her guilty of illegally importing and possessing walkie-talkies and violating coronavirus restrictions, a legal official said. Suu Kyi was convicted last month on two other charges and given a four-year prison sentence, which was then halved by the head of the military-installed government. The cases are among about a dozen brought against the 76-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate since the army seized power last February, ousting her elected government and arresting top members of her National League…

Bahrain :   His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, announced today that imported livestock is to be included in the list of the 94 basic commodities exempt from VAT. Following His Royal Highness’ directives, imported livestock will be added to the list of basic food products exempt from VAT, which includes fresh and frozen beef, sheep, goat, chicken and fish.

MELBOURNE :  Novak Djokovic returned to the tennis court Monday for training, having won a legal battle to stay in Australia to play in the Australian Open after his exemption from strict coronavirus vaccine rules was questioned. But the government is still threatening to cancel his visa and deport him. The unvaccinated tennis star was released after being confined to an immigration hotel for four nights — a drama that has gripped many in Australia and beyond. Federal Circuit Court Judge Anthony Kelly reinstated Djokovic’s visa, which was pulled after his arrival last week because officials said he didn’t qualify…

CHICAGO : The  leader of the Chicago Teachers Union on Monday blamed the city’s mayor for a continued standoff over COVID-19 protocols as classes for hundreds of thousands of students were canceled for a fourth day. CTU President Jesse Sharkey said union and district representatives negotiated until 10 p.m. Sunday but “remain apart on a number of key features” that teachers want before returning to classrooms, including a testing program and triggers to close a school for in-person instruction due to an outbreak. Sharkey accused Mayor Lori Lightfoot of refusing to compromise on teachers’ main priorities and said union leadership…

NEW YORK :  Doctors raced Monday to save the lives of people who were knocked out or trapped in their apartments by a fire that sent smoke billowing through a New York City high-rise. Nineteen people, including nine children, died in the blaze. Dozens of people were hospitalized, including several in critical condition, after Sunday’s fire in the Bronx, which was already the city’s deadliest in three decades. Mayor Eric Adams told  that the death toll could rise. “We pray to God that they’ll be able to pull through,” he said. Investigators determined that a malfunctioning electric space heater, plugged in…

Kazakhstan’s security forces have detained 7,939 people as of Monday over last week’s unrest, the Interior Ministry has said. It was the worst violence in the Central Asian nation’s post-Soviet history, with 164 people reportedly killed. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on Monday called the unrest a coup attempt and vowed his security services would never shoot peaceful protesters. “Armed militants who were waiting in the wings joined the protests. The main goal was obvious: the undermining of the constitutional order, the destruction of government institutions and the seizure of power. It was an attempted coup d’etat”, he said. Government buildings were briefly captured or…

Bahrain : The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation on Monday reminded private companies to transfer the salaries of their employees to bank accounts to avoid fines. Salaries should be transferred through the Wage Protection System on fixed dates, the ministry said. “The ministry seeks to ensure the worker’s right to receive his wage in return for his commitment to perform his job duties,” said Maher Al Obed, assistant undersecretary at the ministry. “It also contributes to increasing the worker productivity as a result of paying the wages on time and the specified amount.” The system, introduced in 2009, ensures…

Bahrain : Representative of HM the King for Humanitarian Work and Youth Affairs and Chairman of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa delegated First Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports, President of the Public Sports Authority, and President of the Bahrain Olympic Committee HH Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa to inaugurate the “burqa” exhibition. The exhibition by Shaikha Hala bint Mohammed Al Khalifa is a mixture of the past and the present, the “burqa” (leather hood) to cover the eyes of falcons, and the facemask imposed by…

Sharm El-Sheikh : The COVID-19 pandemic and climate change are among the major topics to be discussed during the fourth edition of the World Youth Forum (WYF) in Sharm El-Sheikh from on January 10-13. The forum also features discussions on fair water use policies, confronting environmental challenges and the growing global role of startups as well as the Egyptian experience with the Decent Life initiative as a model for developing communities. The UN sustainable Developments Goals (SDGs) and the future of Africa, the future of financial technology of developing markets, digital transformation, education as well as Generation Z’s views for…