Author: News Desk

OSLO :  The winners of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize from Belarus, Russia and Ukraine shared their visions of a fairer world and denounced Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine during Saturday’s award ceremony. Oleksandra Matviichuk of Ukraine’s Center for Civil Liberties dismissed calls for a political compromise that would allow Russia to retain some of the illegally annexed Ukrainian territories, saying that “fighting for peace does not mean yielding to pressure of the aggressor, it means protecting people from its cruelty.” “Peace cannot be reached by a country under attack laying down its arms,” she said, her voice…

HONG KONG : A Hong Kong court sentenced a pro-democracy media tycoon to five years and nine months in prison on Saturday over two fraud charges linked to lease violations, the latest of a series of cases against prominent activists that critics say are aimed at crushing dissent in the city. Jimmy Lai, who was arrested during a crackdown on the city’s pro-democracy movement following widespread protests in 2019 and under the National Security Law imposed by Beijing, was also fined 2 million Hong Kong dollars ($257,000). His media company, Next Digital, published the now-defunct pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily. The…

German : Police ended a hostage situation in the German city of Dresden on Saturday, after evacuating a shopping mall and shutting a famous Christmas market. Authorities had evacuated Altmarktgalerie Mall after an armed man reportedly took people hostage in the shopping centre. Police ordered the Striezelmarkt Christmas market to close nearby and urged people to avoid the area. News outlet TAG24 earlier cited police as saying that a German man, 40, was believed to have killed his mother, 62, in an apartment building in the Prohlis district of Dresden, south-east of the city centre. Newspaper Bild earlier reported that an armed man…

Manama :  Deputy Prime Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa received Ambassador of the Czech Republic to the Kingdom of Bahrain, residing in Riyadh, Juraj Koudelka, on the occasion of the end of his tenure. The Deputy Prime Minister thanked him for his efforts as an ambassador to the Kingdom of Bahrain, wishing him success in his future duties. The Czech ambassador expressed thanks and appreciation for the cooperation during his tenure which resulted in further bolstering relations between the two friendly countries. The meeting was attended by Czech Honorary Consul to Bahrain Georgios Antoniou.

Manama : Within the kingdom’s celebrations of its National Days, Municipalities’ Affairs and Agriculture Minister, Wael bin Nasser Al-Mubarak, today inaugurated the tenth edition of the Bahraini Farmers’ Market, themed “”Our Harvest is Bahraini”. Tourism Minister, Fatima bin Jaafar Al-Sairafi, Secretary-General of the National Initiative for Agricultural Development (NIAD), Shaikha Maram bint Isa Al Khalifa, Acting Chief Executive of the Labour Fund (Tamkeen), Maha Mofeez, Northern Governor, Ali Al-Asfoor, officials and representatives of sponsors attended the opening ceremony of the market, held annually at the Budaiya Botanical Garden. Minister Al-Mubarak affirmed that holding the Farmers’ Market reflects the great interest…

London : One person was killed and a number of others were missing after an explosion early on Saturday morning at a block of flats on the island of Jersey, off the coast of northern France. “Tragically we have one confirmed fatality,” Robin Smith, Chief Officer of the States of Jersey Police, said in a video statement. The explosion occurred just before 0400 GMT and the fire has since been extinguished. Smith confirmed fire services had been called to the property on Friday before the explosion after residents had reported the smell of gas. He did not comment on the…

Manama :  The Social Insurance Organization (SIO) launched the service of booking appointment through the Skiplino application. The new service aims to facilitate virtual communication inquiries, and appointment booking to complete transactions that require personal attendance during the official working hours of the Authority without the need to visit the service centers.

Manama : A total of 791 contestants have registered to participate in the third edition of His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa Quran Award, of whom 339 are women. The competition is organized under the patronage of Al Noor Charity Welfare Society Honorary Chairperson Her Highness Shaikha Lulwa bint Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa. Al Noor Charity Welfare Society is organizing and overseeing His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa Quran Award. The registration which started last October had been extended till last Wednesday by the organizing committee. The organizing committee is now stepping up…

SAN ANTONIO : Brittney Griner returned to the United States early Friday, nearly 10 months after the basketball star’s detention in Russia made her the most high-profile American jailed abroad and set off a political firestorm. Griner’s status as an openly gay Black woman, her prominence in women’s basketball and her imprisonment in a country where authorities have been hostile to the LGBTQ community heightened concerns for her and brought tremendous attention to the case. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine after her arrest complicated matters further. The deal that saw Griner exchanged for notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout achieved a top goal for President Joe…

BERLIN :  German authorities said Friday that judges have confirmed the arrest of 23 people detained earlier this week on suspicion of planning to topple the government, while the extradition of two others detained abroad is being sought. Prosecutors said 22 German citizens and a Russian woman detained in a series of raids across Germany on Wednesday have appeared before a federal court for their arraignment and will remain in custody as the investigation into the case continues. Extradition proceedings have been initiated in the case of two others, identified only as Maximilian E. and Frank H., who were detained in Italy…