Author: News Desk

The Russian parliament’s organising council was due to meet on Monday to decide on calling an extraordinary meeting of parliament on July 15, but it was not immediately clear what was to be discussed. The lower house of parliament said the council was to meet on Monday due to “issues that require urgent solutions” and the need to consider “government initiatives”. It gave no further details. At the scheduled start of the council meeting, there was no public live translation on the meeting and no agenda was published, Reuters reporters said.

Lithuania on Monday expanded restrictions on trade through its territory to Russia’s Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad, as phase-ins on earlier-announced European Union sanctions against Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine took effect. Additional goods barred from Monday morning include concrete, wood, alcohol and alcohol-based industrial chemicals, a spokesperson for Lithuanian customs said. Russia warned Lithuania and the European Union on Friday that it could adopt “harsh measures” against them if the transit of some goods to and from Kaliningrad did not resume “within the coming days”. On Monday, the Kaliningrad regional governor proposed a total ban on overland movement of…

France’s energy-intensive companies are speeding up contingency plans and converting their gas boilers to run on oil as they seek to avoid disruption in the event any further reduction in Russian gas supplies leads to power outages. Gathered over the weekend at a business and economics conference in southern France, several top executives said they were preparing for possible blackouts. “What we’ve done is we’ve converted our boilers, so they’re capable of running on gas or oil, and we can even switch to coal if we need to,” said Florent Menegaux, the boss of Michelin, one of the world’s leading…

Manama: His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa today issued a Royal Decree, pardoning 107 inmates, who were convicted in various court cases and have served part of their jail terms. The kind royal gesture, marking Aid Adha, reflects HM the King’s keenness to provide the pardoned inmates with the opportunity to integrate into society anew and participate in Bahrain’s development, progress and prosperity.

London: The overall number of people who contracted the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) topped 549.9 million worldwide.  According to the results of a Reuters tally released today, 6,767,857 people have died due to the pandemic.  COVID-19 Infections have been reported in more than 210 countries and territories since the first cases were identified in China in December 2019.

Danila Davydov said he left Russia within weeks of the Kremlin sending troops into Ukraine because he feared having to fight in a war he doesn’t support. The 22-year-old digital artist who had been living in St Petersburg said that as the conflict dragged on he was concerned that Russia could place pressure on young people like him to serve in the military. “I didn’t want to go to war or go to prison, so I decided to leave,” Davydov told Reuters from Kazakhstan, where he said he’s currently working. He is among what some lawyers and rights advocates say…

Japan’s former prime minister Shinzo Abe has died in hospital after he was shot at a political campaign event. Mr Abe was shot at twice while he was giving a speech in the southern city of Nara on Friday morning. Security officials at the scene tackled the gunman, and the 41-year-old suspect is now in police custody. A search of the alleged gunman’s home uncovered what police believe are explosives, local media reported. Speaking before Mr Abe’s death was announced, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida condemned the attack, saying: “It is barbaric and malicious and it cannot be tolerated.” “This attack…

Japan’s former prime minister Shinzo Abe has died in hospital after he was shot at a political campaign event, say local media. Mr Abe was shot at twice while he was giving a speech in the southern city of Nara on Friday morning. He immediately collapsed and was rushed to the nearest hospital. Pictures taken at the scene showed him bleeding. Security officials at the scene tackled the gunman, and the 41-year-old suspect is now in police custody. In an emotional press conference earlier, prime minister Fumio Kishida told reporters that Mr Abe was in a “very grave condition”. “Currently…

The “Bahrain Beaches Festival” was inaugurated this evening by the Minister of Tourism, Fatima bint Jafar Al Sairafi, at Bilaj Al Jazayer. This is the first event of its kind, organized by the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibition Authority as part of its efforts to enrich the summer season in the Kingdom of Bahrain with several activities and events that attract tourists and visitors, in addition to, encouraging internal tourism for citizens and residents. The launch of the festival witnessed various artistic performances, and many other activities will follow from the 8th -11th July, covering the days of Eid al-Adha including…

The Heritage Committee of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) added the Heart of Sharjah site and the Sharjah Fort to the list of heritage in the Islamic world. The Heart of Sharjah and Sharjah Fort are the first sites in the UAE to be included on the ISESCO list. This came on the sidelines of the tenth Islamic World Heritage Committee meeting. Sharjah Archaeology Authority (SAA) submitted nomination files to ISESCO in July 2021 that addressed the archaeological, historical, and artistic value of these sites. The listed site embraced historic Sharjah Fort, commercial markets, and historical…