Author: News Desk

The province of Batanes in the Philippines is bracing for a typhoon with expected wind speeds of up to 200kph, authorities said on Monday. Typhoon Mawar has already seen nearly 5,000 villagers evacuated from coastal areas of the northernmost province and communities are undergoing near lockdown conditions, with schools and businesses closed. The nearby Cagayan province is also on alert and flights have been halted in the area. Mawar is an example of a rare phenomenon known as a “super typhoon”. These are category five storms, the strongest in the Pacific region, and can involve wind speeds of up to 250kph. The Philippines Office…

Indian security forces have killed at least 30 “militants” in Manipur state following weeks of ethnic violence. Another 25 armed men were arrested while preparing to carry out an attack, the army said on Monday. Clashes in the remote north-eastern state between the largely Hindu Meitei community and Kuki tribal people, who are mainly Christian, broke out over the state government’s moves to confer special rights to the Meiteis. At least 75 people have died and about 35,000 have been displaced since May 3. Manipur chief minister Nongthombam Biren Singh on Sunday said that militants had been killing people with AK-47 assault and…

Halifax : The eastern Canadian city of Halifax declared a state of local emergency late on Sunday after a wildfire caused evacuations and power outages. “Emergency responders are working around the clock to keep people safe and reduce the threats posed by the fires,” the municipal authority in the capital of Nova Scotia province said in a press release. The fire sent a huge pall of smoke over the port city. The state of emergency would be in effect for seven days, unless lifted or extended, the municipality said. Nova Scotia Power had temporarily disconnected power in the affected area,…

Manama : His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa chaired the weekly Cabinet meeting, attended by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, at the Al-Sakhir Palace today. HM the King lauded the Kingdom’s wide-ranging achievements, and praised the steadily improving government performance, commending the role played by HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Minister in leading the government towards delivering more development, and establishing excellence and creativity as the basis of its work. HM King Hamad affirmed that the achievements attained by the executive and legislative branches, as a result…

Madrid : Spain’s Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called a snap national election on Monday and his main conservative rival urged voters to make him the country’s next leader, after left-wing parties suffered a heavy defeat in a regional ballot. Sanchez, who had often said he wanted to see out a full term in office, portrayed Sunday’s rout as a clear vote of no confidence in his coalition government. The mainstream People’s Party (PP) of Alberto Nunez Feijoo won outright control of two regional governments and could run six more in partnership with the far-right Vox, whose leader Santiago Abascal…

Manama : Following a directive from His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, the Crown Prince’s International Scholarship Program (CPISP) today announced that the program will be expanded to include up to ten additional recipients. The additional recipients will be selected based upon their final audited score in the current recipient selection process, for both male and female students in public and private schools, who achieve a score of 90% or more. Candidates applying for the scholarship must hold Bahraini citizenship, be in Grade 11 or equivalent, and have a minimum Grade…

Manama : Amid fierce competition from all over the Middle East and North Africa, Edamah’s Bilaj Al Jazayer took Gold, Silver, and Bronze in the prestigious Tourism and Travel Sector of the Transform Branding Awards in Dubai, held at Raffles Dubai hotel. The awards, which are renowned in the region for celebrating distinguished brand development and renewal projects, bestowed Edamah and its partners with several honors. The iconic beachfront development Bilaj Al Jazayer was presented with the Gold award for ‘Best Visual Identity from the Travel and Tourism Sector,’ underlining its status as a world-class project and destination. The development…

Singapore: Oil prices rose on Monday after U.S. leaders reached a tentative debt ceiling deal, possibly averting a default in the world’s largest economy and oil consumer, although concerns about further interest rate hikes capped gains. Brent crude futures climbed 66 cents, or 0.9%, to $77.61 a barrel by 0247 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was at $73.42 a barrel, up 75 cents, or 1%. Trade is expected to be subdued on Monday because of UK and U.S. holidays. U.S. President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Saturday finalised an agreement in principle to suspend the…

Milan : A tourist boat capsized in a storm on Italy’s Lago Maggiore in the northern Lombardy region on Sunday, with at least one person confirmed dead, Italian media reported. Authorities were searching for several people who were still missing after a sudden whirlwind overturned a boat carrying more than 20 tourists and crew, the news agency ANSA reported. Italian firefighters said 19 people have been saved. Many reportedly managed to swim to shore. Rescue operations were continuing with divers, boats and a helicopter. Firefighter video showed pieces of wood floating in the lake as a helicopter flew overhead. The…

An international attendance will take part at the Royal Jordanian wedding of the crown prince and his fiancé. Jordan : Jordanian Crown Prince Hussein and his fiancé miss Rajwa Al-Saif’s wedding is in a few days, and the list of attendees is final here. Among the people who will get the honor of watching the wedding will be the president of The United States of America and the first lady, Jill Biden. The royal family will also welcome King of the Netherlands, Willem-Alexander, Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, and their daughter, Catharina-Amalia Beatrix Carmen Victoria. Also attending will be Victoria,…