Author: News Desk

Japan’s Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, on Saturday said his country will invest $42 billion in India over the next five years in a deal that is expected to boost bilateral trade. Kishida met his counterpart, Narendra Modi, in New Delhi during his first visit to India since assuming office. The two leaders held talks ranging from the economy to security cooperation. In a televised press statement, Kishida said the investment plan will bring huge benefits for several industries, from the development of urban infrastructure to green energy. Kishida also said the two sides reaffirmed Japan and India’s commitment to strengthening…

It’s 11:30 a.m. at Krakow Main Station and Ruslana Shtuka is desperate for some fresh air. She and her friend, Anya Pariy, are Ukrainian refugees who’ve spent the last hour sorting through cardboard boxes full of children’s clothing in a dim tent just outside the train terminal of Poland’s second city. As Shtuka, 30, and Pariy, 25, push their shared black stroller around a historic square, they pass Italian tourists and shoppers with designer handbags in the sunshine, a world away from the war in Ukraine. The two mothers left Mykolaiv four days ago as Russian forces began bombing the…

Turkey’s foreign minister said in an interview published on Sunday that Russia and Ukraine were nearing agreement on “critical” issues and he was hopeful for a ceasefire if the two sides did not backtrack from progress achieved so far. Russian forces invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24. President Vladimir Putin has called Russia’s actions a “special operation” meant to demilitarize Ukraine and purge it of what he sees as dangerous nationalists. Ukraine and the West say Putin launched an aggressive war of choice. Foreign ministers Sergei Lavrov of Russia and Dmytro Kuleba of Ukraine met in the Turkish resort town of…

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russia’s siege of the port city of Mariupol was “a terror that will be remembered for centuries to come”, while local authorities said thousands of residents there had been taken by force across the border. “Over the past week, several thousand Mariupol residents were deported onto the Russian territory,” the city council said in a statement on its Telegram channel late on Saturday. Russian news agencies have said buses have carried several hundred people Moscow calls refugees from Mariupol to Russia in recent days. The council also said Russian forces bombed a Mariupol art school…

Some Syrian paramilitary fighters say they are ready to deploy to Ukraine to fight in support of their ally Russia but have not yet received instructions to go, two of their commanders told Reuters. Nabil Abdallah, a commander in the paramilitary National Defence Forces (NDF), said he was ready to use expertise in urban combat gained during the Syrian war to aid Russia, speaking to Reuters by phone from the Syrian town of Suqaylabiyah. “Once we get instructions from the Syrian and Russian leadership, we will fight this righteous war,” Abdallah said on March 14, four days after President Vladimir…

Alfa Romeo can fight for a place in Q3 on Saturday despite Valtteri Bottas missing out on a whole practice session on Friday, according to the Finn himself. Bottas reported a misfire on his out-lap in FP1 and then managed just one further lap later in the session before a technical issue ended his running, leaving him without a time in the first session. But Bottas bounced back with a much more competitive FP2, finishing sixth overall and seeing the potential for a top-10 qualifying performance. “It was definitely a challenging first session and disappointing first practice but it made…

It’s getting tough to hide the confidence at Haas, as a strong Friday in Bahrain suggests a much more competitive year for the team this season – with returnee Kevin Magnussen particularly excited. Haas wrote-off 2021 in order to focus on their car development for this year’s regulations, resigning them to a scoreless season at the back of the grid. But after quick times in pre-season testing, both cars were in the top 10 in FP2. And Magnussen wasn’t going to try and talk down his optimism as he returns to F1. “The car’s been feeling good all day, again,…

Bahrain has achieved the highest ranking among Arab countries in the World Happiness Report 2022, published by the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Solutions Network. The report ranks the Kingdom in the 21st position out of a total of 146 countries, improving one position from last year’s report. The report highlighted that the Kingdom is among the ten countries with the largest gains from 2008-2012 to 2019-2021. These results affirm the Kingdom’s commitment to social and economic development with citizens at its heart, as per global indicators. The World Happiness Report 2022 ranks 146 countries based on how happy their citizens…

Red Bull Red Bull opted not to run the soft compound tyre in the unrepresentative early afternoon session, instead saving the red-marked rubber for the cooler evening conditions. It was a decision that paid dividends, with Verstappen topping the timing sheets and looking comfortable in doing so. Perez couldn’t quite match his team mate but does tend to start slowly on a Friday, so he will be keen to get up to the sharp end of the grid come qualifying. Max Verstappen – FP1: 1:34.742, P5; FP2: 1:31.936, P1 “The car felt good today, testing here last week means we’ve…

Manama: His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, today toured the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) following the first practice session of the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2022 race. His Royal Highness highlighted that the Kingdom has become a global destination for motorsport events, thanks to the Kingdom’s skilled national workforce and prominent role in organizing and hosting successful races over the years. His Royal Highness toured the paddock and track area, where he met with senior Formula 1 figure, team managers, racers, and race organizers, and was briefed on…