Author: News Desk

The US State Department has ordered families of its embassy staff in Ukraine to start leaving the country as soon as Monday. US officials, said the State Department is also expected to encourage US citizens to begin evacuating Ukraine next week by commercial flights while they are “still available”. Late Friday, the US said it delivered some 200,000 pounds of “lethal aid” to Ukraine amid tensions with Russia. The US Embassy in Kyiv tweeted the photos of the first shipment of military aid promised by US President Joe Biden. “This shipment includes close to 200,000 pounds of lethal aid, including…

Dammam : Bahrain edged Kuwait 29/15 in the main play off round of the 20th Asian Handball Championship, being held in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. Led by Icelandic coach Aron Kristjansson, the national out in a great collective performance, leading 17-8 at the end of the first half of the match which was played at the sports arena in the City of Dammam. Bahrain now tops Group B by goal difference, ahead of Iran  which beat Iraq (28-25). Bahrain will take on Iraq in a crucial match on Monday.

Priyanka Chopra Jonas and her husband Nick Jonas announced on their Instagram pages Friday that they welcomed their first child together. She said a surrogate gave birth to the couple’s baby on Jan. 15. “We are overjoyed to confirm that we have welcomed a baby via surrogate,” the couple’s statement said. The couple did not reveal their baby’s name or sex and asked for privacy “during this special time as we focus on our family.” In 2018, the couple married in India after dating for four months.

KABUL  : A blast ripped through a minivan in the western Afghan city of Herat on Saturday, killing at least six people, according to officials. Herat commander Mawlawi Ansari told Reuters that nine people had been injured. The cause of the blast was not clear. A health official in Herat, who asked not to be named, said an explosion hit a small van used for public transport just after 1800 local time and that three of the injured were in serious condition. Since the Taliban took over in August, a series of blasts and attacks, some claimed by Islamic State,…

The US government said on Friday it would suspend 44 China-bound flights from the United States by four Chinese carriers in response to the Chinese government’s decision to suspend some US carrier flights over COVID-19 concerns. The suspensions will begin on Jan. 30 with Xiamen Airlines’ scheduled Los Angeles-to-Xiamen flight and run through March 29, the Transportation Department said. The decision will cut some flights by Xiamen, Air China, China Southern Airlines and China Eastern Airlines. Liu Pengyu, a spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, said Friday the policy for international passenger flights entering China has “been applied equally to Chinese…

Riyadh : A statement by the Official Spokesperson of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen, Brigadier General Turki Al-Malki, has affirmed that the Houthi militia’s allegations of targeting a detention centre in Yemen’s Saada, are baseless and unfound. Below is the statement of Brigadier Al-Maliki, posted by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA): “The Joint Forces Command of the Coalition has followed what was circulated by some media outlets after the terrorist Iran-backed Houthi militia’s announcement that the Coalition has targeted a detention centrein Saada Governorate on Friday’s (21 January 2022) morning, and the claim that some casualties have occurred…

Bahrain :  The Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA)’s Chief Executive Officer, Jamal Abdulaziz Al Alawi, disclosed that the LMRA’s Law Enforcement Sector has made a comprehensive plan for launching intensive inspection campaigns in various markets and commercial shops in all the Kingdom’s governorates to stand against any illegal practices which might adversely affect the labour market. The LMRA’s CEO stressed the need to preserve the labour market’s strength, competitiveness, fairness, and stability. Upon review of the Law Enforcement Sector Report 2021, Al Alawi said that despite the consequences of the pandemic, over 10 thousand inspection visits were made, resulting in…

Mumbai : Retired IPS officer Aftab Ahmed Khan, credited with establishing the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) in the Mumbai police three decades ago – the first such elite force in the country – died on Friday, a police official said. The celebrated police officer was also involved in numerous operations against gangsters in Mumbai and terrorists during his decades-long career. He was 81 and is survived with wife, two sons and a daughter. Khan was infected with COVID-19 a few days ago and admitted to a private hospital in suburban Andheri from where he was later discharged, the official said. However,…

Mumbai : At least six people died in a major fire that broke out inside a 20-storeyed residential building in Mumbai this morning. Another 23 people were also injured in the massive blaze that started around 7 am on the 18th floor of Kamla building opposite Gandhi Hospital at Gowalia Tank in Mumbai’s Tardeo area. Footage from the scene showed a massive plume of smoke filling the sky, with flames coming out from the building. The fire has been brought under control now, officials said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced a compensation of ₹ 2 lakh each for the families of…

MOSCOW :  With tens of thousands of Russian troops positioned near Ukraine, the Kremlin has kept the U.S. and its allies guessing about its next moves in the worst security crisis to emerge between Moscow and the West since the Cold War. Amid fears of an imminent attack on Ukraine, Russia has further upped the ante by announcing more military drills in the region. It also has refused to rule out the possibility of military deployments to the Caribbean, and President Vladimir Putin has reached out to leaders opposed to the West. The military muscle-flexing reflects a bold attempt by the Kremlin…