Author: News Desk

WASHINGTON : The House committee investigating the U.S. Capitol insurrection is asking Ivanka Trump, daughter of former President Donald Trump, to voluntarily cooperate with its probe. The committee sent a letter Thursday requesting a meeting with Ivanka Trump, who served as an adviser to her father, in early February. In the letter, committee chairman Bennie Thompson says Ivanka Trump was in direct contact with her father during key moments of Jan. 6, when the former president’s supporters stormed the Capitol building. The committee says it wants to discuss what Ivanka Trump knew about her father’s efforts to pressure then-Vice President Mike Pence to…

Paris :  France’s government spokesman said Thursday that more than 1 million adults got their first COVID-19 vaccine shot over the past month, after the government announced a plan to exclude unvaccinated people from all restaurants, sports arenas and other venues. The French parliament approved the new law over the weekend and the measure is expected to enter into force in the coming days, after the Constitutional Council releases its assessment on Friday, reports AP. The so-called vaccine pass “is a new step in our strategy to encourage (vaccination) and ensure maximum protection. It is already producing its effects,” government…

BOGOTA : A car bomb killed one person and wounded five in an eastern Colombian city where illegal armed groups are vying for territorial control, the military said on Thursday. Dozens more were injured in the blast which happened at 09:30 (14:30 GMT) on Thursday in the south of the city. The car’s driver, who was also killed, has been identified as a 57-year-old man. No group has said it was behind the explosion. President Ivan Duque described it as a “crazy terrorist act” and declared three days of national mourning.

Etihad Rail has released the first images of what the UAE’s new passenger trains will look like. They offer the first detailed look of what awaits people once they step inside the sleek and modern interiors. The passenger trains will travel at speeds up to 200kph and can carry about 400 people, linking 11 cities and areas across the UAE from Al Sila in the west to Fujairah in the north. Etihad Rail says stations will celebrate the joy of travelling and designs will speak to regional traditions. Some of the stations will be built in the cities but the locations have not been announced…

Bahrain :  The Supreme Council for Health (SCH) has today convened for its regular meeting which was held remotely via video conference. The session was chaired by SCH President, head of the National Taskforce for Combating COVID-19 Lieutenant-General Dr. Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, the session. On behalf of the taskforce and health professionals, the SCH president extended deepest thanks and gratitude to His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa on honouring frontliners and conferring on them Prince Salman bin Hamad Medals of Medical Merit. He hailed royal support to national efforts led by His Royal Highness Prince…

Dubai :  The second edition of the Royal Investment Summit ‘Future of Investments in the GCC’ that will be held next month in the UAE announces a stellar lineup of 60+ speakers. The summit will welcome 250 high-level delegates, host key panels providing global diversified insight, and exclusive fireside chats with industry leaders and pioneers. The new edition will be held in Dubai on January 23-24 under the patronage of Shaikh Abdulaziz bin Duaij bin Khalifa al Khalifa Private Office. The stellar line up of speakers include CEO at UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention Dr. Amin Al Ameeri, CEO…

Bahrain :  The Labor Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) conducted an inspection campaign in the Southern Governorate, in cooperation with the Nationality, Passports and Residence Affairs of the Ministry of Interior and the Southern Governorate Directorate that included a number of Governorate work sites. The campaign resulted in the arrest of a number of violations related to the provisions of LMRA Law and the Residence Law in Bahrain, and arrest of a number of workers violating regulations and laws, as deportation procedures were taken in accordance with the legal mechanisms in place. The authority pointed out that this campaign comes as…

Riyadh :  Saudi Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister, Chairman of the Council for Economic and Development Affairs, and Chairman of the Public Investment Fund (PIF), His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud announced today the launch of ‘Boutique Group’, a new hospitality brand that will manage and convert a collection of iconic historic and cultural palaces in Saudi Arabia into ultra-luxury boutique hotels. The company will revive the vibrant heritage and culture of Saudi Arabia to create a new and unique hospitality experience. The first phase of the project will focus on the development of three…

Madrid :  When the coronavirus pandemic was first declared, Spaniards were ordered to stay home for more than three months. For weeks, they were not allowed outside even for exercise. Children were banned from playgrounds, and the economy virtually stopped. But officials credited the draconian measures with preventing a full collapse of the health system. Lives were saved, they argued. Now, almost two years later, Spain is preparing to adopt a different COVID-19 playbook. With one of Europe’s highest vaccination rates and its most pandemic-battered economies, the government is laying the groundwork to treat the next infection surge not as…

United States: When US Vice President Kamala Harris was sworn into office a year ago, women across the globe were watching, many of them wearing her trademark string of pearls, Converse high-tops and purple, a nod to the suffragette movement. The first woman, the first black person and the first South Asian to ever take the oath, many saw themselves represented in Ms Harris, who is one heartbeat away from the highest office in the land. The former senator assumed office alongside her boss, President Joe Biden, weeks after a mob of Donald Trump supporters staged an insurrection at the Capitol…