Author: News Desk

Two Indian serial killers on death row for murdering five children had their sentences commuted after a court ruled that the delay in their hanging had violated their fundamental rights. The Bombay High Court on Tuesday commuted the death sentences of sisters Renuka Shinde and Seema Gavit to life imprisonment due to the “inordinate delay” in carrying out their executions. The sisters were convicted by a sessions court in 2001 of kidnapping 14 children, using them for stealing and killing five of them between 1990 and 1996. The women later appealed to the Bombay High Court, which upheld the sentences. Their mercy…

Bahrain : Supreme Council for Youth and Sports (SCYS) First Deputy Chairman, General Sports Authority (GSA) Chairman and Bahrain Olympic Committee (BOC) President His Highness Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa has today paid a visit to Elements Jiu  Jitsu Academy. GSA Vice Chairman His Highness Shaikh Salman bin Mohammed Al Khalifa  and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Abdulrahman Sadiq  Askar were also present during the visits. HH Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa met the owners of the Elements Jiu  Jitsu Academy Ali Seena Monfaradi and Aqeel Abdulla, in addition to other club members and sportspeople. He praised the club’s…

KYIV :  The United States and Russia dug in their heels Wednesday over Russia’s military buildup on Ukraine’s border with no sign either will relent from entrenched positions that have raised fears of a Russian invasion and a new war in Europe. Ahead of critical talks Friday between U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the two sides appeared no closer to any compromise that might ease tensions and avert the threat of a Russian invasion. Ukraine, meanwhile, said it was prepared for the worst and would survive whatever difficulties come its way. On a…

DUBAI : Major international airlines canceled flights heading to the U.S. or changed the planes they’re using Wednesday, the latest complication in a dispute over concerns that new 5G mobile phone service could interfere with aircraft technology. Carriers took widely different approaches to the brewing crisis affecting international travel, from Middle Eastern airline Emirates drastically reducing its U.S.-bound flights to Air France saying it would fly as normal. It wasn’t immediately clear why the airlines made those decisions — or whether they took into account that mobile carriers AT&T and Verizon agreed this week to pause the rollout of the new high-speed…

Bahrain :  The Ministry of Health today announced the opening of registration for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children aged 5 to 11, starting from Wednesday, 19 January 2022. This coincides with the arrival of the first shipment of vaccines specified for this age group. The Ministry stressed the importance of vaccination, particularly for children, to protect them, their families and the community. The Ministry of Health urged all parents who wish to vaccinate their children to register them via the BeAware app, or the Ministry’s website: healthalert.gov.bh. The Ministry noted that the vaccine will be administered at the vaccination centre…

MOSCOW :  Russia maintained a tough posture amid the tensions over its troop buildup near Ukraine, with a top diplomat warning Wednesday that Moscow will accept nothing less but “watertight” U.S. guarantees precluding NATO’s expansion to Ukraine. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, who led the Russian delegation at the security talks with the U.S. in Geneva last week, reaffirmed that Moscow has no intentions of invading Ukraine as the West fears, but said that receiving Western security guarantees is the categoric imperative for Moscow. The talks in Geneva and a related NATO-Russia meeting in Brussels last week were held as…

NEW YORK : The New York attorney general says her investigators have uncovered evidence that former President Donald Trump’s company used “fraudulent or misleading” valuations of its golf clubs, skyscrapers and other property to get loans and tax benefits. In a court filing late Tuesday, lawyers for Attorney General Letitia James told a judge they have not decided whether to bring a lawsuit in connection with the allegations, but that investigators should be allowed to question Trump and his two eldest children under oath as part of the civil probe. The Trump Organization issued a statement Wednesday calling the investigation…

Bahrain : Education Minister, Dr. Majid bin Ali Al-Nuaimi, has affirmed that the education of children with special needs in Bahrain enjoys the full support of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, noting that many schools are delivering distinguished services to this segment. Dr. Al-Nuaimi was speaking while patronising the foundation stone laying ceremony for the Awali National School, in the presence of Dr. Shaikha Rania bint Ali Al Khalifa, the Chairperson of the Bahrain Society for Children with Behavioural and Communication…

Los Angeles : The Grammy Awards ceremony honoring top performances in music has been rescheduled for April 3 in Las Vegas, the Recording Academy and broadcaster CBS said in a statement on Tuesday. The awards had been set to take place on Jan. 31 in downtown Los Angeles, but organizers scrapped that date as the Omicron variant sparked a new wave of COVID-19 infections. Comedian Trevor Noah will host the ceremony, which will be televised and streamed live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Nominations for the 2022 Grammys were announced in November. Pianist and bandleader Jon Batiste led a field…

Bahrain : Commander-in-Chief of the Bahrain Defence Force (BDF), Field Marshal Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, today carried out an inspection visit to a BDF unit. The BDF chief was informed about the unit’s achievements, efforts to enhance combat and administrative readiness, as well as training and rehabilitation programmes. He stressed the importance of concerted efforts to develop the unit, urging everyone to be more dedicated in order to improve the performance level and administrative quality. He gave directives to improve work level, wishing everyone further success in carrying out their patriotic duties for the best interests of the…