Author: News Desk

US : Secretary of State Antony Blinken will delay his trip to Beijing after the military spotted a suspected spy balloon drifting over Montana, a US official has said. Mr Blinken did not want to blow the situation out of proportion by cancelling his visit, but also did not want the balloon incident to dominate his meetings with Chinese officials, a high-ranking US official said in a call with reporters. “I spoke this morning with Director of the CCP [Chinese Communist Party] Central Foreign Affairs Office Wang Yi to convey that, in light of China’s unacceptable action, I am postponing my planned…

Juba : Tens of thousands of people sang, drummed and ululated as Pope Francis arrived in South Sudan on Friday for an unprecedented joint “pilgrimage of peace” with his Anglican and Scottish Presbyterian counterparts. The young African country broke away from Sudan to become independent in 2011 after decades of conflict, but civil war erupted in 2013. Despite a 2018 peace deal between the two main antagonists, violence and hunger still plague the country. On the eve of the pope’s arrival, 27 people were killed in Central Equatorial state, where the country’s capital Juba is located, in tit-for-tat violence between…

Manama : Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Mukhtar Tileuberdi, and his accompanying delegation left the Kingdom of Bahrain today following a two-day visit to it. He was bidden farewell at Bahrain International Airport by Foreign Minister, Dr. Abdellatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, and Kazakh Ambassador to the Kingdom of Bahrain, residing in Riyadh, Berik Aryn.

Manama:  His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, today attended the 2023 Crown Prince’s Cup, held under the patronage of His Royal Highness, at the Rashid Equestrian and Horse Racing Club (REHC) racetrack. Upon arrival, HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Minister was received by the Representative of HM the King for Humanitarian Works and Youth Affairs and Chairman of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports, His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the First Deputy President of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports, Chairman of the General Sports…

Washington :  The U.S. House of Representatives plans to vote next week on a bill that would end a requirement that most foreign air travelers be vaccinated against COVID-19, Majority Leader Steve Scalise said on Friday. The Biden administration in June dropped its requirement that people arriving in the country by air must test negative for COVID-19 but has not lifted Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) vaccination requirements. Currently, adult visitors to the United States who are not citizens or permanent residents must show proof of vaccination before boarding their flight, with some limited exceptions, Reuters reported. Republican…

Washington : U.S. job growth accelerated sharply in January while the unemployment rate hit more than a 53-1/2-year low of 3.4%, pointing to a stubbornly tight labor market, and a potential headache for Federal Reserve officials as they fight inflation. The Labor Department’s closely watched employment report on Friday also showed job creation in the past year was much stronger than previously estimated, suggesting the economy was nowhere near a recession. Though wage inflation cooled further in January, average hourly earnings increased faster in 2022 than previously estimated. The strength in hiring, which occurred despite layoffs in the technology sector…

Santiago : At least 13 people were reported dead as of Friday night as a result of the more than 150 wildfires burning across Chile that have destroyed homes and thousands of acres of forest while the South American country is in the midst of a scorching heat wave. Four of the deaths involved two separate vehicles in the Biobío region, around 560 kilometers (348 miles) south of the capital of Santiago. “In one case they were burned because they were hit by the fire,” Interior Minister Carolina Tohá said. In the other case, she said, the victims died in…

Indian : An Indian journalist has been released from jail more than two years after he was arrested over terrorism charges while on his way to report on the alleged gang rape and murder of a teenager. Siddique Kappan, 43, from India’s southern Kerala state, was arrested in 2020 by police in Uttar Pradesh, where the 19-year-old Dalit woman was attacked. He faced charges of being involved in a radical Islamist group, money laundering, sedition and fomenting sectarian violence. He was granted bail by the Supreme Court in December but remained in prison while official procedures were carried out. He was in jail…

Manama : Re-elected president of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa has pledged that the development of the AFC member associations and regional associations will remain at the core of the confederation endeavors. “As we look ahead, let me assure you that the AFC will continue to place the development of our Member Associations and Regional Associations at the heart of all our efforts,” Shaikh Salman told the 33rd AFC Congress held in Manama. The Congress re-elected Shaikh Salman as the AFC President by acclamation for a third four-year term until 2027. Shaikh Salman, who…

Manama : His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa today issued Royal Decree (16) of 2023, forming the Board of Directors of the National Communication Centre (NCC), based on the proposal of the Prime Minister, and following the approval of the Cabinet. According to the decree, NCC Board of Directors shall be chaired by the Information Minister, and comprise the following members: 1- Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa 2- Brigadier-General Mohammed Mohammed bin Daina 3- Ebtihal Ahmed Al-Tawash 4- Dr. Arwa Hassan Al-Sayed Ali Ibrahim 5- Waleed Khaled Al-Shaikh Members shall serve for a four-year term that can…