Author: News Desk

China : China’s ambassador to the UK has been barred from Parliament after British lawmakers sanctioned by the regime expressed outrage over his scheduled visit. Zheng Zeguang was invited to a House of Commons reception on Wednesday, hosted by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on China, The Telegraph reported. But he has now been banned from setting foot in Parliament after the Speakers of both Houses of Parliament intervened. The Chinese regime imposed sanctions on nine British individuals—including politicians, lawyers, and an academic—in retaliation for UK sanctions against Chinese officials responsible for the alleged abuse of Uyghurs in Xinjiang. Among the sanctioned were five Conservative MPs—Tom…

Apple is launching a new-look iPhone 13 with diagonally aligned cameras and what it says is a 20% smaller notch in the front. This September’s launch event featured far less than the company announced last year, when the COVID-19 pandemic led to three separate special events to announce a range of products. But retained from last year’s iPhone 12 launch, was Apple’s commitment to launching four devices, with an iPhone 13 and an iPhone 13 mini, alongside the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max announced today. Apple, which remains the most valuable company in the world, has seen its share price…

New local COVID-19 infections more than doubled in China’s southeastern province of Fujian, health authorities said on Tuesday, prompting officials to quickly roll out measures including travel restrictions to halt the spread of the virus. The National Health Commission said 59 new locally transmitted cases were reported for Sept. 13, up from 22 infections a day earlier. All of them were in Fujian, a province bordered by Zhejiang to the north and Guangdong to the south. In just four days, a total of 102 community infections have been reported in three Fujian cities, including Xiamen, a tourist and transport hub…

The European Union has no option but to talk to Afghanistan’s new Taliban rulers and Brussels will try to coordinate with member governments to organise a diplomatic presence in Kabul, the top EU diplomat said on Tuesday. “The Afghan crisis is not over,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told the European Parliament in Strasbourg. “To have any chance of influencing events, we have no other option but to engage with the Taliban.” EU foreign ministers have set conditions for re-establishing humanitarian aid and diplomatic ties with the Taliban, who took control of Afghanistan on Aug. 15, including respect for…

The Taliban have denied that one of their top leaders has been killed in a shootout with rivals, following rumours about internal splits in the movement nearly a month after its lightning victory over the Western-backed government in Kabul. Sulail Shaheen, a Taliban spokesman, said Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, former head of the Taliban political office who was named deputy prime minister last week, issued a voice message rejecting claims he had been killed or injured in a clash. “He says it is lies and totally baseless,” Shaheen said in a message on Twitter. The Taliban also released video footage…

California voters will decide on Tuesday whether to recall Governor Gavin Newsom in a special election that has pitted the state’s majority Democrats against Republican supporters of former President Donald Trump. Newsom, a first-term governor and former San Francisco mayor, is fighting for his political future in only the second recall election for governor in state history despite 55 attempts. The campaign to oust the Democratic governor began with a conservative Republican group and gained steam during the pandemic. Conservatives, angered by Newsom’s liberal policies on LGBTQ rights, immigration and crime, also became infuriated by his decision to close schools and require masks…

Bahrain :  His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa received at Gudaibiyah Palace today Cypriot President, Nicos Anastasiades, and his accompanying delegation. Upon arrival, the official reception protocols were held for President Anastasiades and the Cypriot and Bahraini national anthems were played. The Cypriot President greeted the Bahraini delegation and HM the King welcomed the Cypriot delegation. HM the King held talks with the Cypriot President, in the presence of the two delegations. HM the King welcomed the Cypriot President and discussed with him ways of boosting bilateral relations and cooperation in various fields. HM the King underlined the…

Bahrain : Finance and National Economy Minister Shaikh Salman bin Khalifa Al Khalifa paid tribute to His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, hailing royal support to bolstering joint cooperation between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Republic of Cyprus. He noted steadily-growing relations in the economic and trade fields in particular, affirming Bahrain’s keenness on expanding cooperation and enhancing bilateral relations between the two countries. He made the statement after signing a Memorandum of Understanding on economic and technical cooperation  with Cypriot Minister of Energy, Commerce and Industry, Natasa Pilides. He stressed the importance of the agreement in…

Bahrain : Bahrain and Cyprus on Monday said they would work closely on exchange of expertise in agriculture, sustainable water management and preservation of marine resources. This was stated during a joint press briefing held by Essam Bin Abdullah Khalaf, Bahrain’s Minister of Works, Municipality Affairs and Urban Planning and his Cypriot counterpart Costas Kadis, Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment. “The meeting was fruitful and we discussed various aspects of cooperation between the two friendly countries, particularly in the agricultural field and food security,” Khalaf said The meeting reviewed Bahrain’s efforts in relation to the development of agriculture…

Rome :  Arab Parliament (AP) Speaker, Adel bin Abdulrahman Al-Asoomi, has addressed the Parliamentarians’ Session, organised by the G20 Interfaith Forum in collaboration with the Global Council for Tolerance and Peace (GCTP0 in the Italian city of Bologna. The session was moderated by Pier Ferdinando CASINI, former President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies and current Chairman of the Italian Group at the Inter-Parliamentary Union. In his speech, Al-Asoomi highlighted the pioneering role played by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, in promoting dialogue among various religions and cultures at all levels. He indicated that the landmark initiatives…