Author: News Desk

UK : Queen Elizabeth II of Britain said Saturday that her prayers were with the survivors and victims on the 20th anniversary of the September 11 terror attacks. In a message to President Joe Biden, she said, “my thoughts and prayers — and those of my family and the entire nation — remain with the victims, survivors and families affected, as well as the first responders and rescue workers called to duty.” Sixty-seven British nationals were among the 2,977 people who were killed 20 years ago in the single largest loss of life caused by a foreign attack on U.S. soil.

Bahrain : Member of the Representatives Council, MP Dr. Abdulla Al-Thawadi, has stated that His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa’s issuance of Decree-Law 24/2021, amending Article (13) of Law 18/2017 on penalties and alternative measures reflects the progress of Bahrain’s legislation and laws, being the first Arab country to allow alternative sentencing to ensure the reintegration of the convicts into society in return for specific conditions aimed at achieving the interests of the convicts and society. He added that convicts who pose a threat to public security or fail to honour their financial obligations will not benefit from…

Manama : Shura Council member, Dr. Mansour Mohammed Sarhan praised the issuance of the Decree-Law amending the alternative penalties law which enables the competent party at the Interior Ministry to request the judge to replace the original sentence before the start of its execution with an alternative penalty. The Shura Council member described the issuance of the decree as a quality change in the reform march initiated by HM the King since his accession to the throne. He added the decree will also contribute to releasing the inmates who meet the conditions, stressing that extending the alternative penalties will further…

Manama: Commemorating 75 years of Indian Independence, the Indian Community Relief Fund (ICRF) has initiated conducting a yearlong Mega Medical Camp in association with various hospitals and medical centers. The inaugural function was held today at the Middle East Hospital.  Chief Guest of the event was HE Mr Piyush Srivastava, Indian Ambassador to Bahrain who inaugurated the event by lighting the traditional lamp in the presence of Guest of Honors Ms Shereen Al Saathi – Director of Protection and Grievances at LMRA and Mr Varghese Kurian – Chairman of VKL Holdings & Al Namal Group,  Jeeben Varghese – Director of Middle East Hospital, VKL…

Washington: US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry will travel to India from September 12-14 “to discuss efforts to raise global climate ambition and speed India’s clean energy transition,” the State Department said on Friday. On his visit, Kerry will meet with his counterparts in the Indian government and private sector leaders, the department said in a statement. Kerry is laying groundwork for US participation in the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties, or COP26, which will be held in Glasgow on October 31-November 12. He traveled last week to Japan and China for talks with officials.…

Austrian police have found the body of a woman who, they say, was mummified by her son so he could keep claiming her social security. The 66-year-old man confessed to keeping his mother’s body in the basement of a property in the Innsbruck-Land region of western Austria after officers visited the house on Saturday. The 89-year-old woman is thought to have died in June 2020, police said, but the man kept her body in order to continue receiving her pension and care allowance. Police said the man collected around €50,000 ($59,000) during the time he kept his mother’s body in the basement.…

Official commemorations are under way to commemorate 20 years since the 9/11 attacks against the US. The ceremony in New York started with a minute’s silence at 08:46 EST (13:46 BST) – the exact time the first plane hit the North Tower of the World Trade Center in 2001. Thousands of people across the US have gathered to mark the sombre occasion. President Joe Biden will travel to all three attack sites on Saturday – New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia. A minute’s silence also marked the moment the second plane crashed into the South Tower of the World Trade Center.…

WASHINGTON: Twenty years after 9/11, Sekou Siby still feels the pangs of survivor’s guilt. A cook and dishwasher at the World Trade Center’s Windows on the World restaurant, Siby had swapped shifts that day with a co-worker who ended up dying in the terrorist attacks. The tragedy sent Siby on a path he had never imagined he would take when he emigrated from the Ivory Coast in 1996: He made it his mission to advocate for higher pay and better working conditions for restaurant workers — a role that has gained importance as the restaurant industry has struggled more than most in the…

France’s former health minister is being formally investigated over the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. Prosecutors looking into government failings are investigating Agnès Buzyn for “endangering the lives of others”. Ms Buzyn left the post in February 2020 to run for Paris mayor, saying Covid was low risk. But she later spoke of knowing a “tsunami” was approaching. It is one of the world’s first cases of a minister facing legal accountability for their pandemic response. A special court set up in France in 1993 to investigate government ministers accused of misconduct will decide whether to prosecute her. The wording…

Munich : There were clashes with the police during protests against the IAA Mobility car show in Munich on Friday, and officers used batons and pepper spray against demonstrators several times, said dpa international. Protesters briefly occupied a house near the old town, where they planned to set up an “Open Space for Future” as a counterpoint to the “Open Spaces” used by the IAA in the Munich’s city centre to promote the giant event. Demonstrators also blocked the motorway for a time. On Thursday night, the Munich home of VW Group CEO Herbert Diess was vandalized with paint. Friday’s…