Day: April 4, 2023

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13th Beijing International Film Festival to Open in Late April

The 13th Beijing International Film Festival (BIFF) will run from April 22 to 29, with renowned Chinese director Zhang Yimou chairing the international jury for the Tiantan Award, according to the organizers.

Fifteen films will contend for this year’s Tiantan Award. They were selected from record-breaking 1,488 films from 93 countries and regions that had applied for the competition, according to China’s News Agency (Xinhua).

During the festival, over 160 international films of diverse themes will be screened in 27 theaters in Beijing.

The festival’s nine major sections will take place in physical form, while a “cloud film festival” will continue to provide on-demand screening and other services, said the organizers.

Initiated in 2011, the BIFF aims to boost exchanges among global industry insiders. (QNA)

Source: Qatar News Agency

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Interior Minister receives Bahraini ambassador to USA

Minister of Interior, General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, received today Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the USA, Shaikh Abdullah bin Rashid Al Khalifa.

The Minister of Interior praised the role of the embassy in boosting cooperation between the two friendly countries and providing services for the Bahraini community in the USA.

Both sides discussed programmes of security cooperation between both countries.

Source: Bahrain News Agency

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Makhlouf discusses with UN?Habitat Program the existing areas of cooperation, projects being implemented

The Minister of Local Administration and Environment, Hussein Makhlouf, Chairman of the Higher Committee for Relief, discussed with Dr. Irfan Ali, Chief of Staff at the Office of the Executive Director of UN-Habitat the existing areas of cooperation and the projects being implemented along with the potentials of expanding work to include quake –affected areas.

Minister Makhlouf indicated the importance of fruitful cooperation with the Program in implementing projects in partnership with local communities, and that the work is being done to re-prioritize investment plans in response to the repercussions of the earthquake.

Dr. Ali explained that his visit today comes with the aim of framing and advancing work at the level of cities and local communities, continuing with recovery and income-generating projects that create a kind of stability, along with continuing the implementation of environmental projects.

The importance of partnership with the local community to implement multiple integrated projects was also emphasized during the meeting, taking into account the balance between the governorates.

Source: Syrian Arab News Agency

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German FM Calls on Moscow to Stop Planting Landmines in Ukrainian Agricultural Fields

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has called on Moscow to stop planting landmines in Ukrainian agricultural fields.

The appeals came on Tuesday’s International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action.

In a Foreign Ministry statement, Baerbock said such mines cause several civilian casualties and also scare away farmers, according to Deutsche Welle (DW).

Baerbock signaled the impact of mines on global food security.

The German foreign minister described anti-personnel mines as “cruel weapons,” addressing their lasting impact long after fighting concludes. (QNA)

Source: Qatar News Agency

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IsDB Group Chairman of Board of Directors meets US Chargé d’Affaires

The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group Dr. Mohammed Al-Jasser met at the headquarters of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group in Jeddah today with Martina Strong, the Chargé d’Affaires of the US Embassy to the Kingdom, on the occasion of the conclusion of her tenure in the Kingdom.

The two sides discussed expanding their partnership and cooperation, and Dr. Al-Jasser expressed his gratitude for the constructive cooperation and lasting friendship. In turn, Strong conveyed her appreciation for the distinguished level of cooperation and fruitful partnership with the Islamic Development Bank Group over the past years.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

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Lavrov: EU Unfriendly to Russia

Russia is viewing the European Union as an unfriendly association now, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

“The European Union has lost Russia. However, it is its own making. Exactly the EU member-states and leaders of the Union openly state the need of inflicting the strategic defeat to Russia,” Lavrov said.

Lavrov said that sending weapons and munitions, and sending instructors and mercenaries to Ukraine are “reasons why we consider the EU to be the unfriendly association”.

The Russian side made necessary conclusions from this situation, the minister stressed. Moscow will act in response to hostile steps “decidedly if necessary, being governed by national interests of Russia and the reciprocity principle commonly adopted in the diplomatic practice,” he added, according to TASS news agency.

He noted that his recent foreign trips reflected “Russian priorities on the international scene.” He added that the United States and its “followers” were doing their utmost to bring about Russia’s international isolation.

The Russian military operation in Ukraine has entered its second year with no real signs of a way out of the conflict as fundamental differences remain, and positions are still far apart. (QNA)

Source: Qatar News Agency

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KSrelief Distributes More Than 41 Tons of Food Baskets in Indonesia

The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) distributed on Sunday 41 tons and 612 kilograms of food baskets to the neediest families in the Central Java Region of the Republic of Indonesia, benefiting 4,040 people from 1,010 families as part of the 2023 Food Basket Distribution Project in Indonesia

The aid comes as a part of the Ramadan Food Basket Distribution Project, which aims to distribute 6,687 Ramadan Food Baskets in Indonesia, benefiting 33,435 people, in the provinces of Jakarta, West Java, Benten, and Central Java

Source: Saudi Press Agency