FIA president: Red Bull boss Christian Horner controversy is โdamaging the sportโ - report
The president of Formula 1โs governing body tells the Financial Times the controversy around Red Bull team principal Christian Horner is damaging the sport but that the FIA wonโt conduct its own inquiry unless it receives a complaint.
Leclerc wins Bahrain GP as Verstappen retires near the end
Formula One champion Max Verstappenโs title defense turned into a nightmare when the Red Bull star retired near the end of the Bahrain Grand Prix and Ferrari clinched a 1-2 with Charles Leclerc winning ahead of teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. Seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton took an unexpected third place after Sergio Perezโs Red Bull also retired with the finish line in sight as the race finished under a yellow flag.
2 US Navy warships in Mideast hit by coronavirus outbreaks
Two U.S. Navy warships operating in the Mideast have been affected by the coronavirus, authorities said Friday, Feb. 26, 2021, with one already at port in Bahrain and another heading to port. Navy, via AP)DUBAI โ Two U.S. Navy warships operating in the Mideast have been struck by coronavirus outbreaks, authorities said Friday, with both returning to port in Bahrain. A dozen troops aboard the USS San Diego, an amphibious transport dock, tested positive for COVID-19, said Cmdr. More than 1,000 sailors tested positive and one died. Earlier this month, three sailors tested positive as the aircraft carrier was conducting operations in the Pacific.
Greece seeks Gulf allies to counter tension with Turkey
Bahrain's Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al-Zayani, left, speaks with Reem Ebrahim Al-Hashimi, Emirati Minister of State for International Cooperation during a meeting, in Athens, on Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021. Foreign ministers and senior officials from several Persian Gulf countries met in Athens, as Greece seeks to expand alliances to counter tension with regional rival Turkey. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)ATHENS โ Foreign ministers and senior officials from several Persian Gulf countries were meeting in Athens on Thursday, as Greece seeks to expand alliances to counter tension with regional rival Turkey. The participating countries have broadly sided with Greece in the eastern Mediterranean dispute. But Greece has continued plans to modernize its military and in recent months has stepped up armed forces cooperation with France, Egypt, Israel and others.
US calls Bahrain, UAE 'major security partners'
The United States called Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates "major security partners" early Saturday, Jan. 16, 2021, a previously unheard of designation for the two countries home to major American military operations. Air Force via AP)DUBAI โ The United States called Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates โmajor security partners" early Saturday, a previously unheard of designation for the two countries home to major American military operations. Bahrain is home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, while the UAE's Jebel Ali port is the busiest port of call for American warships outside of the U.S. Bahrain hosts some 5,000 American troops, while the UAE hosts 3,500, many at Al-Dhafra Air Base. Already, the U.S. uses the designation of โmajor non-NATO allyโ to describe its relationship with Kuwait, which hosts the forward command of U.S. Army Central. Trump forged close ties to Gulf Arab countries during his time in office in part over his hard-line stance on Iran.
Bahrain approves Chinese COVID-19 vaccine for use
DUBAI โ Bahrain said Sunday it approved the use of a Chinese coronavirus vaccine, following its earlier approval of a vaccine made by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech. Bahrain's state-run news agency said the Sinopharm vaccine would be available in the island kingdom off the coast of Saudi Arabia in the Persian Gulf. Bahrain said over 7,700 signed up to take part in a trial of the Sinopharm vaccine in the kingdom. Morocco is gearing up for an ambitious COVID-19 vaccination program, aiming to vaccinate 80% of its adults in an operation starting this month thatโs relying initially on the Sinopharm vaccine. On Sunday, Kuwait's state-run KUNA news agency announced the oil-rich country's Health Ministry had granted emergency use for the Pfizer vaccine.
Bahrain plans free shots, Saudi Arabia approves Pfizer jab
DUBAI โ Bahrain has announced plans to give the public free coronavirus vaccines, as Saudi Arabia said it approved an inoculation by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech to fight the pandemic. The island nation of Bahrain, off the coast of Saudi Arabia, made the vaccine pledge in an announcement published late Thursday by its state-run Bahrain News Agency. Bahrain plans to inoculate everyone 18 years and older in the kingdom at 27 different medical facilities, hoping to be able to vaccinate 10,000 people a day. The United Arab Emirates on Wednesday described the Sinopharm vaccine as 86% effective, but provided few details and answered no questions. Egypt received its first shipment of the Sinopharm vaccine on Thursday via the United Arab Emirates.
Hamilton positive for COVID-19, will miss F1's Sakhir GP
FILE - In this Saturday, Nov. 28, 2020 file photo Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain gestures after taking the pole position after the qualifying session at the Formula One Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, Bahrain. World champion Lewis Hamilton tested positive for COVID-19 and will miss the Sakhir Grand Prix this weekend, his Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team said Tuesday Dec. 1, 2020. (Hamad Mohammed, Pool via AP, File)SAKHIR โ Seven-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton has tested positive for COVID-19 and will miss this weekend's Sakhir Grand Prix. The Mercedes team said it would announce a replacement driver later in the week. Hamilton is the third F1 driver to test positive for COVID-19 this season, following Sergio Perez at Silverstone and Lance Stroll in Germany.
US hits Iran with new sanctions as Pompeo defends strategy
(Menahem Kahana/Pool via AP)WASHINGTON โ The United States hit Iran with new sanctions on Wednesday, as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made the case that undoing the actions of the Trump administration would be foolish and dangerous. At the same time, Pompeo released a statement titled โThe Importance of Sanctions on Iran,โ which argued that the Trump administration's moves against Iran made the world safer and should not be reversed. But they come as the administration seeks to ramp up pressure on Iran before President-elect Joe Biden takes office. In an apparent nod to the incoming Biden administration's stated plans to rejoin or renegotiated the 2015 Iran nuclear deal that Trump withdrew from, Pompeo said sanctions imposed against Iran had been โextraordinarily effective" in reducing the threat from the country. โThese sanctions are a critical tool of national security to preserve the safety of the region and to protect American lives.โ
US, Israeli envoys fly to Bahrain to advance nascent ties
The national flags of Bahrain, Israel and America, flutter in near the Israeli flag carrier El Al plane that will fly an Israeli delegation, accompanied by U.S. aides, to Bahrain to formalise relations and broaden Gulf cooperation, at Ben Gurion airport in Lod, near Tel Aviv, Israel Sunday, Oct. 18, 2020. (Ronen Zvulun/Pool Photo via AP)
Trump to preside over historic Arab-Israel recognition deals
Trump and his allies hope the occasion will burnish Trump's credentials as a peacemaker at the height of his reelection campaign. In addition to the individual bilateral agreements signed by Israel, the UAE and Bahrain, all three will sign a trilateral document, officials said. The White House is encouraging those attending Tuesday's ceremony to wear masks. For one, neither country is sending its head of state or government to sign the deals with Netanyahu. While the pageantry of the White House signing ceremony offers Trump and Netanyahu a political triumph, Prince Mohammed faces neither reelection pressures nor protests at home.
US eyes building on Arab-Israel deals to end Gulf crisis
President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House on Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, in Washington. From left, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Vice President Mike Pence, Trump, Jared Kushner and U.S. special envoy for Iran Brian Hook. "The Trump administration is eager to see this dispute resolved and to open Qatarโs air and land borders currently blocked by other Gulf states. The four countries cut ties to Qatar on June 5, 2017, just after a summit in Saudi Arabia in which Gulf leaders met with President Donald Trump. They say the crisis stems from Qatarโs support for extremist groups in the region, charges denied by Doha.
Bahrain to recognize Israel as UAE deal set to be signed
President Donald Trump speaks to the press before boarding Air Force One for a trip to a campaign rally in Freeland, Mich., Thursday, Sept. 10, 2020, in Andrews Air Force Base, Md. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)WASHINGTON โ Bahrain has become the latest Arab nation to agree to normalize ties with Israel as part of a broader diplomatic push by President Donald Trump and his administration to fully integrate the Jewish state into the Middle East. Trump announced the agreement on Friday, following a three-way phone call he had with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. The three leaders also issued a brief six-paragraph joint statement, attesting to the deal. Bahrainโs foreign minister will attend the event.
Bahrain to allow Israel flights to UAE over its airspace
DUBAI Bahrain will allow all flights coming to and departing from the United Arab Emirates to cross through the island kingdom's airspace a statement apparently allowing Israeli flights after neighboring Saudi Arabia issued a similar announcement. The state-run Bahrain News Agency made the announcement without directly naming Israel, just as Saudi Arabia had. The statement makes no mention of the kingdoms rival, Iran, nor Qatar, which Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the UAE are currently boycotting. Flights between Bahrain and the UAE now skirt just north of Qatari airspace as Doha remains banned from the airspace of boycotting nations amid a yearslong political dispute. Iranian flights to the UAE similarly don't need to enter the airspace of Bahrain, an island nation just off the coast of Saudi Arabia in the Persian Gulf.
Pompeo to have closed-door meetings in Bahrain, UAE
DUBAI U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will hold closed-door meetings Wednesday with Bahrain's royal family and top officials in the United Arab Emirates amid the Trump administration's push for Arab nations to recognize Israel. In Manama, Pompeo is expected to meet with King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and his son, Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa. Bahrain, a small island nation just off the coast of Saudi Arabia in the Persian Gulf, has a historic Jewish community. The kingdom has slowly encouraged ties to Israel, with two U.S.-based rabbis in 2017 saying King Hamad himself promoted the idea of ending the boycott of Israel by Arab nations. Later on Wednesday, Pompeo is expected in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the seven-sheikhdom federation of the UAE.