Bahrain a ‘model for peaceful coexistence'
MP Dr Maryam Al Dhaen said the country stands as a global example of tolerance, shaped by the leadership of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and supported by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister.
She made her remarks on the occasion of the World Day for Cultural Diversity, observed annually on 21 May.
The lawmaker described it as a chance to revisit Bahrain's experience, where churches, temples and mosques exist side by side and where shared human values are practised in daily life.
Al Dhaen referred to a recent article by HM the King in an American newspaper, noting that it reflected a deeply rooted national approach based on respect for religious, sectarian and cultural difference.
She said Bahrain has become known as a place of peace and tolerance, both in the region and abroad.
Bahrain Declaration
The MP also spoke of the Bahrain Declaration, launched by His Majesty, which rejects violence, extremism and incitement carried out in the name of religion.
That same approach, she said, had helped shape a society built on kindness, fairness and openness to others.
She noted that Bahrain had not limited these values to its own borders.
Rather, it had taken active steps to share its example with the wider world through exchanges, international forums and institutions such as the King Hamad Global Centre for Peaceful Coexistence.
Cultural diversity
Al Dhaen concluded by calling for the use of cultural diversity as a means of progress and dialogue.
Bahrain, she said, provides a setting where such diversity is welcomed within a framework of rights and freedoms.
This, in her view, helps deepen mutual understanding, supports development goals and reinforces the bonds that keep communities stable.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Tribune
6 hours ago
- Daily Tribune
‘Stop production': Small US firms battered by shifting tariffs
TDT | Manama Washington When US President Donald Trump announced tariffs on almost all trading partners in April, Ben Knepler contacted the factory in Cambodia producing his company's outdoor furniture. 'Stop production,' he ordered. The announcement involved a 10-percent levy on imports from most partners, set to rise further for many of them. For Cambodia, the planned duty was a staggering 49 percent. 'That night, we spoke to our factory,' Knepler told AFP. 'We literally cannot afford to bring our own product into the US with that kind of tariff.' The decision was even more painful for Knepler and his Pennsylvania-based company, True Places, given that he had previously shifted production of his outdoor chairs to Cambodia from China, following tariffs on Chinese imports imposed by Trump during his first presidency. 'We were facing 25-percent tariffs in China, and there were zero-percent tariffs in Cambodia,' Knepler recalled. It took him a year to move the massive equipment and molds to Cambodia only to see another steep levy. With Trump's 'reciprocal' tariff hikes taking effect last Thursday, these Cambodia-made chairs face a lower -- though still significant -- 19 percent duty. 'Wheel of misfortune' Knepler's experience echoes that of many US companies producing everything from yo-yos to clothing abroad, after years of offshoring American manufacturing. To cope, businesses use various strategies. Some pass on the new costs as a surcharge to customers. Others halted imports when duties reached prohibitive levels, hoping Trump would strike bilateral trade deals that would make their businesses viable again. Trump frames his tariffs as paid for by other countries, touting tens of billions in revenue this year -- but firms contest this description. 'We make the tariff payments when the product comes into the US,' Knepler stressed. 'Before we sell it, we're the ones who pay that tariff.' Now saddled with hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt he took on to relocate the company's production to Cambodia, Knepler worries if his business will survive. He likens the rapid policy changes to spinning a 'wheel of misfortune,' resulting in a new tariff each time. Over four months this year, the planned tariff rate on Cambodian exports has gone from 0 to 49 percent, to 10 percent, to 36 percent, to 19 percent, he said. 'No one knows what it's going to be tomorrow,' he added. 'It's impossible to have any kind of confidence in what the rate will be in three- or four-months' time.' Economists warn that tariffs could fuel inflation and drag on growth. EY chief economist Gregory Daco noted that the duties effective Thursday raise the average tariff rate to 17.6 percent from 2.8 percent at the start of the year -— the highest level since the early 1930s. While Trump lauds the limited effects his duties have had on US prices so far, experts say tariffs take time to filter through to consumers. Many of Trump's sweeping levies also face legal challenges over his use of emergency economic powers. Price hikes The global tariffs are especially hard to avoid. Barton O'Brien said he accelerated production and borrowed money to bring in as much inventory as possible before Trump took office. On the election campaign trail, the Republican leader had floated a 60-percent tariff on imports from China, where O'Brien makes most of his products. The Maryland-based veteran selling dog harnesses and other accessories rented a container to ship as many products as he could before Trump's new tariffs would take effect. 'I had dog life jackets in the bathroom,' he told AFP.
Gulf Insider
7 days ago
- Gulf Insider
Kremlin Confirms Trump-Putin Meeting
The Kremlin has on Thursday belatedly confirmed that a meeting between presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin has been agreed to and will take place in the 'coming days'. The White House first unveiled it yesterday, as reported in the NY Times, but it was as yet unclear to degree to which Moscow was on board. But now Russia has agreed 'in principle'. According to a statement of Putin's longtime foreign policy aide, Yury Ushakov, 'At the suggestion of the American side, an agreement in principle was made to hold a bilateral meeting at the highest level in the coming days.' He laid out that the idea of a Trump-Putin-Zelensky meeting (which apparently Washington pushed for) 'for some reason was mentioned by Washington yesterday' but 'not specifically discussed,' Ushakov added, explaining that the Russian side 'left this option completely, completely without comment.' This was in reference to the intense three-hour meeting that Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff had with both Putin and his top negotiator and investment chief Kirill Dmitriev. 'We have launched work to discuss the parameters of such a meeting and the venue for it jointly with our American colleagues now,' Ushakov said additionally. 'By the way, I'd like to note that the venue, too, has been agreed in principle and will be announced a bit later,' he added. Putin's office has described that the interest in a face-to-face meeting, which will mark the first of Trump's second term – was mutual. One location being already floated as a possibility is the United Arab Emirates. As for a Zelensky meeting, President Trump has indicated this would happen just bilaterally soon following his sit-down with Putin. Trump had been quoted Thursday as saying 'that there will be a meeting [with Putin] very soon' and 'that we could be ending' the Ukraine conflict. 'We haven't determined where [the meeting would take place], but we had some very good talks with President Putin today.' But this is all a bit surprising as nothing has fundamentally changed in the warring sides' stances. Moscow has not backed off its maximalist war goals, and will not budge from giving up the four eastern territories it has long declared part of the Russan Federation after a popular referendum, or what was fundamentlally annexation vote. The Zelensky government hasn't issued any indication that it's ready for territorial concessions – and it even wants to keep laying claim to Crimea. Meanwhile the tariffs offensive continues, with more taking effect overnight: After months of threats, delays and extensions, President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs took effect overnight, raising the overall average tariff rate to more than 17%, its highest since the Great Depression. Everything from European Union appliances and Japanese cars to food, furniture and toys from China TVs from South Korea will be hit. However, selected oil and gas imports, along with some smartphones and goods covered by a pre-existing trade agreement with Canada and Mexico, are not affected. Trump has indicated his trade offensive won't stop. The president said he still plans to impose import taxes on pharmaceutical products and semiconductors. Amid that pressure, Apple said it plans to invest $600 billion in the U.S. over the next four years amid pressure from Trump to shift its supply chain to American soil. Meanwhile, Trump hiked the tariff rate for India to 50% because of the nation's purchases of Russian oil, and he said he could raise the European Union's tariff level to 35% from 15% if it reneges on an investment commitment. PUTIN AND TRUMP MAY MEET IN DUBAI, UAE"The UAE is one of the suitable places for the meeting [with Trump]," – Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, during his meeting with UAE's Mohammed bin Zayed at the Kremlin. — Russian Market (@runews) August 7, 2025 Click here to read more Also read: Trump, Putin To Meet As Soon As Next Week In Potential Breakthrough
Daily Tribune
07-08-2025
- Daily Tribune
Trump Demands Resignation of Intel CEO Over China Ties
President Donald Trump has publicly called for the resignation of Intel's newly appointed CEO, Lip-Bu Tan, citing concerns over what he described as "serious conflicts of interest" tied to Tan's investments in Chinese companies. 'There is no other solution to this problem,' Trump wrote in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, asserting that Tan's business relationships make his role at the U.S. tech giant untenable. The comments come in the wake of an earlier Reuters investigation, which revealed that Tan — either personally or through venture capital firms he controls — has poured at least $200 million into Chinese semiconductor and advanced manufacturing companies between 2012 and 2024. Some of those firms reportedly have links to China's military sector. Following Trump's remarks, Intel shares dropped 3.8% on Thursday, extending losses seen in premarket trading. Intel has yet to respond to media requests for comment on the matter. Tan, a prominent Silicon Valley investor, assumed the role of CEO earlier this year. His extensive investment history in China has raised alarms among some U.S. policymakers amid growing scrutiny over American corporate ties with strategic sectors in China. The controversy marks another flashpoint in ongoing tensions between Washington and Beijing over technology, national security, and supply chain independence.
