US President Joe Biden took a tumble as he was riding his bicycle Saturday morning, but was unhurt.A video from a White House pool report showed the 79-year-old president immediately getting up after his fall. He then says: “I’m good.”He was biking with First Lady Jill Biden near their vacation home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware and had stopped to talk to onlookers when he fell.He appeared to fall after coming to a stop.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The president told a small crowd of well-wishers and reporters that he had lost his balance as he tried to pull a foot out of a bike clip.The result: “a mad scramble of Secret Service and press,” a White House pool report said, adding there were no visible scrapes or bruises from the fall.“No medical attention is needed,” a White House official said. “The President looks forward to spending the rest of the day with his family.”As the oldest US president, Biden’s health is the subject of constant attention, particularly as speculation rises on whether he will seek a second term in 2024.In November 2020, shortly after his election but before taking office, Biden broke a foot while playing with his pet German shepherds.But a year later, in November 2021, his doctor gave Biden a clean bill of health, describing him as “healthy” and “vigorous.”Taking a few questions from reporters on Saturday, Biden said he was “in the process of making up my mind” about easing some Trump-era tariffs on Chinese goods in order to soften inflationary pressures.He said he would be speaking to Chinese President Xi Jinping soon.And asked if he was satisfied with progress on gun legislation - after mass shootings in Texas and New York brought new demands for action - Biden said only that he was happy with action by his home state of Delaware, which passed a ban on assault-style weapons.Read more:Biden deciding on China tariffs, says he will speak with Xi soonMajor economies must speed up climate change efforts, improve energy security: BidenAP Interview: Biden says recession is ‘not inevitable’
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Watch: US president Biden falls from bike
‘Saudi Arabia is going back to space,’ says prince on anniversary of historic flight
Astronauts from Saudi Arabia will return to space for the betterment of mankind, the pioneering Prince Sultan bin Salman said on the 37th anniversary of his historic flight.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Speaking with Al Arabiya English in a wide-ranging interview, Prince Sultan discussed the future of Saudi spaceflight, reflected on his life-changing voyage into space, and shared his admiration for the new generation of Arab astronauts.“Saudi Arabia, of course, is going back to space. We have to go back to space, but we have to go back to space with the perspective of not just bringing things back, but pushing the envelope, pushing technology to help us here on Earth,” Prince Sultan told Al Arabiya English on Friday.The son of King Salman made history on June 17, 1985 when he became the first Arab, first Muslim, and first member of a royal family to leave earth’s orbit by embarking on a mission aboard the Discovery space shuttle.He joined a crew of five Americans and one Frenchman on the flight to deliver three satellites into orbit – including the ARABSAT-1B for which he was a payload specialist.Accelerating ambitionsIn 2018, he was appointed to lead the newly-formed Saudi Space Commission, looking to accelerate the Kingdom’s extra-planetary ambitions.At the time, he said that he told King Salman he would need three years to set up the organization and put together a plan for Saudi space travel.In 2021, at the conclusion of those three years, he was appointed as a special advisor to the King and ceased working with the commission.“It’s all built up and the masterplan has been proposed to the government, and now there of course is a review of the masterplan,” he said.“With the financially dynamic financial situation with the oil prices, and the budget, and the commitment of the government to huge projects, that also puts the Space Commission in perspective.”‘Fantastic memories’While the Saudi Twitter and Snapchat spheres on Friday were buzzing with praise for his achievements, for him it was “a normal day, really.”“I’m working, it’s Friday so I’m spending time with family and kids and so on, but it is really something to look back and reflect on. Fantastic memories.”One significant moment from the anniversary was a tweet from Emirati astronaut Hazzaa al-Mansouri, who said he was “reminded of the magnitude of this achievement,” and felt “[obligated] to pursue this legacy to meet the goals of future.”“It was a beautiful tweet,” Prince Sultan said. He is in regular contact with the 38-year-old, who on September 25, 2019, became the first Emirati in space.“I called him the first time when they were training,” Prince Sultan recollected. “He kept telling me… that he was looking at our mission when he was in fourth grade, and it impressed him.”“I have to tell you, his tweet today, which he sent to me, made my whole day. It’s Friday, I was relaxing here, and it absolutely was overwhelming that he would remember.”Ramadan in spaceNASA’s STS-51-G Discovery shuttle mission took off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 7.33am local time on June 17, 1985.The date of the launch fell on the 29th day of Ramadan, meaning that Prince Sultan was faced with the dilemma of having to fast during the intensive training before the flight and during the mission.Rather than choosing to delay his fast and make up the days afterward, he decided to fast during the mission.The previous year, Prince Sultan delayed his fast as he was helping with preparations for the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. He found it difficult to fast in Saudi Arabia alone afterwards when making up for each day of Ramadan he missed.Hence, he decided to fast in zero gravity instead. In a now-famous exchange with Saudi Arabia’s most senior religious authority, Prince Sultan quipped about negotiating the requirements of his fast.“I spoke to the mufti in Saudi, Sheikh Bin Baz, and jokingly I said: ‘We’re going to see 16 sunsets and sunrises every day. Can I do Ramadan in two days?’”“And he said ‘no you can’t.’ When I came back to Saudi I had a good session with him and we laughed and talked.”Just before launch, he was passed a message that his mother was performing Tawaf, circling the Kaaba in Mecca. The thought crossed his mind that as his mother was orbiting the Kaaba, he would soon be orbiting the planet.Among the personal possessions taken aboard the flight were a Quran and a set of prayer beads. By the fifth day of the mission, Prince Sultan had managed to complete a whole recitation of the holy book in space.Looking out the windows of the shuttle and seeing the planet from such a great height gave Prince Sultan a new perspective on life, that he said he carries to this day.“Imagine if you lived in a small town and there’s a big mountain, you’ve never been to that mountain all your life. And then you go into the mountain and look down. Can you imagine that?“This is exactly the same effect. It’s the view of where we live from a different perspective.”“It’s really amazing. It looks so small and so fragile that I don’t know why us humans don’t remind ourselves all the time... Sometimes we miss the point,” he observed.“We were in school, and we absolutely got drilled in our heads those artificial borders between countries. You go to space, and you realize they don’t exist as they do in an atlas or geography books.”He went on to say: “This perspective should be seen by politicians, people who make decisions.”“Look at what we are doing now in 2022. Can you imagine what’s happening today around the world in terms of wars, in terms of bombing, killing and so on? It’s like we have no hindsight of history.”Prince Sultan fasted for the first two days he was in space, before Shawwal 1 fell on day three, marking the end of Ramadan.He was subjected to experiments studying the effects of microgravity on the human body, and he even took a sample of Saudi oil into orbit, mixing it with water to observe how microgravity might affect the separation process.The Saudi astronaut suffered severe headaches as the low gravity caused fluids to rise within his body, and separated his spinal vertebrae causing intense back pain.But throughout all this, he decided not to take painkillers or sedatives as recommended, as he wanted to observe the full experience of space travel, positive and negative.As the sun rises and sets sixteen times a day from the perspective of the shuttle, the crew were awakened by music after eight hours of sleep per day, with a different song picked by each astronaut (or their families) for different mornings.Prince Sultan’s choice was Saudi singer Mohammed Abdu’s Bo’ad walla Grayebeen (Near or Far).Another firstOn the sixth day of the flight, Prince Sultan received a phone call from King Fahd. It was another first – as he was the only non-American at that point to have spoken to a head of state from space.He also spoke to his father King Salman, who was then the Governor of Riyadh.The call was broadcast back home on Jeddah TV with the help of an American satellite transmission.ARABSAT was launched into orbit successfully on the second day, 27 hours after takeoff, and the crew returned to Earth on June 24 at 9.11 a.m. Florida time.After less than two weeks in Houston to re-adapt to conditions on Earth, he set off back home to Saudi Arabia.‘They were celebrating themselves’On board a flight to Taif, he remembers looking out of the window of the Boeing 707 to see two Royal Saudi Air Force fighter jets escorting the plane.“To me that was one of the highlight moments of my life,” he recollected.He remembers receiving a phone call from King Fahd before the plane landed. The King wanted the team to wear their space suits when exiting the plane. Prince Sultan, however, had another idea.“I’m trying to convince them to let us wear Saudi national clothes. How stupid of me to try and convince King Fahd, who is the most big mind of that age! So we put on the blue suit, and he was right.”“When we got to Taif I looked out the window of the plane and I saw King Fahd coming to the reception.”“I said, if you take away everything that happened in my life and give me that moment, that would be fine for me. To see King Fahd coming to greet the team.”Prince Sultan said that an estimated half a million people were out in the streets of Taif. And the celebrations continued in Asir, Riyadh, and across the Kingdom.“At one point I came to the point where I said, ‘if I believe this, I would walk around like the most arrogant person in the whole world because I’ll think of myself as a genius… But then I realized people were not celebrating us, they were celebrating themselves…”“We were celebrating Saudi Arabia, we were celebrating the human side of Saudi Arabia. I mean, we were building roads, building airports, [industrial cities] Jubail and Yanbu, building schools, cities are exploding in Saudi, the expansion that’s happening in Saudi. But really nobody paid attention to the human development.”Thinking back again on the 37th anniversary of the momentous mission, Prince Sultan remembers the intensity of those seven days that came to shape the rest of his life.“People say Sultan, does it feel like a dream? It doesn't. It felt like true reality. Sometimes parts of life that we live every day start feeling like a dream. But something like that was very intense.”Read more: UAE Mars mission discovers new aurora on red planet, scientists share excitementUAE to send astronaut on six-month mission to space stationUAE-Bahraini satellite launches into orbit from International Space Station
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: ‘Saudi Arabia is going back to space,’ says prince on anniversary of historic flight
Innovative healthcare: state-of-the-art Aman Hospital opens its doors in Doha
Qatar’s newest hospital promises to merge luxury with healthcare Aman Hospital has opened its doors to the public in Qatar, marking a new era in the country’s healthcare industry as…..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Innovative healthcare: state-of-the-art Aman Hospital opens its doors in Doha
Bitcoin slides below $20,000 to lowest since December 2020
Bitcoin, the biggest cryptocurrency BTC= was last down 7.3% to $19,085, having earlier touched $18,732, its lowest since December 2020.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Bitcoin slides below ,000 to lowest since December 2020
Biden considers China tariffs rollback, plans talks with Xi
Biden said on Saturday he was in the process of making up his mind on tariffs and the potential call with Xi, though he hasn't made a final determination yet.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Biden considers China tariffs rollback, plans talks with Xi
Bones of Battle of Waterloo casualties may have been sold as fertilizer – study
A new study examines the possible cause as to why no mass graves for the thousands of casualties from the Battle of Waterloo have ever been discovered.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Bones of Battle of Waterloo casualties may have been sold as fertilizer - study
Egypt’s Sisi, Bahrain’s King Khalifa discuss bilateral ties in Sharm El-Sheikh
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa discussed bilateral ties and regional and international developments on Saturday in Egypt’s Sharm El-Sheikh, the Egyptian Presidency said in a statement.During the meeting which also discussed joint cooperation particularly in the fields of investment and economy, Sisi voiced Egypt’s keenness to strengthen cooperation and coordination to help the region confront current challenges.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Highlighting the historic ties with Egypt, King Khalifa praised the pivotal role which Cairo plays on the level of security and stability in the region.He also noted the improvement of ties with Egypt in various economic, political and developmental fields, adding that Bahrain is keen on strengthening these relations.Sisi and King Hamad also welcomed the upcoming summit that Saudi Arabia will host next month during US President Joe Biden’s visit to the Kingdom.The summit will bring together Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) leaders, Jordan’s King Abdullah, Sisi and Iraq’s Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi as well as Biden.Read more:Pompeo says Biden admin. not reinforcing support to secure Israel, ‘friends’ in GulfLebanon says ‘final’ gas deal with Egypt to be signed June 21Bahrain's king orders cabinet reshuffle, names new oil minister
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Egypt’s Sisi, Bahrain’s King Khalifa discuss bilateral ties in Sharm El-Sheikh
Your walking speed can reveal if you’ll develop dementia
An experiment conducted over a number of years on people aged 65+ found that the pace of walking reveals much more than one’s physiological condition. This is how it works.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Your walking speed can reveal if you’ll develop dementia
ISIS claims Kabul Sikh temple attack
ISIS claimed responsibility for an attack on a Sikh temple in Afghanistan that killed one community member and a Taliban fighter, saying it was retaliation for insults against the Prophet Mohammed.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Protests in several Muslim countries were sparked by a spokeswoman for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu-nationalist party comments earlier this month about the relationship between the prophet and his youngest wife.In a message posted on its Amaq propaganda site, ISIS said Saturday’s attack targeted Hindus and Sikhs and the “apostates” who protected them in “an act of support for the Messenger of Allah.”ISIS said one of its fighters “penetrated a temple for Hindu and Sikh polytheists in Kabul, after killing its guard, and opened fire on the pagans inside with his machine gun and hand grenades.”Two were killed and at least seven others wounded in the raid.Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul Nafi Takor said the attackers lobbed at least one grenade when they entered the temple, setting off a blaze.The attack follows a visit by an Indian delegation to Kabul to discuss the distribution of humanitarian aid from India to Afghanistan.Afghan and Indian media reports said the delegation discussed with Taliban officials the possibility of reopening the Indian embassy, which shut after the group seized power in August last year.The number of bombings across Afghanistan has dropped since the Taliban returned to power, but several attacks -- many targeting minority communities -- have rocked the country in recent months, including several claimed by ISIS.While ISIS is a Sunni group like the Taliban, the two are bitter rivals and greatly diverge on ideological grounds.The number of Sikhs living in Afghanistan has dwindled to around 200, compared to about half a million in the 1970s.Most of those who remain are traders involved in selling herbal medicines and electronic goods brought from India.In recent months, many impoverished Sikhs including women and children took refuge in the complex that was attacked on Saturday.The community has faced repeated attacks over the years. At least 25 people were killed in March 2020 when gunmen stormed another Sikh temple in Kabul in an attack that was also claimed by ISIS.Read more: Attack on Sikh temple in Afghanistan’s capital of Kabul kills twoTaliban posters say women not wearing hijab ‘trying to look like animals’Two airport employees killed in Afghanistan bus ambush
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: ISIS claims Kabul Sikh temple attack
Iran responds to UAE concerns over Tehran’s nuclear plans
Iran on Saturday told the United Arab Emirates that Tehran gave a high priority to improving ties with its neighbors, Iranian state media reported, a day after the UAE voiced concern over Tehran’s nuclear program.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The UAE’s envoy at the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog on Friday said he hoped Iran would work with the body to provide reassurances to the international community and the region about Tehran’s nuclear program.In a phone call with his UAE counterpart, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian “pointed to the priority of neighbors in Iran’s foreign policy and called for more consultation ... to expand bilateral ties,” state media said.In 2019, US-allied UAE started engaging with Iran after years of tense relations.Indirect talks between Tehran and Washington to revive a 2015 nuclear deal have stalled since March and Tehran has restricted the International Atomic Energy Agency’s ability to monitor the Iranian nuclear program after a dispute with the UN watchdog.Read more: UAE concerned by Iran nuclear program, seeks reassurancesIran president hits out at US over new sanctionsUS targets Chinese, Indian brokers in new Iran sanctions
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Iran responds to UAE concerns over Tehran’s nuclear plans