Isa Town, Bahrain - An international left-wing youth seminar that opened on the outskirts of the Bahrain capital of Manama on Friday blamed US policies in the Middle East for escalating tensions.

The two-day meeting held under the motto Youth of the Gulf and the Path to Democracy re-affirmed support for armed resistance groups fighting occupation and accused Washington of spreading sectarian tension.

The vice president of the World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY), Omar al-Deeb, accused the US of carrying out major wars beyond its borders.

Manama, Bahrain - The Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB) said on Thursday that it would cut its key policy interest rate by 25 basis points, after reviewing the decision taken by the US Federal Open Market Committee a day earlier.

"Effective immediately, the CBB's rate on the one-week deposit facility is 1.50 per cent, down from 1.75 per cent previously," a statement by the CBB said.

According to the statement, the CBB's lending standing facilities remain available for its banks at their initiative to assist them to meet their liquidity needs. The Bahraini dinar is pegged to the dollar.

Berlin - The king of Bahrain, Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, began a visit to Berlin Monday with a focus on both business links and Middle East peace.

After a meeting with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, a German statement said both sides stressed trade and industry opportunities ahead, including railway building.

Germany has been promoting its technology for a fast rail link along the southern shore of the Gulf.

They also conferred about Mideast issues and Iran's standoff with the United nations over its nuclear research.

Manama, Bahrain  - Bahrain launched an international licensing round Monday designed to pave the way for extraction companies to dig deeper in their search for natural gas.

Oil and Gas Affairs Minister and National Oil and Gas Authority (NOGA) chairman, Abdulhussain Mirza said that his country was pursuing various options to secure its growing demand for gas.

"Among these options is enhancing gas recovery from the Bahrain Field, active exploration programs in all Bahrain's offshore areas, taking gas conservation measures and deep gas exploration," he said.

Manama, Bahrain - A new report about the state of the environment in the Arab world warns of fresh water scarcity, desertification, air quality and marine pollution among the top challenges facing the countries in the region.

The Arab Environment: Future Challenges report, released at the opening of the first Arab Forum for Environmental Development (AFED) in the Bahraini capital Manama on Sunday said that urgent action was needed to prevent such problems from intensifying.

The report, compiled by independent experts, estimated the cost of environmental degradation in the Arab region as a whole at 5 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP).

HDFC Bank, India’s second biggest lender by market value, has opened its first full-fledged overseas commercial branch at a new financial district in Bahrain. 

The bank stated that it has chosen Bahrain due to its excellent location, clean, open and transparent regulations, cost-effectiveness, and good bilateral relations between India and Bahrain.