Author: News Desk

KUWAIT CITY: The Centre for Government Communication (CGC) announced that Kuwait will be opening a drive-thru vaccination centre at the South Island of Al Jaber causeway bridge. The announcement comes as Kuwait is looking to ramp up its vaccination efforts, to achieve its goal of vaccinating two million people by September. So far 1,106,000 residents and citizens have registered for the vaccine, of which half a million have received at least the first jab. According to local media, in the past few days on average 25,000 people have been receiving the vaccine daily.

BRASILIA: Brazil’s economy added a net 401,639 formal jobs in February, Economy Ministry figures showed on Tuesday, the highest monthly figure since the data series began in 1992, led by a surge in the dominant services sector. Some 1.69 million positions were created and 1.29 million were cut, the ministry said, meaning that in the first two months of this year the economy created a net 659,780 formal jobs, also the highest in years. “These figures show that we are definitely on the right road with regard to the recovery of economic activity,” Economy Minister Paulo Guedes said in an…

MANAMA: Bahrain Defense Affairs Minister Lieutenant-General Abdulla bin Hassan Al Nuaimi, inaugurated Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Dhahrani Mosque in Zayed Town. Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Dhahrani and the Sunni Endowments Council’s Chairman Dr. Shaikh Rashid bin Mohammed Al Hajri, were present. The minister praised the keenness of the kingdom, under the leadership of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, to serve and support the houses of worship.

BRATISLAVA: Slovakia’s Prime Minister Igor Matovic and his government resigned on Tuesday to ease a political crisis triggered by a secret deal to buy Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine. It is the first European government to collapse due to its handling of the pandemic but the move will keep the current four-party coalition in power and avoid the possibility of an early election. The coalition holds a comfortably parliamentary majority. President Zuzana Caputova accepted the resignation and asked Eduard Heger from Matovic’s Ordinary People party to form a new government. Heger served as the finance minister and deputy prime minister…

MANAMA: Receiving the vaccine injection against COVID-19 during daylight hours in Ramadhan does not break the fast, the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs said. The Council’s statement answers the question asked by some Muslims whether the dawn-to-dusk Ramadan fast prohibits them from getting the anti COVID-19 vaccine during the fasting hours. Getting a Covid-19 vaccine is acceptable during Ramadan and the shot does not invalidate the fast because it is injected into the muscle and has no nutritional value, the Council of the religious scholars said during its third session in 2021. The Council called on everyone to take the vaccine to…

MANAMA: His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa on Tuesday issued Royal Decree 43/2021, appointing Ambassador Khalid Yusuf Al-Jalahma as Head of Bahrain’s Diplomatic Mission to Israel. The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain officially normalized relations with Israel at a signing ceremony at the White House in September 2020. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed agreements with Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al Zayani.

WASHINGTON: German automaker Volkswagen AG’s U.S. unit confirmed Tuesday it will rename its U.S. operations as “Voltswagen of America” as it shifts its focus to electric vehicles. The revised name takes effect in May and the announcement came after several outlets on Monday reported on a draft release mistakenly posted on the automaker’s U.S. website. “We might be changing out our K for a T, but what we aren’t changing is this brand’s commitment to making best-in-class vehicles for drivers and people everywhere,” said Scott Keogh, president and CEO of Voltswagen of America in a statement. The German automaker has committed…

LOS ANGELES: Athletic shoe maker Nike Inc on Monday sued a New York-based company that produced “Satan Shoes” purported to contain a drop of human blood as part of a collaboration with “Old Town Road” rapper Lil Nas X. Nike said in the lawsuit that the company, MSCHF Product Studio Inc, infringed on and diluted its trademark with the black-and-red, devil-themed shoes, which went on sale online on Monday. Lil Nas X is not named as a defendant in the suit. The shoes are customized Nike Air Max 97 sneakers that contain red ink and “one drop of human blood”…