Author: News Desk

Manama : His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, today met with the Speaker of the Council of Representatives, HE Ahmed bin Salman Al-Musallam, and the Shura and Representative Council deputies and their heads of committees, at Gudaibiya Palace. His Royal Highness emphasised the importance of coordinated and integrated efforts between the Executive and Legislative Authorities, private sector institutions, and civil societies. This collaboration has yielded extensive development achievements that benefit the Kingdom and its citizens, in line with the comprehensive development goals led by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al…

Manama : His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, today chaired the weekly Cabinet Meeting at Gudaibiya Palace. The Cabinet highlighted its commitment to implement the directives of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa to provide humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people due to the dire humanitarian conditions they are facing. This reflects the Kingdom’s steadfast position of supporting the people of Palestine and their legitimate rights to an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital. The Cabinet noted the national campaign of “Day of Solidarity with Our People…

California : Microsoft has eclipsed Apple to become the world’s largest company by market capitalization, driven by its deep focus on generative artificial intelligence (AI), a sector that has garnered increasing investor favour. The tech giant, which along with Nvidia and Amazon placed a significant emphasis on AI, has experienced substantial market surges over the past year. Notably, Microsoft’s market value has risen by over $1 trillion. Analysts are drawing parallels between this shift and the early 2000s, when technology and internet companies began to replace consumer and financial firms at the forefront of the market’s highest echelons. According to…

Manama : Bahrain will participate in the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF), held from January 15-19, under the theme “Rebuilding Trust”. The delegation is led by Shaikh Salman bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Minister of Finance and National Economy. The delegation includes Noor bint Ali Al Khulaif, Minister of Sustainable Development; Shaikh Abdullah bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Chief Executive Officer of Mumtalakat; Khalid Ebrahim Humaidan, CEO of Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB); Iain Ferrier Lindsay, Advisor to the Economic Development Board of Bahrain (EDB); Hamad Yaqoub Al Mahmeed, Director General of the Prime Minister’s Office; May Ashoor, Secretary…

Taiwanese voters swept the ruling Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) presidential candidate Lai Ching-te into power on Saturday in an explicit rejection of China’s warnings not to vote for him in an election Beijing framed as a choice between war and peace. Current Vice President Lai’s DPP, which champions Taiwan’s separate identity and rejects China’s territorial claims, was seeking a third term, unprecedented under Taiwan’s current electoral system. Lai was facing two opponents for the presidency – Hou Yu-ih of Taiwan’s largest opposition party the Kuomintang (KMT) and former Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je of the small Taiwan People’s Party, only founded…

Manama : His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa today issued Decree (1) of 2024, appointing a director-general at the Muharraq Municipality, based on a proposal by the Minister of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture, and following the approval of the Cabinet. According to the royal decree, Khalid Ali Hussein Al Qallaf shall be appointed as Director-General of the Muharraq Municipality. The Minister of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture shall implement the provisions of this royal decree, which comes into force upon its issuance, and will be published in the Official Gazette.

Manama : His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa issued Decree (3) of 2024, appointing an assistant undersecretary at the Ministry of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments, based on a proposal by the Minister of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments, and following the approval of the Cabinet. According to the royal decree, Naif Khalifa Ibrahim Al Thawadi was appointed as Assistant Undersecretary for Courts Affairs and Enforcement at the ministry. The Minister of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments shall implement the provisions of this royal decree, which comes into force upon its issuance, and will be published in the…

Manama : His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa issued Decree (2) of 2024, appointing an assistant undersecretary at the Ministry of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture, based on a proposal by the Minister of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture, and following the approval of the Cabinet. According to the royal decree, Ebrahim Yousef Ahmed Yousef was appointed as Undersecretary for Animal Wealth Resources at the ministry. The Minister of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture shall implement the provisions of this royal decree, which comes into force upon its issuance, and will be published in the Official Gazette.

India : The increase in minimum age of marriage for women to 21 years as provisioned in the Prohibition of Child Marriage Amendment Bill, 2021, would come into effect two years after the Bill is notified following its passage in Parliament, the government said on Wednesday. This gap would provide ample time to citizens to prepare for this “momentous” reform, it added. The Ministry said that the task force which had been constituted before the introduction of the Bill in Parliament had examined the correlation of age of marriage and motherhood and some other related aspects as well.

Beijing : China has put into effect a set of measures to facilitate the entry of foreign nationals into China for business, education, and tourism, the National Immigration Administration (NIA) said Thursday. The new measures include a relaxation of port visa application requirements and access to visa extension, replacement, and issuance services at local immigration departments for foreign nationals coming to or staying in China for non-diplomatic and non-official purposes such as commercial cooperation, exchanges, investment, entrepreneurship, visiting relatives and personal matters. Foreign nationals enjoy 24-hour direct transit without undergoing border check procedures at nine major airports in cities, including…