Author: News Desk

Bhubaneswar : Lightning strikes have killed at least 14 people in India’s mineral-rich eastern state of Jharkhand, police said, the latest deaths linked to annual monsoon rains that have triggered floods and landslides elsewhere. Farm workers in open fields accounted for most of the 10 people killed in the state’s Giridih district, police said. At least seven others were injured in Tuesday’s lightning strikes, a common feature of monsoon thunderstorms. India’s weather office forecast widespread rainfall across Jharkhand over the next few days on Wednesday. More than 200 people died in Jharkhand in 2025, mainly from “lightning associated with thunderstorms”,…

Manama : As part of the government’s ongoing efforts to enhance service quality and re-engineer government services, the Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications has developed a remote technical inspection service for boats and jet skis. The digital service streamlines technical inspection procedures and enables beneficiaries to complete the service without in-person attendance, enhancing efficiency and improving the user experience. Under the enhanced service, owners of small boats that are no more than six years old, as well as all jet skis, can complete the technical inspection through a video call after submitting an electronic application via the Small Ships Registration…

Abu Dhabi : The Nationality, Passports and Residence Affairs (NPRA) of the Ministry of Interior signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Air Ports Affairs Sector of the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on the implementation of the “One Stop” pre-clearance project for air travellers. The MoU was signed on behalf of Bahrain by Brigadier Abdulaziz Abdulrahman Al Dossary, Assistant Undersecretary for Ports, Search and Follow-up, and on behalf of the UAE by Dr. Hamad Saif Al Mashghouni, Executive Director of the Air Ports Affairs Sector at the Federal…

Manama : His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa departed the Kingdom for the Arab Republic of Egypt on a visit during which His Majesty will meet His Excellency Abdel Fattah El Sisi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt. During the visit, His Majesty the King will hold talks with HE President El Sisi on the close relations between the two countries, as well as regional and international developments. His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, was present to bid farewell to His Majesty the King.

Beijing : China warned on Monday of the risk of flooding and other weather-related disasters as heavy rain lashed several parts of the country, prompting authorities to evacuate hundreds of thousands of people from high-risk areas. The national forecaster maintained its second-highest level of precipitation alert for several regions, particularly northwestern Shaanxi, southwestern Chongqing, Guizhou and Guangxi, as well as southern Guangdong. In Shaanxi, the provincial meteorological observatory raised its storm alert and warned of waterlogging and flash floods. Authorities have relocated 87,987 people from high-risk areas since July 30. Torrential rain in northern parts of the low-lying Sichuan Basin…

Jakarta : Five people were killed and 41 others were reported missing on Sunday after a ferry carrying 271 people caught fire off Indonesia’s Madura Island. Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) said in a statement that the ferry’s captain reported the fire while the vessel was sailing from Surabaya in East Java to Makassar in South Sulawesi. The agency added that search and rescue operations continue to locate the missing.

Manama : As part of the government’s ongoing efforts to improve and re-engineer public services, the Supreme Council for Environment (SCE) developed the Request to Register Large Cooling and Air-Conditioning Units digital service. The service enables licensed establishments to register cooling and air-conditioning units with a cooling capacity exceeding 15 refrigeration tons, including air-conditioning systems and industrial refrigeration units. It aims to strengthen regulatory oversight and ensure the proper management of refrigerant gases through recovery and recycling, while limiting their release into the atmosphere in line with national legislation and the requirements of the Montreal Protocol. The service also provides…

Manama : Naseej has broken ground on the infrastructure works for its Amwaj Avenue project at the entrance to the Amwaj Islands in Muharraq Governorate, in the presence of Bassem bin Yaqoob Al Hamar, President of the Survey and Land Registration Bureau (SLRB); Ahmed Abdulaziz Al Khayyat, Chief Executive of the Urban Planning and Development Authority (UPDA); Amin Al Arrayed, Chief Executive Officer of Naseej. Al Hamar said the project reflects the continued growth of Bahrain’s real estate sector and the strength of public-private partnerships in supporting urban development. He affirmed the SLRB’s commitment to supporting developers by streamlining procedures,…

Washington : Wildfires in eastern Washington state forced the evacuation of 60,000 people in the Spokane area while destroying at least 600 homes, businesses and other structures, authorities said Sunday. The fires in and around Spokane, the state’s second largest city, burned about 8.2 square miles (about 21 square kilometers) over the weekend and were among dozens of wildfires across the Western U.S. that stretched the ability of federal, state and local agencies to fight them. A total of about 390 square miles (1,000 square kilometers) has burned across the state, and some of the fires, including those in the…

Manama : Yousif bin Abdulhussain Khalaf, Minister of Labour and Minister of Legal Affairs, visited a number of construction sites to assess compliance with the summer midday work ban under Edict (5) of 2026. The Edict prohibits outdoor work under direct sunlight between noon and 4pm from June 15 to August 31, 2026, for workers whose duties require them to work in exposed areas. During the visits, the minister reviewed the safety measures in place and met with occupational safety supervisors, stressing the importance of maintaining safe working conditions to prevent workplace injuries and heat stress, particularly during the summer…