Author: News Desk

A U.K. patient with a severely weakened immune system had COVID-19 for almost a year and a half, scientists reported, underscoring the importance of protecting vulnerable people from the coronavirus. There’s no way to know for sure whether it was the longest-lasting COVID-19 infection because not everyone gets tested, especially on a regular basis like this case. But at 505 days, “it certainly seems to be the longest reported infection,” said Dr. Luke Blagdon Snell, an infectious disease expert at the Guy’s & St. Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust. Snell’s team plans to present several “persistent” COVID-19 cases at an infectious diseases…

The 48th Bahrain Annual Fine Arts Exhibition will be opened on Friday at the Bahrain National Theatre. Held under the auspices of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, the exhibition is organized by the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (BACA). Around 60 Bahraini and resident artists will participate in this year’s exhibition featuring more than 100 artworks that reflect different schools and artistic trends and include painting with various types of materials, video works, photography, and sculpture. The winners of the three annual awards will be announced on Friday. The…

Around 550 people have so far visited the Ahmed Al Fateh Islamic Center since the start of the blessed month of Ramadan. More than 1,500 people visited the center virtually during the same period, an official from the center told Bahrain News Agency. Last year, the center welcomed more than 3,000 people from across the world while 97,000 visited it virtually. The center, within Al Fateh Mosque, is among Bahrain’s premier tourist attractions visited physically and virtually. The center is open to the public for six days a week from 9 am to 4 pm and tour guides are on…

Arab Ship Shipbuilding and repair Yard (ASRY) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with ONEX Shipyards Greece with the aim to collaborate on knowledge and experience sharing in the sector of maritime repair, technology, optimization, modernization and to explore future business opportunities. The MoU was signed virtually between the two companies in the presence of Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Greek Prime Minister who was visiting ONEX shipyards at that time. Mitsotakis expressed his gratitude to ASRY for taking this first step to engage with one of the historical Greek shipyards, which reflects Bahrain’s advanced capabilities in terms of economic cooperation. Managing Director…

The Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) has launched two new banknotes, in five and ten dirham denominations, made of polymer and enhanced by advanced technical characteristics and security features. The new banknotes are the third issue of the national currency, and reflect the CBUAE’s aim to keep pace with the nation’s development and vision in the next fifty years, particularly in the financial and economic sectors. These issues follow the success of the initial 50-dirham polymer note. The new AED5 and AED10 banknotes highlight the CBUAE’s adoption of sustainable practices and its efforts to develop enhanced environmental standards in…

Saudi Minister of Finance Muhammad bin Abdullah Al-Jadaan and the Governor of the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) Dr. Fahd bin Abdullah Al-Mubarak, participated in 2nd meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bank governors. The meeting was held under the Indonesian presidency, on the sidelines of 2022 Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group, SPA reported. They discussed key issues related to significant changes in the global economic outlook since the February meeting, including the economic and financial implications of the crisis in Ukraine, the epidemic prevention, preparedness and response mechanism. The minister touched…

His Highness Dr. Shaikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah opened the second edition of the Emirati Book Fair, organised by the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA), in cooperation with the Emirates Writers Union. His highness launched his latest historical book, issued by Al Qasimi Publications, titled “The Struggle of the Zend Princes and the Demise of the King”. The Ruler of Sharjah signed the new book and kindly gifted a number of signed copies to senior Emirati officials, intellectuals and writers, WAM reported. In his new historical book, Shaikh Sultan relies on narrating the…

Queen Elizabeth celebrated her 96th birthday at her Sandringham estate on Thursday as gun salutes rang out across London and Windsor and military bands played “Happy Birthday”. Britain’s longest serving monarch, who celebrates a historic platinum jubilee this year, was pictured with two white ponies in a photo released for the occasion. Government ministers joined members of the royal family in sending their best wishes to the queen, who has stepped back from most public duties this year over concerns about her health. She has travelled from Windsor Castle, west of London, to spend her birthday at her estate in…

President Vladimir Putin claimed victory in the biggest battle of the Ukraine war on Thursday, declaring the port of Mariupol “liberated” after nearly two months of siege, despite hundreds of defenders still holding out inside a giant steel works. In a televised meeting with his defence minister inside the Kremlin, Putin said there was no need for a final confrontation with the last defenders who were boxed in after surviving nearly two months of Russia’s siege. “I consider the proposed storming of the industrial zone unnecessary,” he told Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu in a televised meeting at the Kremlin. “I…

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday proposed a “global security initiative” that upholds the principle of “indivisible security”, a concept also endorsed by Russia, although he gave no details of how it would be implemented. During a video speech to the annual Boao Asia Forum, Xi said that the world should respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, while paying attention to the “legitimate” security concerns of all. “We should uphold the principle of indivisibility of security, build a balanced, effective and sustainable security architecture, and oppose the building of national security on the basis of insecurity in…