Author: News Desk

President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Russia had become the first country in the world to grant regulatory approval to a COVID-19 vaccine after less than two months of human testing, a move hailed by Moscow as evidence of its scientific prowess. The vaccine still has to complete final trials, raising concerns among some experts at the speed of its approval, but the Russian business conglomerate Sistema has said it expects to put it into mass production by the end of the year. Russian health workers treating COVID-19 patients will be offered the chance of volunteering to be vaccinated…

India’s ability to rein in a surging coronavirus outbreak hinges on its 10 most populous states, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday, urging regional leaders to ramp up testing and contact tracing. India has more than 2.2 million confirmed coronavirus infections, the third highest tally after the United States and Brazil. “If we can defeat corona in these 10 states, the country will win,” Modi said in a video conference with state chief ministers. The 10 states accounted for 80 percent of its 639,929 active cases and 82 percent of its 45,257 deaths, Modi said. ♦ Former Indian President Pranab…

The Royal Humanitarian Foundation (RHF) is stepping efforts to support the people of Lebanon, in coordination with the Ministries of Health and Foreign Affairs. His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa had assigned the foundation, led by  HM the King’s Representative for Humanitarian Work and Youth Affairs His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, to dispatch urgent humanitarian relief aid to the people of Lebanon in the aftermath of the massive blast which rocked the capital Beirut. In a statement today, RHF Secretary General Dr. Mustafa Al-Sayyed said that Bahrain’s Charge d’ Affaires to Syria Ali Al-Mahmoud had met Lebanese…

The Public Security Deputy Chief has asserted that the National Medical Taskforce to Combat Coronavirus is the only authority mandated to issue instructions related to precautionary measures against the pandemic. “This approach to regulate activities and events has been adopted since the pandemic broke out in order to ensure the safety of all people”, he said, commending citizens’ awareness and their commitment.

The Bahrain education ministry has confirmed that the ministry will grant graduated high school students scholarships based on their GPA. The ministry will not hold an exam for scholarship as usual due to the coronavirus precautionary health measures and decided to rely on the students’ GPA to compete for scholarships this year. ♦ Bahrain to allow parents to choose learning options Students with a GPA of 95% or more will receive full-paid scholarships, while those with 90%-95% will receive tuition-fees scholarships.

Lebanon’s Prime Minister Hassan Diab announced on Monday the resignation of his government after a powerful Beirut port explosion sparked public uproar against the country’s leaders. Diab, in a televised speech, said the detonation of highly-explosive material warehoused at the port in the capital for the last seven years was “the result of endemic corruption”. “Today we follow the will of the people in their demand to hold accountable those responsible for the disaster that has been in hiding for seven years, and their desire for real change,” he said. “In the face of this reality … I am announcing…

The sixth edition of the Asian Beach Games in Sanya, which was postponed from this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will now be held from April 2-10 in 2021 at the same venue, the Olympic Council of Asia said on Monday. The Games was scheduled from Nov. 28-Dec. 6 but China’s General Administration of Sport said last month that the only international sports events allowed in the country this year would be trials for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. “The decision taken jointly in collaboration with Chinese Olympic Committee and the Sanya Asian Beach Games Organising Committee will…

 New York’s mass transit agency wants Apple to come up with a better way for iPhone users to unlock their phones without taking off their masks, as it seeks to guard against the spread of the coronavirus in buses and subways. In a letter to CEO Tim Cook, Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chairman Patrick Foye said riders have been seen removing their masks to unlock their phones using face-recognition technology, despite a recent update by Apple that simplifies the unlock process for people wearing masks. Previously, an iPhone user wearing a mask would have to wait a few seconds as face…

The National Space Science Agency (NSSA) has concluded its “Create Your Own Space Game” competition from home, designated for Bahraini students aged between 7 and 12. Launched by NSSA, in collaboration with Clever Play Education and Training, the competition aims to encourage students to participate from home by creating a Mars exploration game using the very popular MIT Scratch programming language. 40 Bahraini students took part in the competition and presented their creative games that showcased their distinguished skills. ♦ Bahrain announces start of Phase III clinical trial for COVID-19 vaccine ♦ HH Shaikh Khalid instructs to organise ‘Your Talent at Home’…

Bahrain Public Health Directorate on Monday announced the initiation of phase III clinical trial for a COVID-19 inactivated vaccine which will be tested on an estimated 6000 citizens and resident volunteers across Bahrain. The potential vaccine, enlisted by the World Health Organization, will be tested on volunteers who meet the required medical criteria, and the clinical trials are to be conducted by Abu-Dhabi based G42 Healthcare using a vaccine developed by Sinopharm CNBG the world’s sixth largest producer of vaccines in the world. The phase III clinical trials, which will be conducted over 12 months, has been approved by the…