Author: News Desk

G7 SUMMIT: Spending plan to rival China adopted G7 leaders seeking to rival China have adopted a plan to support lower- and middle-income countries in building better infrastructure. President Joe Biden said he wanted the US-backed Build Back Better World (B3W) plan to be a higher-quality alternative to a similar Chinese programme. China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has helped finance trains, roads, and ports in many countries. But it has been criticised for saddling some with debt. In a statement at their summit in the English county of Cornwall, the G7 leaders said they would offer a “values-driven, high-standard and…

A seat on a spaceship ride with billionaire Jeff Bezos went for $28 million during a live auction on Saturday, concluding the month-long bidding process for the sightseeing trip on the Blue Origin’s maiden voyage next month. Within four minutes of the open of Saturday’s live phone auction, bids reached beyond $20 million. The bidding closed seven minutes after the auction began. The identity of the winner – presumably an ultra-wealthy space aficionado – was not immediately disclosed. The July 20 launch of Blue Origin’s New Shepard booster from West Texas would be a landmark moment as U.S. firms strive…

The Bahrain Health Ministry has taken action against 52 restaurants and cafés for flouting the mandatory precautionary measures. During inspection visits to 174 restaurants and cafés yesterday, the Health Ministry’s inspectors stressed the need to fully comply with the precautionary measures recommended by the National Medical Taskforce, including mainly the closure of those outlets except for delivery and takeaway services. The Health Ministry said that the restaurants and cafés facing legal acting had flouted the procedures and terms stipulated in the ministerial edict 51 of 2020 on mandatory health protocols at restaurants and cafés to curb COVID-19 infections. The restaurants…

An inmate who passed away at Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC) had suffered  severe pneumonia due to COVID-19 health complications. A commissioned cornoner examined the deceased’s body and submitted a report stating the cause of the inmate’s death, said Southern Governorate Advocate Prosecutor. The Reformation and Rehabilitation notified the Public Prosecution last Wednesday about the inmate’s dealth as he was receiving treatment at Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC). The Public Prosecution had also received other previous notifications about the inmate and followed up on his health condition, as well as precautionary and medical measures to quarantine him after he tested positive to…

UK-US relationship is ‘indestructible’ says Boris Johnson Boris Johnson has claimed the UK has an “indestructible relationship” with the US, after his bilateral meeting on Thursday with President Joe Biden. The prime minister is known not to be keen on the well-worn phrase “special relationship”, believing it makes the UK look weak. But in an interview with the BBC after the pair met, he sought to underscore the closeness between the two nations, despite Biden’s concerns about the damaging standoff with the EU over the Northern Ireland protocol. “I don’t mind the phrase ‘special relationship’ because it is special. But you…

Germany plans to lift its tourist travel warning for areas considered high risk due to the coronavirus, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said, in a move that takes effect on July 1, as signs emerge that the pandemic is slowing down. “After long months of lockdown, we can look forward to more normality, and that includes travel,” Maas said. For European Union countries as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, which are no longer classified as risk areas, the German Foreign Ministry’s travel advice will in future only suggest that “special caution” is required. The changes particularly affect Italy, large…

US President Joe Biden will meet outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Washington next month, the White House said on Friday. “President Biden looks forward to welcoming Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany to the White House on July 15, 2021,” press secretary Jen Psaki said. He added that ending the COVD-19 pandemic and tackling climate change were top of the agenda.

The Philippines is once again polio-free, the World Health Organization said Friday, after a successful vaccination campaign that has raised hopes for COVID-19 inoculations in a country plagued by mistrust of jabs. Polio re-emerged in the country in 2019, nearly two decades after its last cases were detected, sparking a nationwide effort to immunize millions of children against the crippling disease. At least 17 people were infected, but health authorities said they have not detected the virus in a child or the environment in the past 16 months. “We are celebrating freedom from polio,” said Rabindra Abeyasinghe, the WHO representative…

The Ministry of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments has closed one mosque after the National Medical Team for Combatting COVID-19 discovered a positive case there. The mosque, located in the Northern Governorate, will be closed for one week “in order to preserve the requirements of public health and protect worshipers,” the ministry said. “The time will be used by the relevant teams to carry out the process of tracing contacts, sanitize the premises and ensure that all precautionary measures are taken.” Bahrain has re-opened mosques for the five daily prayers, but insisted that worshippers comply with the health protocols and…

Leaders of the Group of Major Industrialized Nations (G7) are meeting on Friday for a summit that is overshadowed by the coronavirus pandemic. On the first day, leaders are due to discuss recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, focusing on questions such as Covid-19 vaccine donations and financial aid to build vaccine production sites around the world. In the evening, leaders are scheduled to attend a reception hosted by Queen Elizabeth II and her son, Prince Charles, during which environmental protection and fighting climate change are on the agenda. Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson is hosting the three-day summit in the…