Author: News Desk

The Ministry of Interior has dismissed baseless allegations made by Al Jazeera Channel in a report on its website. In a statement, the ministry said that the report “Activists reveal the suffering of political detainees in Bahrain with COVID-19 outbreaks” is part of its ongoing incitement against Bahrain and its people. Refuting the allegations, the ministry said: “First: The records of the “Reformation and Rehabilitation” in Bahrain doesn’t know the “political prisoners” concept that comes out of the imagination of those promoting it, such as the inciting channel that works against Bahrainis and knows only the language of violence and…

The CEO and co-founder of TikTok’s owner ByteDance has announced he will step down and transition to a new role by the end of the year. In a letter to employees, Zhang Yiming said he will be succeeded by fellow co-founder Rubo Liang. The move marks the biggest shake-up at the Chinese technology giant since its launch almost a decade ago. TikTok’s popularity has helped it become a global sensation but has also drawn scrutiny. “The truth is, I lack some of the skills that make an ideal manager. I’m more interested in analysing organizational and market principles, and leveraging…

A giant slab of ice bigger than the Spanish island of Majorca has sheared off from the frozen edge of Antarctica into the Weddell Sea, becoming the largest iceberg afloat in the world, the European Space Agency said on Wednesday. The newly calved berg, designated A-76 by scientists, was spotted in recent satellite images captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-1 mission, the space agency said in a statement posted on its website with a photo of the enormous, oblong ice sheet. Its surface area spans 4,320 square km (1,668 square miles) and measures 175 km (106 miles) long by 25 km…

Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is seriously ill and his trial on charges of bribing witnesses should be temporarily suspended, a Milan prosecutor said on Wednesday. Berlusconi, 84, has been in and out of hospital this year after contracting COVID-19 last September, and speculation has mounted in recent days over a deterioration of his health. “We definitely believe Berlusconi is seriously ill and is suffering from a serious disease. This is what medical certificates and consultancies show,” prosecutor Tiziana Siciliano said. Speaking during a hearing for a case connected to one in which Berlusconi was acquitted of having sex…

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) reassured an anxious Japan on Wednesday that the Tokyo Olympics would be safe for athletes as well as the host community, amid mounting opposition to the Games and fears it will fuel a spike in COVID-19 cases. Speaking in Tokyo alongside senior Japanese officials, IOC chief Thomas Bach said he believed more than 80% of residents of the Olympic Village would be vaccinated or booked for vaccination ahead of the Games set to start on July 23. He rejected growing calls to cancel the global sporting showpiece, already delayed once due to the pandemic, saying…

Bitcoin’s volatile week-long slide saw it tumble to below the $40,000 mark on Wednesday as news of further restrictions on cryptocurrency transactions in China added to earlier concerns sparked by Tesla boss Elon Musk’s tweets. Bitcoin, the world’s biggest and best-known cryptocurrency, fell about 9% to as low as $38,940.04, even slipping below a key 200-day moving average. It is now down 40% from the year’s high of $64,895.22 on April 14. Elon Musk loses world’s second-richest ranking Bitcoin price lower after Musk tweet Ether, the coin linked to the ethereum blockchain network, dropped about 15% to $2,875.36. The declines…

India total COVID-19 caseload surged past 25 million on Tuesday as a powerful cyclone complicated the health crisis in one of the states where the disease is spreading most quickly. COVID-19 tests were administered to 200,000 people evacuated from coastal districts of the western state of Gujarat before the cyclone struck late on Monday and efforts were being made to try to limit any spread of infections. “Masks have been arranged for people shifted to shelter homes,” said Sandip Sagale, a top official in Ahmedabad, the main city in Gujarat. “Efforts are also made to maintain social distancing.” India’s total…

Bahrain’s national carrier Gulf Air is participating in the Arabian Travel Market 2021 (ATM), the region’s leading travel and tourism exhibition alongside Bahrain Tourism and Exhibition Authority. Gulf Air Board Chairman Zayed R. Alzayani attended the exhibition that included several Bahraini travel and tourism industry representatives. The exhibition is taking place on May 16 – 19. Gulf Air last week announced it would resume direct flights to Malaga in Spain this summer as it expands its list of boutique seaside destinations in Europe for the season. The airline will operate two weekly flights from June 30 to August 29. Gulf…

Tesla boss Elon Musk has slipped in the ranking of the very wealthy and is now in third place in the Bloomberg Billionaires List, which was published on Monday. The dip in the South-African-born entrepreneur’s fortune is linked to the ups and downs of shares in electric car manufacturer Tesla, in which he owns a large stake. According to Bloomberg estimates, Musk’s personal wealth has fallen 24 percent since January to 160.6 billion dollars. Bernard Arnault of the luxury goods company LVMH is now in second place on the billionaire list with a total fortune worth 161.2 billion dollars. Amazon…

President Joe Biden will send at least 20 million more COVID-19 vaccine doses abroad by the end of June, marking the first time the United States is sharing vaccines authorized for domestic use. The move marks a notable pivot from the White House as the administration seeks to use the country’s vaccine supply as a diplomatic tool with the pandemic outlook brightening at home. Biden announced on Monday that his administration will send doses of the Pfizer Inc/BioNTech SE , Moderna Inc and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, on top of 60 million AstraZeneca Plc doses he had already planned to give to other countries. Unlike…