Author: News Desk

Oman has registered 3 deaths and 1,318 new cases of coronavirus, most of the new cases are from citizens by 853 and the rest 465 from foreigners, taking the total cases to 32,394. The death toll reached 140 after reporting the new deaths. Meanwhile, 871 new recoveries were announced, bringing the total to 17,279. 3,940 tests were conducted in the past 24 hours, across the sultanate.

Cities, states and nations have been turning to sugar taxes as a potential way to improve public health in their communities, but the jury has been out on how best to implement the fine. Taxes on sugary drinks, a new study has revealed, can lead to major health gains and reductions in health care costs — but just how much of a benefit they provide can vary by the design of the tax. Many sugar-sweetened beverage taxes are volume-based, meaning the tax may be 2 cents per ounce of the beverage’s overall volume, for instance, or 3 cents per teaspoon of sugar,…

Finally, 142 Odia expat workers and families have arrived at the Biju Patnaik International Airport Bhubaneswar from Bahrain. These workers were stranded without any jobs in the Kingdom of Bahrain because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of the visitors who visited Bahrain to meet their near and dear ones also were happy that after all-most three and half months they returned to their motherland by Air India Flight AI 0940 under the Indian PM Narendra Modi’s Vande Bharat Mission which took off from Bahrain International Airport. The Embassy of India had been working towards facilitating the comeback of Odia migrants…

While scientists have succeeded at restoring some coral reefs, humans alone can’t save all the reefs that are dying across the globe, a NOAA reef restoration manager said this month. Even in the best of conditions, human divers can spend only three or four hours per day working under water, said Tom Moore, coral reef restoration program manager for the National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration. And those best conditions are rare. That’s not enough to halt the collapse of one of the planet’s most crucial ecosystems, Moore said at the EarthxOcean conference: half the world’s coral reefs have died and the rest…

The Taliban killed at least 291 Afghan security personnel over the past week, a top government official said Monday, accusing the insurgents of unleashing a wave of violence ahead of potential talks. The previous week was the “deadliest” in the country’s 19 years of conflict, said Javid Faisal, spokesman for the National Security Council, even as the insurgents dismissed the latest figures. The Taliban carried out 422 attacks in 32 provinces during that time, killing 291 security force personnel and wounding 550 others, Faisal said on Twitter. “Taliban’s commitment to reduce violence is meaningless, and their actions inconsistent with their…

Bahrain has announced the death of a 91-year-old male citizen from coronavirus, the oldest deceased from the virus. The total deaths have soared to 66. The MOH expressed its condolences to the family of the deceased. The total cases have driven to 22,407 of which 16,419 have recovered, which means that over 73 percent of the confirmed cases have recovered from the virus. Currently, there are 5,479 active cases. Also, there are 148 COVID-19 cases receiving treatment, of which 37 are in a critical condition. So far the country has conducted 485,715 tests, as per the government statics. Read More: Bahrain International Airport…

Bahrain has reported 643 new cases of coronavirus, among 371 expatriate workers, 262 new cases are contacts of active cases, and 10 are travel-related, after conducting over 7,900 additional COVID-19 tests on Monday. The death toll stands at 65, as 2 new deaths were reported in the kingdom. Meanwhile, 443 additional recoveries from COVID-19 were reported. The total cases have driven to 22,407 of which 16,419 have recovered, which means that over 73 percent of the confirmed cases have recovered from the virus. Currently, there are 5,480 active cases. Also, there are 148 COVID-19 cases receiving treatment, of which 37 are in a critical…

Apple on Monday provided a glimpse at upcoming software changes designed to make the iPhone even easier to use and announced underlying hardware changes to its line of Mac computers. The preview of the next version of the iPhone’s operating system, known as iOS 14, highlighted Apple’s annual conference for computer programmers and mobile app makers. The event, which was delayed for three weeks due to the coronavirus pandemic, took place in virtual form via a webcast from the company’s Cupertino, California, headquarters. In recognition of the pandemic, Apple’s next iPhone operating system will include an option to put a…

U.S. President Donald Trump will expand an existing visa ban to include certain non-immigrant work visas as part of a move to protect U.S. workers amid the economic devastation tied to the coronavirus pandemic, a senior administration official said on Monday. Trump will block the entry of foreign workers on H-1B visas for skilled workers and L-1 visas for workers being transferred within a company through the end of the year, the official said. The president will also block seasonal workers on H-2B visas, with an exception for workers in the food service industry. The move comes despite opposition from…

Saudi Arabia announced it would hold a “very limited” hajj this year, with pilgrims already in the kingdom allowed to perform the annual ritual as it moves to curb the coronavirus pandemic. But the decision to limit the hajj, scheduled for late July, is fraught with political and economic peril and comes after several Muslim nations pulled out of the ritual. “It was decided to hold the pilgrimage this year with very limited numbers… with different nationalities in the kingdom,” the official Saudi Press Agency said, citing the hajj ministry. “This decision is taken to ensure the hajj is performed…