Author: News Desk

Croatia said on Saturday that wearing face masks will be obligatory in most closed public spaces from next week as the number of COVID-19 cases keeps rising. The number of new infections reached 140 on Saturday, the highest recorded so far in a single day. Most cases are in the capital Zagreb and in east of the country. The national civil protection directorate said that from Monday face masks will be obligatory for both employees and clients in shops, and also for employees in bars, restaurants and other places where there is close contact with customers. The use of face…

Dubai has announced a new package to help the economy cope with the effects of the coronavirus outbreak, worth 1.5 billion dirhams ($408 million), the crown prince of the emirate, Hamdan Bin Mohammed Al-Maktoum, said on Twitter on Saturday. The package is the third announced by Dubai, the second-largest and wealthiest member of the United Arab Emirates federation. The three packages are worth a total of 6.3 billion dirhams, Sheikh Hamdan said. Sheikh Hamdan listed some of the beneficiaries from the stimulus including schools. “We adopted the initiative to cancel fines and exempt private schools from fees for renewing commercial…

Saudi Arabia has reported 2,994 new cases and 30 deaths from coronavirus, taking the total cases to 229,480. The death toll raised to 2,181 after reporting the new deaths. Saudi is holding the 14th position for most coronavirus cases worldwide, just below Turkey. Meanwhile, 2,370 patients fully recovered from the virus, bringing the total recoveries to 165,396. In line with recent trends, the majority of the new cases are in Riyadh (285), followed by Al Hafouf (226) and Jeddah (221). https://twitter.com/media_ksa/status/1281932661573984257?s=20

Satisfaction among customers with the services provided by the Ministry of Labour and Social Development has reached 90% in the first six months of the year. The number of Bahraini citizens, residents, and institutions who used the National Suggestion and Complaint system “Tawasul” for inquiries, observations, complaints, or proposals from January to June has considerably increased compared with the same period last year, reaching 2,361 up from 631, the ministry said. “Tawasul” is one of the essential eChannels that enable citizens and residents to submit their suggestions and complaints to any government entity in Bahrain easily at any time and…

Minister of Labour and Social Development, Jameel bin Mohammed Ali Humaidan explained that the government has continued its commitment to keeping Bahrain’s communities safe and supporting local businesses during these unprecedented times by paying 50% of the salaries of insured Bahrainis in the most adversely affected enterprises in the private sector for a period of three months, starting from July 2020, from the Unemployment Insurance Fund. The Government’s decision follows the Cabinet’s approval to pay 50% of the salaries of insured Bahraini employees working in the private sector for a period of three months, starting July 2020, after setting the requirements…

China’s banks should brace for a big jump in bad loans due to coronavirus-induced economic pain, the financial regulator said on Saturday, noting the deterioration of asset quality at some small and mid-sized financial institutions was accelerating. China’s Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission said in a statement that profit growth would slow sharply at some banks while others could see profits decline. If banks were to make the minimum amount of provisions for their non-performing loans, which some have yet to do, profits for the sector would fall by more than 350 billion yuan ($50 billion), the statement said. Data…

Emirates airline has cut a tenth of its workforce during the novel coronavirus pandemic in layoffs that could rise to 15 percent, or 9,000 jobs, its president said, according to a report on Saturday. The Middle East’s largest carrier, which operates a fleet of 270 wide-bodied aircraft, halted operations in late March as part of global shutdowns to stem the spread of the virus. It resumed two weeks later on a limited network and plans to fly to 58 cities by mid-August, down from about 157 before the crisis. However, its president Tim Clark has said previously that it could…

Jack Charlton, a World Cup winner with England and a former Republic of Ireland manager, has died aged 85. Charlton, the elder brother of Bobby, played 35 times for England as a central defender, including all six matches at the 1966 World Cup. He spent his whole playing career at Leeds United, with whom he won several major honours, including the First Division title in 1969, the FA Cup in 1972 and two Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. After retiring as a player Charlton became a successful manager. He started with Middlesbrough, leading them to promotion to the top division as champions…

Kuwait has reported 478 new coronavirus cases, of which 310 are citizens, taking the total confirmed cases in the country to 54,058, according to the Ministry of Health. 3 patients died of the coronavirus in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of deaths to 386. Kuwait has the world’s 33rd highest number of coronavirus infections just over UAE. Meanwhile, 747 new recoveries have been reported in the country, raising the total recoveries to 43,961. Kuwait has done 2,495 NP swab tests in the past 24 hours, as the country ramps up its efforts to test more people and detect cases…

Oman has registered four deaths and 1,083 new cases of coronavirus, of which the majority of the cases are from citizens by 786 and the rest 297 from foreigners, taking the total cases to 54,697. The death toll reached 248 after reporting the new deaths. ♦ Oman to launch nationwide COVID-19 survey from July 12 Meanwhile, 1,030 new recoveries were announced, bringing the total to 35,255. 3,833 tests were conducted in the past 24 hours, across the sultanate. So far 235,044 COVID-19 tests have been conducted. Oman had decided to toughen penalties against COVID-19 violators. This may include publishing the names and…