Author: News Desk

Bahrain : The Bahrain Petroleum Company (Bapco) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Nasser Vocational Training Centre (NVTC). The MoU aims to enhance strategic cooperation, exchange knowledge and expertise, in addition to applying the best services in order to hone operational skills and capabilities across various work fields, including artificial intelligence. On the occasion, Bapco Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Abdulrahman Jawahery, praised the effective cooperation between Bapco and the NVTC, noting that the MoU will contribute to further bolstering cooperation between the two sides and supporting their efforts to empower Bahraini women. Dr. Jawahery highlighted Bapco’s vision…

India : More than 3,000 guests turned up for India’s first wedding reception in the metaverse, hosted by newlyweds who wanted to avoid coronavirus restrictions on their big day. The metaverse is a virtual reality platform that uses augmented reality, 3D holographic avatars and videos for social interactions. Dinesh SP, 24, and his fiancee Janaganandhini Ramaswamy, 23, were married in a traditional ceremony in the southern state of Tamil Nadu on Sunday. But with guests limited to 100 because of the pandemic, they decided to hold their reception in the virtual world. Intrigued strangers also joined the celebration, billed as “Asia’s first ever…

A highly anticipated concert by Expo 2020 Dubai’s female Firdaus Orchestra, featuring Grammy-nominated sitar player Anoushka Shankar, was preceded by news of famed Indian singer Lata Mangeshkar’s death on Sunday. Shankar, whose late father Ravi Shankar was one of most respected sitar players in the world, paid tribute to Mangeshkar – considered a national treasure in India – before she took to the stage at Jubilee Park, calling her “one of the greatest artists the world has ever known”. “Genuinely heartbroken to hear of the passing of our Nightingale Lata-ji. I was blessed to meet her through my father, who shared such a…

WASHINGTON :  A White House review found credible evidence that top scientist Dr. Eric Lander violated its “Safe and Respectful Workplace Policy,” but the administration plans to keep him on the job after giving him counseling. An internal review last year, prompted by a workplace complaint, found evidence that Lander, the director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy and science adviser to President Joe Biden, bullied staffers and treated them disrespectfully. That put him at odds with Biden’s day-one directive that he expected “honesty and decency” from all who worked for his administration and would fire anyone who shows disrespect to…

Bahrain : Under the patronage of the Commander-in-Chief of the Bahrain Defence Force (BDF), Field Marshal Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, the opening ceremony of the museum of the Royal Bahraini Air Force (RBAF) was held here today. The BDF chief deputised Assistant Chief of Staff for Human Resources, Major-General Shaikh Ali bin Rashid Al Khalifa, to attend the event, held at the RBAF’s headquarters marking the BDF’s 54th anniversary. The commemorative plaque was unveiled, and then the Assistant Undersecretary toured the museum, and was informed about its sections, photos and collectibles documenting the establishment and development of the…

Bahrain : Nationality, Passports and Residence Affairs (NPRA) today announced the launch of MAWAEID app for booking appointments, starting February 14. The app will replace the current appointment booking system. It could be downloaded via Play Store or APP Store to book appointments after entering personal details and choosing the service centre, type of the service, date and time. In addition, the app allows individuals to amend or cancel appointments. Individuals could call 17077077 from Sunday to Thursday from 7:30 am to 6:00 p.m for any inquiry.

London : Gun salutes rang out in London and Edinburgh on Monday to mark the official start of Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee year, as the 95-year-old monarch prepared for a busy season of public duties. Britain’s longest-serving monarch, Elizabeth became queen on the death of her father, King George VI, at age 56 on Feb. 6, 1952. The monarch doesn’t celebrate the anniversary of the date she became queen, known as Ascension Day, as it is also the anniversary of her father’s death. In a statement released Saturday, the queen remembered the death of her father and recalled the…

Manama: The Kingdom of Bahrain today announced the launch of the ‘Golden Residency Visa’ for residents and non-residents with immediate processing of the applications electronically upon meeting the prescribed criteria. The move is a part of the Kingdom’s strategy that will serve as a catalyst for attracting foreign investments. https://youtu.be/Vi2ZVn_zluQ A Press Conference held at the Officers’ Club in Al-Qudhaibiya and jointly addressed by Shaikh Hisham bin Abdulrahman bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, Undersecretary for Nationality, Passports and Residency Affairs at the Interior Ministry and Shaikh Ahmed bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, Assistant Undersecretary at Nationality, Passports and Residency Affairs at the Interior…

Australia said on Monday it will reopen its borders to vaccinated travellers this month, ending two years of misery for the tourism sector, reviving migration and injecting billions of dollars into the world No. 13 economy. The move effectively calls time on the last main component of Australia’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which it has attributed to relatively low death and infection rates. The other core strategy, stop-start lockdowns, was shelved for good in December. The country had taken steps in recent months to relax border controls, like allowing in skilled migrants and quarantine-free travel arrangements – “travel bubbles”…

French President Emmanuel Macron, the top Western leader to visit Moscow since Russia began massing troops on the border with Ukraine, told Vladimir Putin at the start of talks in the Kremlin on Monday that he aimed to avoid war and build trust. Macron, who is expected to seek re-election in April, has positioned himself as a potential mediator on Ukraine with Paris voicing scepticism about predictions by Washington, London and other Western capitals that a Russian assault is imminent. Macron told the Russian president he was seeking a “useful” response “that of course allows us to avoid war and…