Author: News Desk

Bahrain :  Minister of Electricity and Water Affairs, Eng. Wael bin Nasser Al Mubarak and Chief Executive of the Electricity and Water Authority (EWA), Shaikh Nawaf bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, met online today with members of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) delegation, Ali Al-Eid. The minister affirmed that such periodic meetings between the competent authorities in the Kingdom of Bahrain and IMF aim to discuss the main developments in the electricity and water field and the kingdom’s infrastructure. He said the kingdom is progressing with constant steps towards achieving its development goals through diverse vital initiatives. For his part, the…

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson apologised and vowed to “fix it” after a report on Monday into lockdown parties held at his Downing Street residence criticised serious failures at the heart of government. https://youtu.be/b2q9dikx_kA A report by senior civil servant Sue Gray into lockdown-breaking gatherings at Downing Street under Johnson condemned some of the behaviour in government as being “difficult to justify”. “I want to say sorry,” Johnson told parliament. “Sorry for the things we simply did not get right and sorry for the way that this matter has been handled.” Johnson said the government had to learn from the…

Bahrain : Bahrain’s national mixed martial arts (MMA) team won the title of the World Amateur MMA Championships, which was organised by the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) in cooperation with the UAE Mixed Martial Arts Federation from January 24-29 in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi. The team managed to win 6 gold, 1 silver, and 3 bronze medals in the senior category, thus achieving first place in this section. Also, the team earned two silver and two bronze medals in the junior category, bringing the team’s total wins in this tournament to 14 coloured medals. His Highness Shaikh Khalid…

Toronto :  Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Monday he has tested positive for COVID-19 but is “feeling fine” and will continue to work remotely from home.  Trudeau said two of his children have COVID-19 and a test Monday revealed he has it as been infected as well. And he used a televised virtual press conference to denounce anti-vaccine protesters who filled Canada’s capital to complain about COVID restrictions. Some were protesting a rule that took effect Jan. 15 requiring truckers entering Canada to be fully immunized against the coronavirus. The United States has imposed the same requirement on truckers entering…

Bahrain : Industry, Commerce and Tourism Minister Zayed bin Rashid Al Zayani said that His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, greatly appreciate the efforts and sincere dedication of all those who work on the front lines in the nation’s ongoing fight against the Coronavirus (COVID-19).. He hailed the dedicated national efforts exerted by the health professionals, the Bahrain Defence Force, the Ministry of Interior and all other supporting authorities to combat Covid-19 pandemic. Al Zayani was addressing a ceremony during which he…

Bahrain : The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, held a press conference today during the Turkish Foreign Minister’s visit to the Kingdom of Bahrain. The Minister of Foreign Affairs hailed the visit of his Turkish counterpart, highlighting friendly relations between the two countries and mutual keenness to enhance bilateral cooperation, under the directives of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The Minister of Foreign Affairs hailed the visit of his Turkish counterpart, highlighting friendly relations…

Berlin : The death toll linked to a powerful storm that swept across parts of Europe rose to five on Sunday, after more accidents linked to high winds were reported in Poland and the Czech Republic. A 27-year-old man died on Sunday in the northern Polish province of Pomerania when a tree fell on his car. Another person was injured in the accident. Across Poland, firefighters responded to thousands of calls to clear fallen trees from roads and safeguard roofs. According to authorities, around 680,000 households were without electricity due to damaged power lines. In the Czech Republic, a five-metre-high…

WASHINGTON :  The Biden administration on Monday issued a guidebook to help federal, state and local government officials know how to access the nearly $1 trillion made available by the bipartisan infrastructure deal. Mitch Landrieu, a senior White House adviser who is supervising the infrastructure spending, said the goal of the 461-page book is to ensure that all communities have the details on how to qualify for funding, no matter their size or politics. “It’s an absolute road map,” said Landrieu, a former mayor of New Orleans. The infrastructure package includes 375 distinct programs, of which 125 are new. And while the guidebook is more than…

Two drug kingpins have been killed in Europe, one of whom was to have been a witness in the trial of alleged Dutch crime lord Ridouan Taghi. Mr Taghi, who was arrested in Dubai in 2019, is facing trial over a number of alleged murders in the Netherlands and has been accused by prosecutors of plotting a violent prison break and ordering killings from his cell. Bledar Muca, 39, was shot dead outside his apartment in Antwerp, Belgium, on Saturday. He is believed to have been the right-hand man of two prominent Albanian drug dealers and had been living in London under…

Israel’s president visited Expo 2020 Dubai on Monday as his country marked a day of celebrations at the world’s fair. Isaac Herzog stood at Al Wasl Plaza for a ceremony at which the Israeli and Emirati national anthems were played. Mr Herzog and his wife, first lady Michal Herzog, were on the second day of a two-day visit to the Emirates — the first by an Israeli head of state. Mr Herzog was welcomed by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai and Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai. “I welcome this exciting opportunity to see this…