Author: News Desk

London : British Airways owner IAG is not planning to raise billions of euros from shareholders to get the company through the extended COVID-19 crisis, its chief executive Luis Gallego told The Sunday Times. “We do not see the necessity to do a rights issue and are not considering it,” Gallego told the newspaper, adding that the company was talking through “different options” with banks. The comments come after media speculation about the company’s plans to shore up its finances. In May, IAG announced plans to raise 825 million euros ($967 million) from a convertible bond to bolster its balance…

New Delhi :  A senior U.S. trade official privately criticized India’s July decision to ban Mastercard Inc from issuing new cards, calling it a “draconian” move that caused “panic.” The documents show frustration within the U.S. government after India’s central bank banned new card issuance by American Express and Diners Club International in April, then took similar action against Mastercard in July, according to U.S. government emails, Reuters reported. The Reserve Bank of India accuses the companies of breaking local data-storage rules. The bans do not affect existing customers. The ban on Mastercard – a top payment network in India…

Bahrain : The Education Ministry has lined up 250 workshops for its staff throughout the 2021-202 academic year. The workshops to be implemented remotely from Manama and Muharraq centers aim to enhance the aptitudes of the staff across various sections. The training workshops will be implemented in cooperation with several entities, including the Regional Centre for Information and Communication Technology, the Arab League and the British Council, and will feature new topics that keep pace with the development of education, Education Minister Majed Al Nuaimi said. The workshops will also be for private school teachers and other parties such as…

New Delhi : Saudi Foreign Minister HH Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdulla held a session of talks with his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and reviewed bilateral relations, aspects of joint cooperation, in addition to coordination stances regarding regional and international issues. Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said that the session of talks focused on both countries’ efforts to combat the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The Indian expressed gratitude to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for supplying India with medical aid during the surge of the virus. The two sides discussed ways of expanding economic partnership in light of the 2030 Saudi…

LA PALMA : A volcano erupted on the Spanish Canary Island of La Palma on Sunday, sending jets of lava and a plume of smoke and ash into the air from the Cumbre Vieja national park in the south of the island. Authorities had begun evacuating the infirm and some farm animals from surrounding villages before the eruption at 3:15 p.m. (1415 GMT) on a wooded slope in the sparsely populated Cabeza de Vaca area, according to the islands’ government. Two hours later, with rivers of lava edging down the hillside, the municipality issued a mandatory evacuation order for four…

Bahrain: His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa today returned to the kingdom, following a visit to Egypt at the invitation of Egyptian President, Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi. During the visit, HM the King held talks with President Al-Sisi on the distinguished solid long-standing relations between both countries and their brotherly peoples, in addition to the current situation in the region, and the latest regional and global developments.

Bahrain : Deputy Prime Minister His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa issued Edict 48 of 2021 restructuring the Consultative Committee at the BQA National Qualifications Framework. Chaired by BQA Chief Executive Officer, the panel includes the following members: 1.Organisation and Job Budgeting director-general – Civil Service Bureau. 2.Dr. Mohammed Abdulla Baqer – Government Universities. 3.Bahrain Training Institute director-general – Education Ministry. 4.Scientific Researcher director- Higher Education Council. 5.Nawaf Mohammed Al Jishi – Private Institutes. 6.Vocational Institutes Affairs director – Labour and Social Development Ministry. 7.Dr. Sameer Abdulkarim Al Atoom – Private Universities. 8.Yasser Abdulrahim Al Abbassi – Private…

Bahrain :  Bahraini Youssef Falah finished first in the men’s category in the first late Abdulla Nass Open Bowling Championship, which concluded yesterday (Saturday). He was followed by Omani Khalid bin Isa and Saudi Adel Al Barqi, who finished second and third respectively. In the women’s category, Bahraini Nadia Aqeel put on a great performance to finish first, followed by compatriot Laila Janahi and Filipina Uella Marcia. . First Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports (SCYS), Chairman of the General Sports Authority and President of the Bahrain Olympic Committee, HH Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa…

Brussels: Two Spanish cities are vying, alongside five other cities, in the competition for the European Capital of Smart Tourism 2022. The European Commission said that the seven shortlisted cities in the competition were Bordeaux (France), Copenhagen (Denmark), Dublin (Ireland), Florence (Italy), Ljubljana (Slovenia), Palma (Spain) and Valencia (Spain). The seven finalist cities were selected from 30 applications from across 16 countries. The European Capital of Smart Tourism competition recognises outstanding achievements in four specific categories: Accessibility, Sustainability, Digitalisation and Cultural heritage and creativity. The competition is an EU initiative that aims to celebrate destinations for their smart and sustainable…

Bahrain : Director-General of Traffic, Brigadier Shaikh Abdulrahman bin Abdulwahab Al Khalifa, has revealed a reduction in road traffic injuries and fatalities by 60% until 2020 after implementing the comprehensive traffic strategy. Launched in 2015, the strategy reduced such accidents by 25% from last year until 2021, making Bahrain the top in the region in the drop of traffic accidents rates. He said that such achievement was a milestone despite an increase in the number of vehicles by 21%, heavy traffic and the construction of new cities as part of urban development, including Salman City, East Al Hidd, Khalifa City…