HM King pardons 203 inmates
His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa issued a royal decree pardoning and releasing 203 inmates, who were convicted in various court cases and who have served part of their jail terms.
The kind royal gesture, marking Eid Al-Fitr, reflects HM the King’s keenness to provide the pardoned inmates with the opportunity to integrate society anew and participate in the kingdom’s development march.
Bahrain team conquers Mount Everest
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HM King exchanges Eid Al Fitr greetings with leaders of GCC, Arab and Islamic countries
His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa exchanged Eid Al-Fitr greetings with leaders of GCC states, Arab, Islamic and friendly countries.
HM the King wished them all good health and happiness, praying to Allah the Almighty bless their countries and peoples with further progress and prosperity and lift COVID-19 pandemic off Muslim countries and the whole humanity.
HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Minister exchanges Eid Al Fitr wishes with GCC, Arab and Islamic leaders and crown princes
His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, today exchanged Eid Al-Fitr congratulatory cables with GCC, Arab, Islamic and friendly nations leaders and crown princes. In his cable, His Royal Highness wished them continued good health and greater success in maneuvering challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.
House Republicans oust Liz Cheney for rejecting Trump’s ‘big lie’
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U.S. House of Representatives Republicans on Wednesday removed Liz Cheney from their leadership, punishing her for rejecting what she called former President Donald Trump’s “big lie” that last year’s election was stolen from him through election fraud.
The action signaled that Trump, despite his decisive election loss to Democrat Joe Biden in November, has solidified his hold over House Republicans as he jockeys to play a major role in the 2022 congressional elections and flirts with another run for the presidency in 2024.
After her ouster as the No. 3 House Republican was carried out in mere minutes in a closed-door meeting, a defiant Cheney told reporters that she would lead the fight to bring her party back to “fundamental principles of conservatism.”
“We must go forward based on truth. We cannot both embrace the big lie and embrace the Constitution,” Cheney said. She also vowed to prevent Trump from ever regaining the presidency, telling reporters: “I will do everything I can to ensure that the former president never again gets anywhere near the Oval Office.” (Reuters)
IOC confident of successful Tokyo Games
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Wednesday said it supported Japanese measures to counter COVID-19 and was confident the Tokyo Olympics would be a “historic” event, despite wide public opposition.
With less than three months to go before the Games begin on July 23, Japan is battling a surge in coronavirus infections. A majority of its population wants the Olympics cancelled or postponed for a second time, according to several polls, with about 70% of the 10,500 athletes — about 7,800 — already qualified for the Games.
“We are now very much in an implementation phase with 78 days to go and fully concentrated on delivering the Games,” IOC spokesman Mark Adams told an online news conference.
“When the Games happen and the Japanese people are proud hosts of an event that will be an historic moment, I think I am very confident we will see public opinion hugely in favour of the Games.”
Bahrain’s firm support to Palestinian issue stressed
Bahrain’s unflinching support to Arab and Islamic issues, including mainly the Palestinian Cause and Jerusalem, has been emphasised anew. Participating in an emergency session of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union (AIPU), which convened remotely today at a request by AIPU President Saqr Ghobash, the Speaker of the Federal National Council of the United Arab Emirates, the Shura Council Chairman Ali bin Saleh Al Saleh underlined Bahrain’s firm stance towards the Palestinian issue and its continuous call on the Israeli government to prevent its forces from attacking worshippers at Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The AIPU meeting, held to discuss developments in Jerusalem and the attacks on the Palestinian brethren, was attended by Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Abul Gheit as well as Speakers of Arab parliaments. Addressing the session, the Shura Council Chairman affirmed the kingdom’s strong condemnation of the Israeli forces’ attacks to force citizens in Jerusalem out of their homes in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood and the attack on worshippers at Al-Aqsa Mosque. He stressed the need to stop such practices against citizens in Jerusalem and protect them from any aggression.
The Shura Council Chairman said that the reprehensible plans to impose Israeli sovereignty undermine the efforts and opportunities to promote peace in the region and achieve security and stability. He added this contradicts with the resolutions of the international legitimacy and law and contravenes the values of tolerance, coexistence and peace. He stressed that just and lasting peace in the region will not be achieved unless the Palestinian people obtain their full legitimate rights to establish their independent state in accordance with the international legitimacy resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative.
He added that the hundreds of Palestinian families against whom eviction suits are filed in East Jerusalem are an important and fundamental entity in the formation of this historic city that is sacred and respected by all divine religions. He noted that the violations and attacks against them are a provocation to the feelings of all Muslims in the world, and have grave consequences on security and stability in the occupied territories. He asserted the need for the Israeli government to respect the international law, fulfill its international obligations and not change the legal and historical status of the Holy City, taking into account its specificity. The Shura Council Chairman called on major countries to play an active and effective role in calling on Israel to go back on such practices and stop all attacks on the Palestinian people in Jerusalem. He called on the international community to assume its humanitarian and moral responsibility in protecting the Palestinian people from all Israeli violations.
Bahrain approves Sputnik Light ‘single-dose vaccine’ for emergency use
Bahrain on Tuesday approved the emergency use of the new single-dose Sputnik Light vaccine produced by the Gamaleya National Center for Epidemiological and Microbiology Research, at the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation.
The decision to approve the new Sputnik vaccine and allow its use was based on the thorough analysis data provided by the manufacturing company.
On receipt of the vaccine files and the results of the expanded study, the National Health Regulatory Authority (NHRA) undertook a review and evaluation process, including the evaluation of efficacy data, safety throughout the clinical trials and vaccine manufacturing quality and product stability, noting the manufacturer’s commitment to applying the principles of good pharmaceutical manufacturing (GMP) according to international standards.
The NHRA also took the opinion of the Clinical Research Committee, academics and physicians responsible for approving clinical trials. Following approval by the Immunization Committee at the Ministry of Health, who considered technical and scientific data, the NHRA took the decision to approve the Sputnik light vaccine for emergency use.
The new Sputnik Light vaccine uses the first dose of the previously approved Sputnik V vaccine, with a high efficacy level and proven effectiveness against all new strains of Covid-19, evident during laboratory testing at the Gamaleya National Centre.
The NHRA confirmed that based on the approval issued today, the Ministry of Health will commence import procedures. By permitting the emergency use of Sputnik light, Bahrain has approved its sixth vaccine for emergency use, following; Sinopharm, Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca, Johnson and Sputnik V.
Shura Chairman receives Palestinian ambassador
Shura Council Chairman Ali bin Saleh Al Saleh has affirmed that the Israeli forces’ aggression of worshippers at Al-Aqsa Mosque during the holy month of Ramadan and evicting Jerusalem citizens from their homes in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood is a rejected act that is in breach with the resolutions of the international legitimacy and law and contravenes the values of tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
He was speaking as he received today Palestinian Ambassador to the Kingdom of Bahrain, Taha Abdul Qader and discussed with him developments in Jerusalem.
The Shura Council Chairman stressed Bahrain’s firm stance in supporting the Palestinian issue and the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people in accordance with the two-state solution, the Arab Peace Initiative and the resolutions of the international legitimacy.
He affirmed solidarity with the Palestinian people regarding the violations over the past days.
He also underlined the need to stop the Israeli military escalation against the Palestinians in Jerusalem and Gaza, pointing out that the Israeli attempts to dislocate the Palestinian citizens in Jerusalem from their homes and evict them to impose their sovereignty on them are denounced and unacceptable plans as they contravene the resolutions of the international legitimacy and undermine the efforts to promote security and stability in the region.
For his part, the Palestinian ambassador expressed appreciation for the noble feelings and stances shown by the Shura Council Chairman towards the just Palestinian issue.
He also commended the endeavors of the Kingdom of Bahrain to promote peace, stability and coexistence in the region.
He also lauded the kingdom’s steadfast support to establishing an independent Palestinian state with its capital East Jerusalem.
Moderna to deliver 25 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to Australia
Moderna Inc will supply Australia 25 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine, of which 10 million doses against the original strain of the virus will be delivered this year, the drugmaker said on Wednesday. Australia currently has two authorized vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca. It has been trying to speed up the rollout of jabs after it was stalled by supply hold-ups in Europe and concerns about blood clots tied to the AstraZeneca shot.
The deal also includes the supply of 15 million doses of Moderna’s updated variant booster vaccine candidate to be delivered in 2022, the company said. The pact with Moderna is subject to regulatory approval of its vaccine candidate, which is authorized for emergency use in individuals 18 years of age or older in the United States. Moderna has also received authorization for its vaccine from health agencies including Canada, Israel, the European Union, the United Kingdom and Switzerland. (Reuters)
New feature added to ‘BeAware Bahrain’ application
The Information and eGovernment Authority (iGA), in cooperation with the Ministry of Health, has added a new feature to the ‘BeAware Bahrain’ application, enabling users to update their COVID-19 vaccination and recovery status.
The iGA said it continues to ease the process of validating COVID-19 vaccination data to facilitate entry into venues restricted to vaccinated or recovered persons. Vaccinated persons only become eligible for entry 14 days after they have completed the vaccination process. The new feature has been made available in the application’s latest version for all IOS and Andriod users.
