Author: News Desk

His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa issued a royal decree pardoning and releasing 32 inmates who had been convicted in various court cases and served part of their jail terms. The kind royal gesture, marking Eid Al-Adha, reflects HM the King’s keenness to provide the pardoned inmates with the opportunity to re-integrate society and participate in the Kingdom’s development march.

Xiaomi is now the second largest smartphone vendor based on worldwide shipments in the second quarter of 2021, according to a new report from Canalys. The Chinese company captured 17 percent of global market share, according to the research firm, just behind Samsung’s 19 percent but ahead of Apple’s 14 percent. BBK’s Oppo and Vivo rounded out the list of top five vendors at 10 percent apiece. https://youtu.be/U1Laa5AeGII All five companies grew their shipments year on year, but what’s notable is just how much Xiaomi has managed to increase its volume — it shipped 83 percent more phones than in Q2 2020,…

Australian basketball player Liz Cambage has withdrawn from the Olympic team citing mental health concerns and fears of heading into the “bubble”. Cambage, who plays for the Las Vegas Aces, said the fact that family, friends and fans would not be in Tokyo to offer support was “terrifying”. The 29-year-old, a four-time WNBA All-Star, said she wanted to take care of herself “mentally and physically”. “At the moment I’m a long way from where I want and need to be,” she said. “It’s no secret that in the past I’ve struggled with my mental health and recently I’ve been really…

At least 120 people have died and thousands more in western Europe are unaccounted for after some of the worst flooding in decades. Record rainfall caused rivers to burst their banks, devastating the region. In Germany, where the death toll now stands at over 100, Chancellor Angela Merkel called for a determined battle against climate change. https://youtu.be/nHABe_WUVuQ Belgian media is reporting 22 deaths there. The Netherlands, Luxembourg and Switzerland are also affected. In Germany, the states of Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia were the worst-hit. Scientists have repeatedly warned that human-induced climate change would bring pulses of extreme rainfall such as…

Over 50 dead, dozens missing as severe floods strike Europe More than 50 people have died and dozens were missing Thursday as heavy flooding in Germany and Belgium turned streams and streets into raging torrents that swept away cars and caused houses to collapse. Recent storms across parts of western Europe made rivers and reservoirs burst their banks, triggering flash floods overnight after the saturated soil couldn’t absorb any more water. Authorities in North Rhine-Westphalia state said at least 30 people had died, while 19 deaths were reported in Rhineland-Palatinate state to the south. Belgian media reported eight deaths in…

Some 35 million American families have started receiving their first monthly payout from the U.S. government in an expanded income-support program that President Joe Biden said on Thursday could help end child poverty. Under the Child Tax Credit program that was broadened under Biden’s COVID-19 stimulus, eligible families collect an initial monthly payment of up to $300 for each child under six years old and up to $250 for each older child. Payouts made to families, covering nearly 60 million eligible children, totaled about $15 billion for July. The payments are automatic for many U.S. taxpayers, while others need to…

Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro’s health is “evolving in a satisfactory manner” but the right-wing leader, who was hospitalized this week after complications from a 2018 stabbing, does not have a timeline for leaving hospital, his doctors said on Thursday. The president flew from the capital Brasilia to Sao Paulo on Wednesday to undergo tests, and possible emergency surgery, to unblock an obstructed intestine after days of hiccups. Bolsonaro, a former army captain, has been hospitalized several times in the wake of the near-fatal campaign trail stabbing, which perforated his intestine. He also caught COVID-19 last year. “Jair Messias Bolsonaro, remains…

At least 44 people are dead and dozens missing as two days of continuous, heavy rain in western Germany causes massive floods and travel chaos. Flash floods hit cities across Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), Germany’s most populous state, turning streets into rivers and causing houses to collapse. Further heavy rain and storms are forecast for Thursday and Germany’s weather service said more heavy rain could be expected by the end of the day. Eighteen people died and dozens were missing around the wine-growing region of Ahrweiler, police said, after the Ahr river that flows into the Rhine rose and brought down…

Johnson & Johnson is voluntarily recalling five Neutrogena and Aveeno brand aerosol sunscreen products after detecting a cancer-causing chemical in some samples. The New Jersey-based company said on Wednesday that consumers should stop using the products and discard them, after internal testing identified low levels of benzene in some samples. J&J is also notifying distributors and retailers to stop selling the products and arranging for their return “out of an abundance of caution”. Benzene is classified as a substance that could potentially cause cancer depending on the level and extent of exposure. J&J said benzene is not an ingredient in…

Vaccination at Oman government designated centres will be suspended from July 16 until July 25, General Directorate of Health Services of the Governorate of Muscat has said. The campaign has been in full swing in Oman, with the daily vaccinations reaching up to 40,000 people. While the shots given in government assigned centres which are free of cost are intended predominantly for Omani citizens, private clinics and hospitals spread across the country are engaged in adminstering the shots for expatriates at a cost. The vaccination facilities at government health centres are also used by expatriate healthcare workers and those who…