Author: News Desk

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) reassured an anxious Japan on Wednesday that the Tokyo Olympics would be safe for athletes as well as the host community, amid mounting opposition to the Games and fears it will fuel a spike in COVID-19 cases. Speaking in Tokyo alongside senior Japanese officials, IOC chief Thomas Bach said he believed more than 80% of residents of the Olympic Village would be vaccinated or booked for vaccination ahead of the Games set to start on July 23. He rejected growing calls to cancel the global sporting showpiece, already delayed once due to the pandemic, saying…

Bitcoin’s volatile week-long slide saw it tumble to below the $40,000 mark on Wednesday as news of further restrictions on cryptocurrency transactions in China added to earlier concerns sparked by Tesla boss Elon Musk’s tweets. Bitcoin, the world’s biggest and best-known cryptocurrency, fell about 9% to as low as $38,940.04, even slipping below a key 200-day moving average. It is now down 40% from the year’s high of $64,895.22 on April 14. Elon Musk loses world’s second-richest ranking Bitcoin price lower after Musk tweet Ether, the coin linked to the ethereum blockchain network, dropped about 15% to $2,875.36. The declines…

India total COVID-19 caseload surged past 25 million on Tuesday as a powerful cyclone complicated the health crisis in one of the states where the disease is spreading most quickly. COVID-19 tests were administered to 200,000 people evacuated from coastal districts of the western state of Gujarat before the cyclone struck late on Monday and efforts were being made to try to limit any spread of infections. “Masks have been arranged for people shifted to shelter homes,” said Sandip Sagale, a top official in Ahmedabad, the main city in Gujarat. “Efforts are also made to maintain social distancing.” India’s total…

Bahrain’s national carrier Gulf Air is participating in the Arabian Travel Market 2021 (ATM), the region’s leading travel and tourism exhibition alongside Bahrain Tourism and Exhibition Authority. Gulf Air Board Chairman Zayed R. Alzayani attended the exhibition that included several Bahraini travel and tourism industry representatives. The exhibition is taking place on May 16 – 19. Gulf Air last week announced it would resume direct flights to Malaga in Spain this summer as it expands its list of boutique seaside destinations in Europe for the season. The airline will operate two weekly flights from June 30 to August 29. Gulf…

Tesla boss Elon Musk has slipped in the ranking of the very wealthy and is now in third place in the Bloomberg Billionaires List, which was published on Monday. The dip in the South-African-born entrepreneur’s fortune is linked to the ups and downs of shares in electric car manufacturer Tesla, in which he owns a large stake. According to Bloomberg estimates, Musk’s personal wealth has fallen 24 percent since January to 160.6 billion dollars. Bernard Arnault of the luxury goods company LVMH is now in second place on the billionaire list with a total fortune worth 161.2 billion dollars. Amazon…

President Joe Biden will send at least 20 million more COVID-19 vaccine doses abroad by the end of June, marking the first time the United States is sharing vaccines authorized for domestic use. The move marks a notable pivot from the White House as the administration seeks to use the country’s vaccine supply as a diplomatic tool with the pandemic outlook brightening at home. Biden announced on Monday that his administration will send doses of the Pfizer Inc/BioNTech SE , Moderna Inc and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, on top of 60 million AstraZeneca Plc doses he had already planned to give to other countries. Unlike…

At the Musee d’Orsay in Paris on Monday, workers were hanging a priceless Renoir painting in preparation for the museum’s re-opening after six months with no visitors because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The painting was one of many artefacts at the museum that were put in storage during the lockdown, to protect them from the effects of dust and sunlight, and which are now going back on display ready for the doors to open on Wednesday. The museum, on the banks of the Seine river, hummed with activity on Monday as staff brought artworks out of storage into the public…

First Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sport (SCYS), and President of the Bahrain Olympic Committee, HH Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, has received a congratulatory cable from the CEO of the Economic Development Board (EDB), Khalid Humaidan, following the issuance of a royal decree appointing him as Board of Directors Chairman of the General Sports Authority (GSA). Humaidan expressed deepest congratulations to HH Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad on the precious royal trust bestowed upon him, affirming that HM the King’s forward-looking vision will ensure a prosperous future for the sports sector in the kingdom.

Andrea Meza of Mexico has been crowned 69th Miss Universe. Meza, who has a software engineering degree, beat out out Miss Brazil at the end of the night, screaming Sunday when the announcer shouted “Viva Mexico!” Previous winner Zozibini Tunzi fit the crown on Meza’s head and waited to make sure it would stay in place as Meza beamed and took her first walk to the front of the stage. Tunzi, a public relations professional who became the first Black woman from South Africa to win the contest, had held the title since December 2019. Last year’s ceremony was canceled…

King Fahd Causeway knew early Monday morning a high travel movement of visitors to Bahrain following a decision by Saudi Arabia to lift a travel ban on its citizens according to certain regulations as part of precautionary measures to fight coronavirus (COVID-19) and enable the causeway to resume its regular travel activities. https://youtu.be/C3Is-LjiIOE