Author: News Desk

The Ministry of Finance welcomed the IMF statement issued at the conclusion of the staff mission for the Kingdom 2021 Article IV. The statement underscored the positive results of the Saudi economic reforms, projected continuation in the economic recovery, and expected decline in the unemployment rate and inflation. The IMF projected real GDP growth at 2.1% this year and 4.8 % in 2022 (compared to a contraction of -4.1 % in 2020) and rebounded recovery of real non-oil GDP growth in the second half of 2020. The high-frequency indicators also suggest continued recovery in 2021. The real non-oil GDP growth…

Bahraini Journalists Association (BJA) has issued a report on the status of the Bahraini press during the coronavirus crisis (Covid 19), in conjunction with the World Press Freedom Day and Bahrain’s celebration of the 82 years since the establishment of the first political newspaper in the Arabian Gulf. The report indicates that despite the gains achieved by the Bahraini press for eight decades, it is currently going through exceptional circumstances caused by COVID-19 and its repercussions on the media. The pandemic has affected the various Bahraini media institutions, but they are still resilient and are facing all the challenges and…

India postponed exams for trainee doctors and nurses on Monday, freeing them up to fight the world’s biggest surge in coronavirus infections, as the health system crumbles under the weight of new cases and hospitals run out of beds and oxygen. The total number of infections so far rose to just short of 20 million, propelled by a 12th straight day of more than 300,000 new cases in a pandemic sparked by a virus first identified in central China at the end of 2019. Medical experts say actual numbers in India could be five to 10 times higher than those reported. Hospitals…

The special tribute by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa to the Bahraini press for its significant role in confronting the coronavirus pandemic consolidates its status as a highly trusted source of information for the nation and the world. “The coronavirus pandemic, and the global challenges it imposed, demonstrated the significance of the Bahraini media as an active partner within Team Bahrain led by the dear son, the Crown Prince, His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa,” HM King Hamad said in his address on World Press Freedom Day. “Through its commitment to publish verified information…

Nepal has decided to suspend international and domestic flights amid a surge in Covid-19 cases, the country’s communications minister said on Monday. All domestic flights will be suspended from midnight Monday (1815 GMT), while international flights will be halted from midnight Wednesday, according to minister Parbat Gurung, the Deutsche Presse Agentur (DPA) reported. The flights will remain suspended until May 14,” Gurung told dpa. Details have not yet been made public but the decision will not impact chartered and humanitarian flights, according to officials. This decision comes at a time when the government is struggling to contain the spread of coronavirus…

His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, on Monday held a remote meeting with a number of newly appointed officials. His Royal Highness noted that Bahrain’s development is underpinned by the creativity and commitment of its citizens, in line with long-term Government strategies. His Royal Highness affirmed that Government progress is measured against outcomes, stressing that the appointment of new leaders to government executive administrative positions is in line with the Government’s strategic approach. His Royal Highness then congratulated the new appointees, wishing them success in their new roles. For their part, the…

Chief Executive Officer of the National Communication Centre (NCC), Yousif Al-Binkhali, had lauded the keynote address made by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, marking the World Press Freedom Day. Al-Binkhali asserted that the royal address carries a message of appreciation and gratitude to the press personnel for their enlightening, awareness-raising and creative role. He highlighted HM the King’s keenness to provide all constitutional and legal guarantees for the press, being an integral part of the comprehensive development march, noting that the Bahraini democracy has protected the press sector through putting in place the necessary guarantors that enable…

Five Indian states will declare results on Sunday from local elections held in March and early April, at the start of a surge in COVID-19 cases that has overwhelmed the country and its healthcare system. The election results are seen as an early test of the impact the devastating second wave of the pandemic is having on support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his right-wing BJP party. Counting of votes in Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry will begin on Sunday morning. Over 1,000 count observers will conduct the process with everyone expected to produce a negative…

Olympia Dukakis, who won an Oscar for her performance as a sardonic, middle-aged mother who advises her headstrong daughter on matters of love in the 1987 romantic film comedy “Moonstruck,” died on Saturday at age 89. Dukakis – a cousin of unsuccessful 1988 Democratic U.S. presidential nominee Michael Dukakis – passed away at her New York City home on Saturday morning after months of failing health, said her agent, Allison Levy. Her daughter, Christina Zorich, was by her side. The Massachusetts-born daughter of Greek immigrants, Dukakis worked for decades as a stage, TV and film actor before rocketing to fame…

A special-issue Dubai car plate number AA9 was sold for a record Dh38 million during the ‘Most Noble Numbers’ charity auction, which raised a total of Dh48.49 million on Saturday in Dubai for the UAE’s ‘100 Million Meals’ Ramadan campaign. The buyer of the AA9 plate at the auction, who did not want to be named, said: “I just want to say a big thank you to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed [bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai], for giving us this chance to be part of this charity programme.” Saturday’s…