Author: News Desk

GENEVA: Data was withheld from World Health Organization investigators who travelled to China to research the origins of the coronavirus epidemic, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Tuesday. The United States, the European Union and other Western countries immediately called for China to give “full access” to independent experts to all data about the original outbreak in late 2019. In its final report, written jointly with Chinese scientists, a WHO-led team that spent four weeks in and around Wuhan in January and February said the virus had probably been transmitted from bats to humans through another animal, and that…

BERLIN: BioNTech said on Tuesday that it and partner Pfizer would increase manufacturing capacity of their COVID-19 vaccine to 2.5 billion doses by the end of 2021, unveiling for the first time projected sales of close to 10 billion euros ($11.73 billion) from the product this year. Pfizer previously said the two partners would likely produce between 2.3 billion and 2.4 billion doses this year. BioNTech cited its new facility in the German city of Marburg and an expansion of the pair’s network of third-party manufacturers and suppliers as drivers behind the larger volumes. “Additional measures and discussions with potential…

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will be announcing the launch of a new program meant to strengthen the partnership with the private sector in the Kingdom. The Crown Prince announced the “Saudi Arabia’s Partner Program” with the private sector during a virtual meeting with a number of ministers, as well as senior businessmen and heads of major companies in the Kingdom. He stressed that building a vibrant and prosperous private sector is one of the Kingdom’s national priorities, given the importance it represents, and a vital role, as a major partner in the prosperity and development of…

KUWAIT CITY: The Centre for Government Communication (CGC) announced that Kuwait will be opening a drive-thru vaccination centre at the South Island of Al Jaber causeway bridge. The announcement comes as Kuwait is looking to ramp up its vaccination efforts, to achieve its goal of vaccinating two million people by September. So far 1,106,000 residents and citizens have registered for the vaccine, of which half a million have received at least the first jab. According to local media, in the past few days on average 25,000 people have been receiving the vaccine daily.

BRASILIA: Brazil’s economy added a net 401,639 formal jobs in February, Economy Ministry figures showed on Tuesday, the highest monthly figure since the data series began in 1992, led by a surge in the dominant services sector. Some 1.69 million positions were created and 1.29 million were cut, the ministry said, meaning that in the first two months of this year the economy created a net 659,780 formal jobs, also the highest in years. “These figures show that we are definitely on the right road with regard to the recovery of economic activity,” Economy Minister Paulo Guedes said in an…

MANAMA: Bahrain Defense Affairs Minister Lieutenant-General Abdulla bin Hassan Al Nuaimi, inaugurated Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Dhahrani Mosque in Zayed Town. Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Dhahrani and the Sunni Endowments Council’s Chairman Dr. Shaikh Rashid bin Mohammed Al Hajri, were present. The minister praised the keenness of the kingdom, under the leadership of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, to serve and support the houses of worship.

BRATISLAVA: Slovakia’s Prime Minister Igor Matovic and his government resigned on Tuesday to ease a political crisis triggered by a secret deal to buy Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine. It is the first European government to collapse due to its handling of the pandemic but the move will keep the current four-party coalition in power and avoid the possibility of an early election. The coalition holds a comfortably parliamentary majority. President Zuzana Caputova accepted the resignation and asked Eduard Heger from Matovic’s Ordinary People party to form a new government. Heger served as the finance minister and deputy prime minister…

MANAMA: Receiving the vaccine injection against COVID-19 during daylight hours in Ramadhan does not break the fast, the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs said. The Council’s statement answers the question asked by some Muslims whether the dawn-to-dusk Ramadan fast prohibits them from getting the anti COVID-19 vaccine during the fasting hours. Getting a Covid-19 vaccine is acceptable during Ramadan and the shot does not invalidate the fast because it is injected into the muscle and has no nutritional value, the Council of the religious scholars said during its third session in 2021. The Council called on everyone to take the vaccine to…

MANAMA: His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa on Tuesday issued Royal Decree 43/2021, appointing Ambassador Khalid Yusuf Al-Jalahma as Head of Bahrain’s Diplomatic Mission to Israel. The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain officially normalized relations with Israel at a signing ceremony at the White House in September 2020. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed agreements with Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al Zayani.

WASHINGTON: German automaker Volkswagen AG’s U.S. unit confirmed Tuesday it will rename its U.S. operations as “Voltswagen of America” as it shifts its focus to electric vehicles. The revised name takes effect in May and the announcement came after several outlets on Monday reported on a draft release mistakenly posted on the automaker’s U.S. website. “We might be changing out our K for a T, but what we aren’t changing is this brand’s commitment to making best-in-class vehicles for drivers and people everywhere,” said Scott Keogh, president and CEO of Voltswagen of America in a statement. The German automaker has committed…