Author: News Desk

Israel and Sudan agreed on Friday to take steps to normalize relations in a deal brokered with the help of the United States, making Khartoum the third Arab government to set aside hostilities with Israel in the last two months. U.S. President Donald Trump, seeking re-election on Nov. 3, sealed the agreement in a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and Transitional Council Head Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, senior U.S. officials said. Trump’s decision earlier this week to remove Sudan from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism paved the way for…

On Wednesday, the Kuwait Municipality visited Al Sulabiya tire site after a huge fire blaze was set off last Thursday. An estimated one million tires were said to have been burned, as the fire blazed through 25,000 of the site’s million square meters, according to KUNA. Al Sulabiya tire site is one of the largest tire graveyards in the world and is clearly visible on satellite images. Old or unusable tires are usually taken to Al Sulabiya and thrown into large holes, which with time become mountains of tires.

Representatives of Amazon in India have refused to appear before a parliamentary panel reviewing the country’s privacy bill and that could lead to “coercive action” against the U.S. e-commerce giant, an Indian lawmaker said on Friday. A parliamentary panel headed by the lawmaker, Meenakshi Lekhi, is reviewing the Indian government’s Personal Data Protection Bill which some industry executives say could potentially hurt foreign tech firms and force them to change how they store data. As part of the panel’s deliberations, it regularly holds discussions with technology companies. On Friday, Lekhi told reporters Amazon had refused to appear before the panel on…

Bahrain education ministry’s specialised team, led by Acting Director of Kindergartens, Dr. Lubna Sulaibeekh, has paid field visits to kindergartens to ensure that all precautionary health measures are in place to combat coronavirus (COVID-19). The team inspected all kindergartens’ facilities to determine the extent of their commitment to health and safety requirements in classrooms, laboratories, toilets, playgrounds and others. The team emphasised that the precautionary health measures should cover the whole school day, including measuring the temperatures of all the kindergartens’ community upon entry, ensuring social distancing, providing the necessary sterilisation and hygiene materials, as well as ensuring the provision…

Authorities on Friday said ban on thronging at beaches in Oman is still in effect until further notice. The Supreme Committee on October 9th had decided to prohibit the use of beaches throughout the day until further notice. Earlier, the Supreme Committee had explained that the ban on nighttime movement will be lifted on Saturday, October 24, 2020. The Education Ministry’s efforts to operate schools during the forthcoming School Year 2020-2021, the Supreme Committee affirmed that the school year will begin on November 1, 2020. The Supreme Committee expressed extreme anxiety about the behaviour of some individuals who participate in…

The Permanent Representative of Bahrain to UN in New York Ambassador Jamal Faris Al-Ruwaie participated in the general panel discussion session of the Special Political Issues and Decolonization Committee (4th Committee). He stressed the important role of the United Nations in addressing international and regional problems and finding appropriate solutions to settle them. He underlined the need for the international community to take serious steps to achieve the goals of the Declaration on Granting Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples and the implementation of United Nations resolutions in this regard. The Ambassador highlighted Bahrain’s vision, under the leadership of His Majesty…

Two of Apple’s latest iPhone 12 models went on sale in China on Friday, after early pre-order data showed strong consumer interest in the 5G-enabled device in the firm’s second-largest market. The short queues outside Apple stores in the business hub of Shanghai struck a contrast with the crowds that flocked to past launch events, as most ordering has now shifted online. “I feel great being the first customer to get the new iPhone,” said Yan Bingqing, 30, who arrived before the store opened, and was in a line of about 20 people. “I’ve been waiting a long time.” A…

A Kuwaiti court has ordered the arrest and jailing of a head of a charitable association on charges of money laundering and seizing donors’ money, a newspaper has reported amid a crackdown on suspected charities in the country. The Criminal Court had ordered the defendant, who is a military man, be placed in the Central Prison after he was accused of seizing 211,000 Kuwaiti dinars, the newspaper added. The defendant denied the accusations. The court adjourned the case hearings until November 16. Prosecutors have charged him with laundering 211,000 and fraudulently transferring the sum to his personal bank account, taking…

A shop in Dubai was given a stern warning for not placing adequate social distancing stickers at its premises, the Dubai Economy (DED) announced on Friday. No business was ordered closed and no fine was issued as DED’s Commercial Compliance & Consumer Protection reported 738 businesses were found compliant with the precautionary measures against COVID-19 during a field inspection conducted on Thursday. The DED reminded that inspectors will continue with their daily visits to open markets and shopping centres across Dubai to deter any health protocol violation or abuse.

Saudi Arabia has launched a raft of new electronic services for citizens and expatriates aimed at facilitating access to visa and passport issuance, a media report said on Friday. The new services offered by the Saudi General Directorate of Passports was launched by Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud, including services codenamed the Abshar Individuals, Abshar Business and the Expatriate, Okaz newspaper reported. The report explained that the latest services allow expatriates to electronically renew their residency permits, extend exit-and-return visas from outside the kingdom and issue a final exit visas during a trial work period. They also include issuing…