Author: News Desk

Representative of His Majesty the King for Humanitarian Work and Youth Affairs, His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, has stressed that the resumption of sports activities, in general, and the Nasser bin Hamad Football Premier League, in particular, indicates that life in Bahrain is back to normal gradually. On the occasion, HH Shaikh Nasser stressed the importance of implementing the decisions of the Government Executive Committee, chaired by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, to allow the resumption of sports activities without spectators. ♦ Bahrain…

Nationality, Passports and Residence Affairs (NPRA) announced the reopening of its office at the Muharraq Security Complex on Sunday, August 9 from 8 am to 2 pm to provide the residency sticker service only. Only clients with appointments booked through Skiplino app would be allowed, in line with the precautionary measures against coronavirus in place, and in order to ensure social distancing. The NPRA urged the clients to wear masks during the processing of their applications.

The Bahrain Tennis Club announced it would resume its activities on Thursday (August 6). “Doors will be reopened to BTC club members who book in advance to use the tennis courts”, it said  in a statement, stressing the necessity of complying with the mandary precautionary measures for combating the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). BTC Chairman Khamis Mohammed Al-Muqla thanked all members for their cooperation and full commitment to the preventive protocols for the safety of all.

The Bahrain health ministry introduces the “Hug curtain” program for frontline workers at healthcare to meet and greet their families on Eid Al Adha. Health care workers were experienced an amazing and exciting moment by meeting their loved ones in a unique way on Eid Al Adha with hug curtains. Healthcare workers who are striving hard to protect their family and friends by maintaining social distancing. https://youtu.be/B8OoF3YwESQ A heart-touching moment has seen at the hospitals on Eid day where families of medical staff were surprised by seeing their loved ones who visited to exchange Eid wishes and became emotionally excited…

Facebook rolled out its own version of social media rival TikTok in the United States and more than 50 other countries on Wednesday, embedding a new short-form video service called Reels as a feature within its popular Instagram app. The debut comes days after Microsoft said it was in talks to acquire TikTok’s U.S. operations from China’s ByteDance. ByteDance has agreed to divest parts of TikTok, sources have said, under pressure from the White House which has threatened to ban it and other Chinese-owned apps over data security concerns. The launch of Reels escalates a bruising fight between Facebook and…

British retailer WH Smith said on Wednesday it could cut up to 1,500 jobs as part of a restructuring of its UK store operations, due to significantly fewer customers at its travel and high street shops despite easing coronavirus restrictions. Founded more than 200 years ago as a news vendor in London, WH Smith expanded at a host of major airports to take advantage of rising passenger numbers, helping offset the decline of the British high street. The company said 53% of its UK travel store estate is open with a focus on increasing average transaction value now that sales have…

The Kuwaiti Ministry of Health stated in its tweet that urgent shipment of medical aid, including equipment, medicines and supplies were sent to Lebanon on Wednesday on the directives of HH Deputy Amir, Shaikh Nawaf Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. The huge explosion hit Beirut Port yesterday afternoon leaving 100 dead and nearly 4,000 injured. The ministry had announced joint coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to prepare and transport the shipment in cooperation with the Ministry of Defense via a military plane, noting the direct follow-up from the Minister of Health Sheikh Dr. Basel AI-Sabah to complete the various procedures…

A U.S. judge on Tuesday sentenced former Google engineer Anthony Levandowski to 18 months in prison for stealing a trade secret from Google related to self-driving cars months before becoming the head of Uber Technologies rival unit. U.S. District Judge William Alsup in San Francisco said Levandowski, who was convicted on Tuesday following a March plea agreement, said Levandowski could enter custody once the COVID-19 pandemic has subsided. Alsup said a sentence short of imprisonment would have given “a green light to every future brilliant engineer to steal trade secrets,” comparing what Levandowski took to a “competitor’s game plan.” ♦ Google…

India reported on Wednesday 52,509 new cases over the novel coronavirus, taking its tally of infections to more than 1.91 million, nevertheless authorities eased restrictions aimed at limiting its spread, allowing gyms and yoga studios to open. India is one of the world’s hardest-hit countries, with nearly 40,000 people dead of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. But the health ministry said India’s fatality rate was now 2.10%, the lowest since the outbreak first appeared. The government has been struggling to stop the spread of the virus while also trying to minimise the economic damage and the hardships lockdowns…

For Bahrain, fighting Iran’s financing of terror is not simply a battle of ideals waged in the shadows, but also an ongoing campaign for transparency and global stability, the Kingdom’s Ambassador to the U.S., Shaikh Abdullah bin Rashid Al Khalifa, has stressed. In a commentary he wrote for the US News & World Report, Shaikh Abdullah highlighted how Bahrain is fighting terror through transparent banking laws. “The United States government rightly labels Iran as the world’s leading state-sponsor of terrorism. Its clerical regime exercises direct or indirect control over most of the country’s largest financial and commercial institutions to allegedly…